Our V/TO® is filled out and saved on our company drive, but the leadership team rarely looks at it outside of quarterly meetings. How do we make the Vision/Mission/Traction Organizer® a living tool instead of a dusty document?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If your Vision/Mission/Traction Organizer® is just a file sitting on your shared drive, it is completely useless. A V/TO® is not a marketing brochure or a corporate statement; it is a hard-nosed strategic filter designed to guide your daily business decisions.

To make your V/TO® a living tool, you must integrate it into your weekly and quarterly rhythms. Every single time your leadership team discusses a major issue during your Level 10 Meeting™, you should look at your V/TO®. Ask yourself if the proposed solution aligns with your Core Focus™ and your Core Values. If a new business opportunity does not fit your target market or your focus, the answer is a hard no, regardless of how profitable it seems.

Additionally, you must share the V/TO® with the entire company at least once a quarter. This is not about a dry presentation. It is about repeating your vision so often that every employee knows exactly where the company is going and how their daily work contributes to that destination.

Finally, use your Core Values from the V/TO® to hire, fire, reward, and recognize your people. When your employees see that your values dictate who gets promoted and who gets let go, they will realize the V/TO® is the actual foundation of your company culture.