Future Vision or Rear View

“Everyone ends up somewhere in life. You could end up somewhere on Purpose!” – Andy Stanley.

Do you know where your business is going? I’m not talking about results. I’m talking about achieving the reason your business exists in the first place. This isn’t for those who are in business to get rich. You already have your reward and you can click on. But if you’re in business for a purpose greater than earnings, check this out..

RearView Reports
There’s a natural imbalance between where to business “could be” at some point in the future and the immediate needs of the business today. Why? Think about what you fill your mind with when it comes to your business. Most likely it’s full of the day to day mechanics of running the business. This imbalance is created and perpetuated every day, week, month and quarter through the reports most entrepreneurs thrive on: the Sales Report and the Profit & Loss statements. The problem with this is that these tools are like review mirrors; they report on where the business has been, not where the business is going.

How can you look forward into the future if you’re focusing on the past? How can you make sure you’re driving the business straight down the road to your vision of where it could be some day if you’re looking in the rearview mirror?

The danger with this imbalance is that over time you will lose sight of your vision and become reactive instead of staying true to your envisioned future. Instead of being in the driver’s seat, you let the opportunity-of-the-day bus take your business where ever IT wants to go.

Andy Stanley, founder of North Point Ministries and senior pastor of North Point Community Church in Atlanta tells of many opportunities his growing church has had for growth. At one point, they were in a perfect position to begin a private school. Andy was being pressured to move in this direction and all the reports indicated they had the resources to do it. If he had been consumed with last month’s business reports, or last quarter’s P&L, he may have seen the private school idea as a way to react to how the “business” has been doing and voted in favor of expanding the brand. But this would have only served as a distraction to Andy’s vision of what he believed God had for his church from the beginning.

Crystal Ball?
I’m not suggesting you replace your business reports with a crystal ball, but I am encouraging you to correct the imbalance of what you fill your mind with. Here are some ideas:

Pull Out! You can't work ON your business if you're always working IN your business. Include time in you calendar to step away from the business for one day a month (yes an entire day) and process what’s going on NOW in the context of where you want the business to go IN THE FUTURE. Each month ask yourself these questions:

1. If the future you wished for was an absolute certain occurrence regardless of money and other resources, what future would you like to see?
2. What am I working on that’s BIG? Does it get me to my vision or send me off course?
3. What 3 changes could I make in my business that would be most pleasing to God?
4. What are 3 things I can measure that will tell me how well I’m moving toward accomplishing my vision?

(Bobb Biehl has a little book full of more great questions – Asking to Win.)

Delegate Looking Back. Make someone else responsible for pouring over reports. You establish the goals and determine when and how you want to become involved in the event the goals aren’t met. But as long as
they’re being met, don’t be bothered by them.

Don’t think FOR yourself. Determine to begin each day spending 30 minutes (not in your office!) reading books by forward thinking people. Here are some of my favorites thinkers and their books:

o Tom Peters, Re-imagine
o Michael J. Gelb, How to Think Like Leonardo de Vinci
o Collins & Porras, Built to Last
o Rosamund Zander & Benjamin Zander, The Art of Possibility
o Andy Stanley, Visioneering

Don’t think BY yourself. Find someone from a different industry who is a thought leader; someone who has a big vision and a clear path to getting there (or someone who already has). Regularly get together to discuss the future of business, both his and yours.

Futurelab is a great blog that brings together many cutting edge thinkers in one place. A must read.