Creating a shared vision is critical to the success of any change initiative. Below, certified change facilitator Debbie McCarthy answers a few common questions about creating a vision that will encourage others to get on board with your proposed change.

What is a vision?

In the context of change leadership, a vision is a motivator for change. It’s a carefully constructed picture of what you hope your change initiative will accomplish. Having this image of the “future state” ensures that the change is clearly defined, and helps you communicate it to others. Futurist and scholar Joel Barker explained it this way in his 1990 video The Power of Vision. “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision is merely passing the time. Vision plus action can change the world.”

The Soul never thinks
without a picture.
– Aristotle

• Be initiated by a leader
• Be positive and inspiring
• Set a “stretch” goal
• Be comprehensive and detailed (include the what, when, why and how
  so everyone can understand how to make the vision a reality)
• Be shared by everyone (the most important part!)

Why is sharing a vision so important to change leadership?

When you create and communicate a vision, you set an expectation about the proposed change. The goal of a change leader is to narrow the gap between what people expect (the vision) and what they experience (their perceived reality). The larger the gap, the greater the discomfort caused by the change and the harder it is for people to assimilate the change.



What do you mean by “perceived reality”?

Each of us filters “reality” through our own perceptions and frame of reference. The result is that everyone has their own version of reality, often called “perceived reality.” This becomes even more important when we consider that expectations can influence perceived reality.

For example, research has shown that people who are given placebos (like a sugar pill) often report a reduction in pain even though the placebo contained nothing that would reduce their pain. As researcher Robert C. Coghill observed in a 2005 study, “Expectations for decreased pain produce a reduction in perceived pain (28.4%) that rivals the effects of a clearly analgesic dose of morphine.” In other words, the expectation of pain relief can actually cause a decrease in the perceived level of pain.

People experience what they expect to experience. A well-constructed vision is crucial to setting expectations that are as close as possible to the reality people will experience when the change goes into effect.