Ways to Help Your Employees Invest in Your Vision

As a business owner, you know that you had a vision that allowed you to create the company that you have and grow it to a place that has made you not just a business owner but also an employer. As an employer, you must now take the vision that you have for your company and not simply convey that to your employees but inspire them to become invested in your vision. This is necessary in order to carry out your vision and to create a working environment that includes and, therefore, respects and appreciates the employees and their role in the fulfillment of the vision and the accomplishments of the company. 

Make Your Vision Clear

There are many ways that you can go about helping your employees invest in your vision, but the first thing you must do is clearly convey the vision in a manner that they fully understand and leaves no question as to the goals of the vision. It will be difficult, if not impossible, for your employees to invest in your vision if they do not clearly understand what the vision is. Therefore, you must begin by creating a clear vision. And when crafting your vision, include things that inspire people, as this will help your employees want to invest in your vision. 

Give Your Employees Ownership in the Vision

Once you have a coherent vision, you can begin helping your employees become invested by giving them ownership in the vision. This may require you to go back to the creation of the vision and include your employees in the writing of the vision. This does not mean that they will have control of the vision per se, but it will involve them and require you to guide them so that the vision fully reflects what you see for the company while involving them in the process. 

Factor Your Employees Into the Vision

Another tactic to help them invest in the vision is to make sure that your vision truly includes your employees in it. Make sure that what you think about when you see the future of your company reflects a genuine consideration for your employees. This will give them direct ownership of the vision and will make their employment naturally connect them to the vision.  

Show Your Employees the Benefits of the Vision 

If you already have a clear vision created for your company, then it may be beneficial for your employees to be presented with the ways in which the vision personally benefits them. When people see the direct ways that something benefits them, they will become invested in the vision because being invested in the vision means they will invest in themselves. 

Ask Your Employees About Their Vision 

Another route you might take is to interview your employees about their vision for the company. You may find that their responses are in line with your vision without you even having to tell them your thoughts. If this is the case, you can use “their vision” as a means of challenging them to further invest in what is, ultimately, your vision.

Mentor Your Employees on the Vision 

If, however, the interviews demonstrate that your employees’ ideas are not in line with your vision for the company, then use the interviews as a learning opportunity. Use the information you gain in the interviews to see how you will need to direct your employees toward your vision and how you can help them see that your vision is worth investing in spite of how it may diverge from what they originally envisioned themselves.

If you want your employees to invest in your vision for your company, you have to make them matter to the vision in order to make them care about it. This may require some coaching and creativity on your part, but if your vision is worth believing in, then you are responsible for inspiring your employees to believe in it as well.