Better Than Vision

What is better than a vision of the future? How about the presence of the future today? That is what Google showed reporters last week when they introduced a prototype of a self driving car. You may or may not realize that Google has been logging miles with self driving vehicles for years. In fact, they have tallied up more than 300,000 of them. But what makes this car different is the fact that it has no steering wheel. That is right, Google is making a point about their technology by removing the steering wheel from the cab entirely. In a move Cortes would admire, Google's removal of the steering wheel dose something powerful: it lets people interact with their vision.

Google's removal of the steering wheel lets people interact with their vision.

Leadership pundits often discusses the critical nature of vision. It is, in many ways, vision is the compass by which all organizations navigate. Many next steps depend on it and it becomes impossible for teams to move together without it. The only thing more rewarding than having a vision of some place is actually getting there. Google's vision is not to create a prototype. Their vision is, more or less, improve road safety and help lots of people who can't drive. They plan on accomplishing this goal by creating a platform for self driving cars. People could understand the self driving car project before, but now they can't shake it from their mind. It is hard not to be touched by the response of Steve Mann who can't drive a normal car on account of his blindness. Consider that the manifestation of a vision may be more powerful than the vision itself.

The only thing more rewarding than having a vision of some place is actually getting there.

Here is a question for you: is there any way that your team can get an actual look at your vision? Can you provide a real way for people to interact with the thing that you are working hard to accomplish? Perhaps you are developing software and can release an early prototype. Or you serve in ministry and can bring in a new convert to share their story of how the church helped them. People get excited about vision, it is the most powerful way in which organizations can move toward a new goal. But more people become excited by physical results. Dont think or, think and. Continue to paint a picture of the abstract but let your team grab a hold of the canvass once in a while.