We filled out our V/TO® during our annual planning session, but it feels like a static document that sits on our drive rather than a living strategic guide. How do we make our vision drive daily actions?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A vision that lives on a shared drive is useless. To make the V/TO® a living document, you must integrate it directly into your weekly operational rhythm. It should not be reviewed only once a quarter.

Start by bringing the core values and the target market from the V/TO® into your weekly Level 10 Meeting™. When you run your team headlines, call out instances where employees went above and beyond to live the core values. When you discuss issues during IDS®, filter potential solutions through your target market and three year picture. If a proposed solution does not align with your core focus or your long-term destination, it is an automatic no.

Additionally, use the V/TO® to vet every new initiative. Before you agree to any new business development project or operational change, ask your leadership team how it moves you closer to your ten year target. This prevents shiny object syndrome, which is especially common when teams start experimenting with new technologies like artificial intelligence.

Finally, share the V/TO® with the entire company every quarter. Run an all-hands meeting where you review the previous quarter achievements and layout the plan for the next ninety days. When your employees see that the leadership team uses this framework to make hard decisions, the vision becomes the actual operational compass of the business.