For most people, the notion of clarity is uncharted territory. If you don’t believe it, just try answering this “simple” question: What do you want out of your career?
It’s a tough question. But, if you want to be a successful entrepreneur or corporate trailblazer, then you have to…yes, have to…know, feel and be able to visualize the answer.
Successful entrepreneurs have one trait in common: clarity about what they want out of their business, what kind of clients they want to work with and what they want to accomplish. It’s that laser focus that helps them determine what actions to take and where to spend their energy on a daily basis. Without clarity, we become distracted. And, who could blame us? These days, there are a million ways to lose focus.
In all the excitement, planning and hard work that goes into starting a business, many people overlook a critical first step. They forget, or don’t know how, to take the time to identify what they want out of their entrepreneurship.
In my experience with entrepreneurs, I’ve found that there are two different types: 1) those unhappy in their current job that think starting a business is the only way out; and 2) those that have business ideas built on innovation, passion and creating value for others. I can safely say successful entrepreneurs are best described by the latter.
Before you take an entrepreneurial path, you have to ask yourself a few soul-searching questions. Why am I starting a business? Am I passionate about the product or service I will be providing? Will I still be excited next year or is this just another scheme to make money?
If you’re not truly passionate about your business idea (beyond the freedoms and money), don’t do it. If your business isn’t tied to a personal passion, it’s hard to get people behind you. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling pencils or a professional service – you have to believe that what you’re doing is benefiting someone other than yourself.
Simply put, clarity is what allows you to communicate your vision. Without it, it’s hard to answer even the most basic of questions, like “What does your business do?” and “Why are you in this business?” And, if you can’t articulate your vision, why should you expect anyone to jump on your bandwagon (e.g. customers, partners, investors)?
There’s a certain magical, magnetic quality about people that communicate their vision well. They inspire and attract people – even better, they attract help. If you can articulate your business vision with passion and conviction, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to enroll people into helping you build your business or buy your offering. That translates into the ability to launch your business faster and with greater success. Clarity also helps you evaluate opportunities as they arise and to determine if they’re worth pursuing. After all, you now know what you want to accomplish, right?
When we’re focused, the brain has an amazing power to pick up information and decipher opportunities. For example, have you ever noticed that when you decide you’re ready to buy a new car, you begin to see it everywhere?
This isn’t a coincidence, as many neuroscientists will agree. When we’re totally focused on what we want, amazing things happen. We become hypersensitive to opportunities, strategies, people and ideas that can help us meet our goals.
As part of my research for the Carve Your Own Road book, I’ve talked to lots of entrepreneurs about the path to clarity. Nearly all admitted they needed expert assistance achieving clarity of purpose. Achieving this was key to their success in attracting the right people and resources they needed to launch their businesses.
Gigi Chang, CEO of Plum Organics, agrees. With a clear vision of what she wanted to accomplish, Gigi was able to successfully start and grow her organic food business in just two years – despite the fact she knew absolutely nothing about the food industry! She believes her ability to articulate what she wanted to create, and the willingness to get out there and talk to new people in a new industry, was instrumental to her success. Had she not taken the time to have a clear vision and purpose, those conversations would have been much harder.
Here is a simple exercise to help you get clear about what you want to create:
Write it Out, Without Reservation: With paper and pen in hand (or laptop), go to a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed. Picture yourself doing exactly what you would like to be doing in business. Go all the way to possibility: don’t limit yourself. Begin writing out in detail the business vision you want to create. Don't hold back – just let it flow and go as big as you can with it.
Dig for the Details: Clarity is in the details. It’s not just the big idea that’s important, but what you do with your idea, how you pursue it, who you enlist for help, the way you execute, etc. Think about (and write out) all aspects of what you want to do. Think about the impact you want to have, the attributes of your ideal clients and the people you want surrounding you. Think about your perfect office. Think about the income you want to create, your lifestyle and time for your family. Think about how it feels. Think about how your day will flow. It’s yours to create.
Summarize Your Vision in Present Tense: Now, it’s time to organize. Read what you’ve written and summarize it into a single page in present tense as if you were realizing your vision right now. Why present tense? Because in order to understand and articulate your vision, you have to feel it. And, in order to feel it, you have to stop focusing on what you want (i.e. don’t have) and visualize yourself actually doing the things you’ve imagined.
For example, there’s a big difference between saying “I want to write a book” and saying “After a nice morning workout, I walk into my home office and find an email from my literary agent. He’s found a publisher that will advance me $100,000 to write the rest of my book. I celebrate with my husband and friends over dinner…” It’s this perspective that will enable you to get excited and motivated – no matter how many times you read your vision summary.
Reconnect with Your Vision Daily – and Execute: With a clear, articulate vision intact, it’s time to put it to work. Take a few minutes every morning to read your vision summary and – most importantly – feel it. You don’t have to spend a lot of time. Once you get the hang of it, a few minutes will get you in the right mindset. From there, create a to-do list of high value activities that get you closer to your vision. What small steps can you take today? Over time, your vision will probably change. Go with it. Let your passion and vision evolve.
The power of this exercise extends well beyond clarity. It’s the fuel that will drive your success! For many of us, our visions involve leaps of faith into new skill sets, industries and networks. Clarity of vision gives your goals a tangible quality and the ability to connect emotionally to your future accomplishments. That emotional connection, and the extraordinary motivation that comes along with it, is what pushes us to operate outside of our comfort zone with articulation and confidence.
If so, inspire us with your story. How are you pursuing your career dreams on your own terms?
