IT Solutions Providers: Clarifying Your Personal MVV, Part 2

By Scott Scrogin, President, HTG Peer Groups

It's impossible to lead others until you lead yourself. The core to self-leadership is clarity around your MVV. Note: This is the second in a three-part series on Clarifying your personal Mission, Vision and Values (MVV). April covered personal Mission while in June we’ll look at personal Values.

MAY: Developing your personal Vision

Is it better to be nearsighted or farsighted?

According to the American Optometric Association, “Nearsightedness is a vision condition in which close objects are seen clearly, but objects farther away appear blurred. Light entering the eye isn’t focused correctly and distant objects look blurred.” You can conclude that farsightedness means closer objects appear blurred. Do you have 20/20 vision or are you nearsighted like me?

Last month I wrote on the importance of a personal Mission statement while drawing parallels to the mission of fictional character Jason Bourne. I gave some background, coaching and examples of how you can start crafting your personal mission. This month we move into the Vision component of Mission, Vision and Values or MVV.

I started wearing glasses years ago (initially a shock to my ego) and now get a new pair about every other year. I enjoy visiting the optometrist and the challenge of reading the bottom row of the eye chart with each eye. I like the lens testing machine (a phoropter) where iterative comparisons determine the best prescription. (“Is #1 better?” … pause … flip … “or #2?”) It is interesting to identify characters far away in the dark, up close in the light and not blink when the doctor checks your eyes from millimeters away.

These experiences around eye care remind me of the value of my vision, and of personal vision statements in particular. The workbook Planning for Success the HTG Way states, “A vision statement provides guidance for your life and clarifies how you will live out your personal mission in your daily life.” It’s too easy to take vision for granted.

The personal vision is like a pair of glasses combined with a roadmap to the future. (Sounds like Google Glass vNext.) Your vision focuses you on what must happen today, clarifies the picture of your long-term goal and sets the major milestones to get there. Just as light spreads the farther it gets from its source, the more you bring clarity to your future milestones, the more likely you are to achieve them.

You see your present, future, and milestones with your unique “prescription” knowing that as time progresses your vision will need to adjust. Still 20/20? Becoming nearsighted? In need of corrective surgery? More directly, how will you react when faced with choices between alternatives in life? (#1 or #2) What about staying true to your vision when conditions change? (Light and dark days) A personal vision can help you here.

So take a few minutes to ask yourself:

• Where do I want to be in the future, say five or ten years from now?
• What kind of person do I want to be as I move towards the future?
• Which qualities, values and relationships do I want to emphasize?
• How can I apply these qualities and live out these values?

Here are examples I’ve seen:

• My vision is to be a servant leader in every relationship or role that I am allowed to fill. I’m focused on making life-impacting and significant differences for my family, employees, friends, clients, neighbors and any others I touch. I want to see things through God’s eyes to be sure I do the right things.
• My vision is to be an enthusiastic and caring leader who serves others in achieving our goals. I’m focused on developing people, building relationships and growing personally. I’m committed to making a more meaningful impact each day at work, home and in my communities.

So draft a personal vision statement and compare it to your mission statement. The vision statement looks forward while the mission statement is more about the now. Both are important. Both are useful. And both are needed to balance our perspective on what’s up close, far away and happening in between.

In HTG we have created a planning methodology and Planning for Success workbook to guide people through the planning process.  To learn more visit HTG Peer Groups.com

Scott Scrogin is president of HTG Peer Groups. Prior to joining the HTG staff, he spent 12 years in IT service delivery, training and channel development. His memberships in peer groups and other communities contributed to his understanding of the power of peers. He is passionate about helping others achieve their goals and potential in life and business. Scrogin enjoys sharing his lessons learned, and learning from other leaders. You can reach him at sscrogin@htgpeergroups.com or on Twitter @ScottScrogin.