Vision & Values – Ashutosh Labroo (September 2013)

I have often been posed this question by a variety of folks. Colleagues, Seniors, Team Members, Peers & even people I coach/ mentor offline time to time.

I thought a lot on it & decided to pen down my thoughts so that it helps everyone who wishes to understand this simply. Vision in very simple terms would mean to “imagine the future in present even before it has happened for us”. Vision can be created by everyone from an individual to a leader to even an organization & a country as well.

Singapore for example is a perfect example of a Country which had a Great Vision of becoming a hub for the ASIA & PACIFIC Region. The geographical size of Singapore is lesser than the size of many smaller cities in the world. They are a perfect example of a Country with a real solid vision for its citizens, its business associates & even the travellers & visitors.

Mind you, vision is also the reason that many large organizations survived more than 100 years of business ups & downs & unlike so many other business behemoths who fell in one recession or the other, they actually beautifully grew even during the worst economic slowdowns & global recessions.

Now before I expand on the above, let me first ask you a set of questions :-

What is your personal vision in life? Have you decided it yet? Many people I ask this question tell me “How would I know what I will be doing 5/ 10/ 15 years from now”?

I always state this line to them & I quote it here “Don’t worry; one day life will answer this question for you. People who don’t have a vision are merely passing their time. They have no clue where they want to go or reach. Such people will never rise above the ordinary.

Having a vision is like taking a life insurance for your career & personal life. It not only tells you in advance to decide what you want in life, career & finances. It also enables you to learn & grow according to the things you want to do in life. It also pushes you to work hard, take risks & be ready for everything”.

In short VISION means to see your dreams & final goals even before you have achieved them.

Every one of us can have a vision, irrespective of how small or big and junior or senior we are. Our Mind has the power to create & execute things while imagining them. It is so very powerful that you can’t even imagine what all you can do & see with it. We use only a small fraction of the actual capacity of our mind.

Globally the researches done on the capacity of brain have proven that the most successful people in the world are extremely competent at the ability to create a vision & then execute that vision themselves & with people whom they can inspire to share that vision. The best in business infact used their mind much more than the average people & that is why highly successful people are able to be spotted easily.

On the other hand, when we are young, our mind can be fickle several times. We do not really know what we really “really” want & we keep changing what we want. That is also

the reason most of the time; we do not get what we wanted. It is because you never imagined what you wanted with that much power, passion & conviction.

Remember, you can only enjoy the taste of water when you are really “really” thirsty for it. Having a vision is like creating that thirst for things you want to do & achieve that in life every single time. If you do that, you will achieve your vision. Period!!!!

I must also insist that a Vision must always be positive. For example, even Osama Bin Laden had a very powerful vision but the problem was that it was a very wrong & a very negative vision. That is where values help.

Values are the scale you apply to decide whether what you want is “Right” or “Wrong”. Being young, the passion & energy as well as the desire to reach somewhere in life is very high but it doesn’t mean that you can even be corrupt to reach there.

Your values will determine whether you will land up on the top of a magazine cover or inside a jail. However, in today’s times values can also get tested. People can always throw mud at those they can’t touch. That is where your values & character comes to your rescue.

Even during difficult times, your vision & values will help you to stand the test of time & help you to stand your grounds.

People who have a great vision & a positive set of values are natural fighters. They don’t give up & they keep moving on & on. Nothing can stop them. They are on a self-fuelled engine & when they get hit by roadblocks, they know how to rise above them.

Remember Vision can change, become bigger & grander & even expand but values must remain the same, no matter what happens to you. In short Vision can grow & expand & even change but values will always remain the same throughout your lifetime.

Lastly I wish to conclude by stating that in today’s times the only differentiation between great & mediocre is whether you have a vision & do you act with a set of values.

I wish you all life with a vision lead by demonstrating values. That is what you would need, that is what your companies too would need & that is what our dear country needs from all of us today.