Finding My Way
I recently spoke with the owners of a business in the tourism industry. They shared their journey describing their initial success, the devasting impact of the Covid pandemic and their efforts to rebuild the business back to pre-pandemic levels.
Whilst they expressed satisfaction about rebuilding the business, they were feeling “stuck” and were procrastinating about deciding as to its future direction. They were seeking guidance about how to break out from these feelings and get back on the journey to grow the business.
In response I observed that in recounting their story, they referred to themselves as being on a journey. The Oxford Dictionary defines a journey as:
“An act of travelling from one place to another”
Given this definition, I believed they understood business’s current position – the starting point of their journey forward. However, they were struggling to clearly define the business they aspired to create – the place they were travelling to.
By not articulating a clear vision for the future, they had become “stuck” in the day-to-day tasks required to maintain the business’s current success. This focus on the present, without that clear vision for the future, overlooked one of the fundamental principles of business planning: “Start with the End in Mind”
I encouraged the business owners to set aside time to develop and document a vision of the business they aspired to create. This vision will serve as a guiding beacon, ensuring no matter how busy they became, they would always be taking the steps in the right direction to create the business + life to which they truly aspired.