“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.”
—attributed to Daniel H. Burnham
The beginning of the year often begets the desire to change. But, if you’re like most people, achieving big change rarely happens. This is equally as true for people as it is for businesses.
One major reason change doesn’t happen is that it’s often not tied to meaning: The goal is often something you think you should do rather than something you sincerely want to achieve. It is influenced by outside forces rather than a deep, internal motivation.
This lack of meaning is apparent in vision statements that are both unclear—they use vague language that makes it hard to understand what achieving that vision would actually look like—and that fail to inspire everyone in the organization.
Think about the changes you plan to make this year and consider if they are truly meaningful. If they are not, how can you replace them with something that is?