We spent a lot of time filling out our V/TO® but it still feels like a static quarterly document that sits in a shared drive. How do we integrate it into our daily, real-time operating decisions so our employees actually live it?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

It starts by stopping the treat-it-as-a-plan behavior and treating it as a filter. Every time a new opportunity, project, or problem comes up, the first filter must be the V/TO®. Use your Core Values to hire, fire, reward, and recognize. If you have an employee who is a technical genius but violates your core values, and you keep them, you have just told your entire company that the V/TO® is a lie.

Next, use the 3-Year Picture™ to define what you will not do. When shiny objects appear, hold them against the Marketing Strategy on page one of your V/TO®. If the target market or your three uniques do not match, the answer is an immediate no.

Finally, ensure your 1-Year Plan is translated directly into quarterly Rocks. Every single quarter, look at the one-year goals and ask what must happen in the next ninety days to keep us on track. If there is no direct line from your daily work to the V/TO®, your vision is just a poster on the wall. Make the V/TO® the first slide in every single state-of-the-company meeting, and show how your current numbers and Rocks are moving the needle toward your ten-year target.