Articles—Issue 24, July 2007 Back to Article Index Horses and Vision I went for a quick mountain bike ride at lunch today to burn off the Cheetos that I would eat later. When possible, I like to ride this particular trail during the week as it is a multi-use trail (bikes, runners and horses) and gets quite busy on the weekend. Today there was only one runner and there were no horses…but there had recently been horses, if you know what I mean. Unfortunately, they had made their deposits on a steep portion of the trail that is single track. A bit of concentration and skill is required to get safely past the “stuff”. One of the things that I have learned after years of riding is that the bike will go were your eyes are looking. If you look at the “stuff”, you’ll be right in the middle of it before you know it. If you look at the exact location you want your bike to go; that is where you will go.   If you don’t have a clear view of the path in your business (a vision) you are likely to end up in the “stuff”. Unlike a bike, the challenge with a business—unless you are a sole practitioner—is that to avoid the “stuff” and focus on the path ahead requires a shared vision. A CEO must be the keeper of the vision (which does not mean that he needs to create it by himself), and must communicate it clearly and frequently in a compelling fashion.   Everybody has “stuff” in their path; focusing on the path is the key. (c)2007 by Tood Ordal. You are welcome to share this informational article with others. Todd Ordal is a business consultant helping executives struggling with execution. Prior to founding the consulting firm Applied Strategy LLC, Todd spent over 25 years in management and executive roles such as President and CEO. You can contact Todd at todd@appliedstrategy.info