Vision-setting as an organizational practice sometimes gets a bad rap, perhaps because too often, it’s done badly. As an advocate for long-term strategic visioning, I would argue that those who dismiss the value of vision-setting miss out on an opportunity to foster alignment, catalyze innovation, increase efficiency and, ultimately, boost organizational impact.

Can a few words on a PowerPoint slide do all that? No. But a robust, disciplined vision-setting practice is more than simply words. It’s an entire strategic and operational philosophy, refined through the lens of a dedicated workstream with specific, clearly defined outputs.

While every organization’s visioning process will be a bit different, certain errors in approach are common, regardless of size or sector. Below, I’ll outline five common pitfalls to avoid. I’ll also provide advice and examples of how my organization, TCS Education System, uses visioning to elevate every aspect of our work.

  1. Pitfall #1: Failure To Set A Time Frame
  2. Pitfall #2: Expecting Too Much From A Brief, Inspiring Statement
  3. Pitfall #3: Declaring Truth From The Top
  4. Pitfall #4: Overreliance On The Wisdom Of The Crowd
  5. Pitfall #5: Confusing Vision With Plans

Read the full article about pitfalls in organizational structure by Michael Horowitz at Forbes.