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So imagine this concept for a minute. You get a bunch of people together to take a road trip with you. You all pack your bags, get in the car or minivan, and take off. Here’s the catch though, you don’t know where you are going. No one has planned a destination.

This is how most businesses are being run. They get started with excitement and adrenaline but eventually lose traction because they don’t really have a vision statement defined that tells them where they want to be.

Growth = Innovation + Excellence [free MINI training series]: https://velaniconsulting.com/gie

Why Defining Your Vision Statement Is Your Best Strategy For Success [article]: https://velaniconsulting.com/defining-your-vision-statement/

The Power Of Visualization

When I first started as an entrepreneur, I would find a great idea and then go to work. I would put all my will power and resources behind that idea and work day and night towards it. Unfortunately, it would never result in success. This was so frustrating because it was never a lack of effort on my part.

I always use to think that I was missing something because the ideas were great. It turns out I was right! The ideas were great but it was bad execution. I would start these businesses without knowing where I wanted to go and what landmarks I needed to hit in the middle to get there. I didn’t define my vision statement for my company.

Once I understood this concept, everything changed for me. I have taken this same philosophy to every client of mine and it has changed their world as well.

What Is A Vision Statement? How Do you Define It?

I usually do this by asking my clients one simple question. Where do you want your organization to be in 10 years from now?

In our Journey map this is your mountain, your WHERE! This will provide a clear target for people to shot for.

Your Vision Statement should be ambitious but realistic. Ambitious because it will focus the organization to innovate, to be aggressive towards excellence, and push hard for growth. However, you need to make sure it’s realistic so they don’t look at it from day one and just give up. It should be something worth doing to win people’s commitment. You want your team excited about delivering on that commitment. On getting to that destination.

Our Vision Statement, our mountain, our 10 year goal at Velani Consulting is…

1,000 positive customer reviews.

These now become your landmarks and you are always measuring to see if you are hitting your targets.

One of our 3 year targets on the way to a 1,000 positive reviews was to do a 100 keynotes. I needed to reach a mass majority of people to climb my mountain. They only way to do that was to get in front of a crowd of people.

To accomplish this, I had set a one year goal of becoming a keynote speaker along with a quarterly initiative of taking public speaking classes.

This now became my road map to get to where I wanted to go. If I ever missed a mark then I could course correct right away rather then going to far. This ONE strategy has lead to massive success for myself and my clients.

Stay On Track

The great companies always know where they want to go and are always measuring. If they fail to hit their mark, they proactively take countermeasures rather then walking too far just to find out they have to go backwards again.

We do precisely that with the next three questions. It’s time to define your three year target, your one year goals, and your quarterly initiatives.

► If you need help in creating a culture of Growth Innovation & Excellence then check out my consulting firm @ https://velaniconsulting.com/

►Subscribe To My YouTube: https://bit.ly/3cMNKg3 to learn more secret GIE tips. ►Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Velani-Consulting ►On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faisal-velani/

https://youtu.be/pPJvBLbAQcw

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A key mistake that business owners make is to leave the decision making up to chance. Your business has many layers and multiple people managing those layers. These team members throughout the day run into areas where they have to make choices, they have to make decisions!

Growth = Innovation + Excellence [free MINI training series]: https://velaniconsulting.com/gie

1 Reason Why A Lack Of Core Values IS Drowning Organizations [article]:

https://velaniconsulting.com/1-reason-lack-of-core-values-is-drowning-orgs/

The organizations that succeed are the ones who have empowered their people to make the right decision based on the company’s core values, whether or not the leadership team is around. The ones who don’t will only go as far as the leader’s time capacity to make those decisions.

One complaint that I hear more than any other from business owners and leaders is...

How do I get my team to make the right decision when I am not around.

This seems to be the missing formula or the secret sauce that every company is searching for but there is no mystery behind this. Success leaves clues and if we look at any successful company they have all defined a set of rules for their team members to follow to make decisions.

The Journey To Creating Your Core Values

To simplify decision making in any business you have to be able to answer 4 questions.

1. Why (https://youtu.be/L7OyC2CP4T0) Why are you in business?

2. What (https://youtu.be/51Eux2WuW20) What market do you serve?

3. Where (https://youtu.be/pPJvBLbAQcw) Where do you want your business to be 10 years from now

4. How (https://youtu.be/k90gikusD3s) How do you want your company to behave or to make decisions on a day to day basis

These are your company’s core values. Think of your core values like your compass, guiding you towards your north star. They are a small set of essential timeless guiding principles. Usually about 3-7. Simplicity is key here.

They are what define your culture. They define who you are as an organization and how you operate. You’ll find that when they are clear, you will attract people to your org. People who are intrinsically motivated to make the right decision for your company.

You’ll also find that they will remove the wrong people from your organization. The ones that just don’t fit. You hire, fire, review, recognize and reward around these core values.

At Velani Consulting, we have 5 guiding principles:

1. Simplify Complexity​

2. Listen & Help First

3. Be In Pursuit Of Excellence

4. Never Be A Finished Product

5. Find The Next Mountain

How Defining Your Core Values Can Simplify Decision Making

Let me give you an example here. One of our core values is to “Be In Pursuit Of Excellence”. Part of that core value is to finish what you started. If our leadership team is not around and our team members find the opportunity to start a new project, internally or externally, they have clear cut guidelines here.

If they have pending projects that are on their plate, those have to be completed first before we take on any new work. This works both ways though. Our leadership team is now forced to prioritize the highest-valued projects first that are in the best interest of the organization.

I know this seems too simple to work but the best way to reduce complexity within your organization is to simplify. This process won’t rid your leadership of all decision making but it will reduce the number of low-value decisions they have to make on a day to day basis. Freeing up their time to focus on strategic decisions to help the organization Grow, Innovate, & Excel or as I like to call it, GIE.

► If you need help in creating a culture of Growth Innovation & Excellence then check out my consulting firm @ https://velaniconsulting.com/

►Subscribe To My Youtube: https://bit.ly/3cMNKg3 to learn more secret GIE tips. ►Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Velani-Consulting ►On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faisal-velani/

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There are two parts that you need to cover when writing a Mission Statement. Your Why and your What. In a previous video, I spoke extensively about your why and how you should define it.

Growth = Innovation + Excellence [free MINI training series]: https://velaniconsulting.com/gie

Defining Your Mission Statement-The Complete 2 Step Formula [article]: https://velaniconsulting.com/2-steps-to-defining-your-mission-statement/

Remember for Velani Consulting, our why is that…

"We Want To Change The World."

Today I want to cover the second part of defining a mission statement. That is your What. What market do you serve or What value do you provide?

Why Should You Define A Mission Statement?

There is an epidemic today of companies getting off track. Business get distracted by opportunities that really are threats. Others falsely assume that just because they succeeded in one business they can succeed in any.

Your job as the leadership team is to establish your focus and make sure nothing distracts you. Things like

– A competitor – A new idea – A new product – Poor advice that looks like good advice at the time

In his series “Lead the Field” Earl Nightingale discusses the story of Acres of Diamonds.

There was once a man named Ali who owned a large farm. He was very content with his life when one day a priest told him about diamonds and how even one the size of your thumb was worth enough to purchase the entire country.

As the story goes, Ali sold his farm and set out to find these diamonds. After years of searching all over Palestine and Europe, he didn’t find any diamonds and was penny less. Finally, Ali gave up and drowned himself.

Soon afterward the man who purchased Ali’s farm was visited by the same priest. He noticed a small diamond on the fireplace and asked where he found this. He replied, “It was in the brook that runs through the farm. It’s filled with them.” Ali went searching the world while he already had his own “Acres of Diamonds”.

Most businesses are sitting on their own Acres of Diamonds. The best way to lose them is to get bored, lose focus, become over-ambitious, or start thinking that the grass is greener on the other side.

Find your focus stick to it and devote your time and resources to excelling at it. When business owners get bored there is always the potential for them to get distracted by the shiny stuff and sabotage what they’ve built.

How To Define Your Market?

This is when you define What market you serve. This should be something that you are great at. A superior skill that provides value to your clients.

This is where most organizations will get stuck. You don’t have to be the only one who is great at it. There will be a ton of competition in the market but it should be something that gets you excited. Something that drives your engine to keep growing, innovating, and excelling at every level.

Here are some great examples.

"To make people happy" DISNEY

"To bring the best user experience to its customers through its innovative hardware, software, and services" APPLE

"Serve consumers through online and physical stores and focus on selection, price, and convenience" AMAZON

For Velani Consulting…

"We help organizations create a culture of Growth, Innovation, and Excellence"

This is What we do.

Bringing It All Together

Combining your Why and What should complete your organization’s mission statement. Once these two are clear, you will need to stay true to it. If a new business opportunity doesn’t fit, don’t do it. Let it be your filtering mechanism for all future decisions.

► If you need help in creating a culture of Growth Innovation & Excellence then check out my consulting firm @ https://velaniconsulting.com/gie

►Subscribe to My YouTube: https://bit.ly/3cMNKg3 to learn more secret GIE tips. ►Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Velani-Consulting ►On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faisal-velani/

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It’s so alarming to me that the vast majority of the organizations out there don’t really have a defined Why. They don’t’ know what their purpose is and yet are continuing to operate blindly.

RESOURCES & LINKS: ____________________________________________ Growth = Innovation + Excellence [free MINI training series]: https://velaniconsulting.com/gie

Define Your Organizational Culture By Answering 4 SIMPLE Questions [video]: https://youtu.be/OvHAXg8DR_0

The Best Cheat Sheet To Defining Your Why [article]: https://velaniconsulting.com/how-to-define-your-why-mission-statement-pt1 ____________________________________________

For those of you who have seen me before, you know I am a big believer of always starting with a purpose. That means you have to define your WHY. I see entrepreneurs start a business and some even find success, but they don’t have a reason behind it. Defining your why connects you to a purpose and drives your every move.

The most successful business in the world had a compelling purpose behind them and that’s what kept the business owners and leadership focused on their mission. When times get tough and believe me in every business times will get tough, it’s your why, your purposes that helps you push through and come out on the other side. So take some time and define a compelling reason.

The Importance Of Your Why

You know that I big on journey mapping. So let’s get back to our journey here. The first thing before you start any journey is you need to define WHY. Why climb this mountain?

Let me be the first to tell you that if you are in business just to make money, your business will not survive for long. That’s not to say that you won’t make money but if you are looking for long term success, just making money is never the right strategy.

That’s because a defined WHY helps you create filters and these filters help you avoid distractions and traps masquerading as opportunities. If your goal is always to make money, you will jump on any new opportunity, which usually takes focus away from your core business, and in turn, leads to a steady decline.

To establish a strong foundation for your business, you should have a defined Mission Statement. Defining your WHY is the first step in creating that Mission Statement. Click on the link below to check out part 2.

https://velaniconsulting.com/what-market-do-you-serve/

What Is Your Why?

So first of all, what is your WHY? This is a purpose, cause, or passion that gets you out of bed first thing in the morning. It’s the reason that makes you start your day.

Our why at Velani Consulting is that…

We Want To Change The World.

It’s simple yet strong. It gets me out of bed when I am having a tough week.

So if I can help an organization on the way to becoming the next Apple or the next Amazon or to whatever level they want to achieve, I believe I’ve accomplished “my” goal.

That’s my WHY in life!

With a defined WHY, all our decisions are now “crystal clear”.

How To Define Your Why?

You should not be able to tell which business you are in.

You will not and should not be able to tell which business you are in when you define your “Why”. You should be able to take this purpose, cause, or passion into “any” industry.

This should come from the leader because if the leader of the organization doesn't believe in it, no one will.

Now even though it comes from the leader, it should ignite passion in every one within your company. If you have hired the right people, then it should just become a byproduct of it.

► If you need help in creating a culture of Growth Innovation & Excellence then check out my consulting firm @ https://velaniconsulting.com/

►YouTube: https://bit.ly/3cMNKg3 to learn more secret GIE tips. ►Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Velani-Consulting ►On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faisal-velani/

https://youtu.be/L7OyC2CP4T0

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I’ve been asked to define what is a mission & vision statement and how do core values tie into this organizational culture definition? Why organizational culture is important? So let me start off by saying that these are NOT 100-page binders with mountains of data and language that no one in the company understands or cares to even read. If you can't write down your mission, vision and core values, your organizational culture definition, on one sheet of paper, you are doing something wrong. In Fact, I am going to simply explain to you the importance of all of these things along with their creation by using what I like to call The Journey.