You probably travel quite a bit by air, as I do. One of the things I enjoy is looking for landmarks as I’m flying into my local airport. I try to find one landmark that tells me where I am relative to my destination. It’s interesting to me that until I find that first landmark, everything looks the same. There have been times, especially on cloudy days, when I didn’t even know the direction of my approach. And when I find that one landmark, everything begins to clarify. Oh, okay, there’s that water tower. I know that shopping center, that neighborhood, etc. But until then, I’m very lost.
I think organizations encounter similar situations every day. For an organization, landmarks look like a vision statement, mission statement, and strategic plan. Plenty of people—employees and business leaders—are frantically looking around trying to figure out where to go. They’re working hard, making very good time, but are they going in the right direction? Just like I need a landmark when I’m in a plane, they need a great landmark—like a clear strategic plan—that says, “Here’s what we’re all about, this is what’s important, this is where we’re going, and this is the way we’re planning on getting there.” That can be very, very helpful for organizations.
–Jim Wiginton is the founder and managing partner of Broad Insights, an international business coaching firm based in Greenville, South Carolina. Jim possesses a wealth of business expertise, much of it gained as an executive for Michelin North America, Plastic Omnium, and Alfmeier Corporation. He has more than 5,000 hours of coaching experience, and a Doctorate of Business Administration from Paris School of Business.
by Bradley C