Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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THE EDUCATED RETAILERS' GUIDE What Is Visioning? New from J&m; foods Not your average Cookie straws Simple, All Natural Ingredients Contain Real Butter No Preservatives Four Great Tasting Flavors A vision is a picture of the success of a project at a particular time in the future. A vision is not a mission statement. We see those as being akin to the North Star, a never-ending piece of work that we commit to going after for life. It also isn't a strategic plan, which is the map to where we want to go. A vision is the destination. It's a vivid description of what "success" looks and feels like for us, what we are able to achieve, and the effect it has on our staff. At Zingerman's, we start our planning work with a draft of a positive vision of the future—and we do that visioning work at every level of the organization, whether it's working on visions for a business five years out, a project that will be done in five months, or a dinner special that will be on the menu at 5 p.m. An effective vision needs to be: • Inspiring, to all who will be involved in implementing it; • Strategically sound; that is, we actually have a decent shot at making it happen; • Documented. You need to write your vision down to make it work; • Communicated. Not only do you have to document your vision but if you want it to be effective, you have to tell people about it too. Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 529 What's In It for You Creating your personal vision would likely involve the same elements that a business vision would need, such as being inspiring and strategically sound. To read the nuts and bolts of creating a vision, visit specialtyfood.com/onlinehighlights. In this piece, I want to spell out the many benefits of creating a personal vision. 1. Visioning accesses what's already deep inside you. Imagine having this seed of an idea in your subconscious that you want to flesh out. You've been there. But when you try to "figure out" your goals in the usual way—by worrying, obsessing, stressing, analyzing and getting advice—you may be placing obstacles in your path. While these actions are usually well intended, in practice they serve mostly to pile the emotional equivalent of rocks, dirt and debris atop the healthy and unique seed in one's soul. Get enough stuff stacked on top of that seed, it will never grow. But clear the debris, give the seed some water and sun, and it's got a way better shot at success. One way to make sure that seed gets the attention it needs is by sitting down and physically writing out the vision. This lets the seed of ideas and dreams inside us emerge into the light of daily life. It Once a vision is written down and shared with others, the pieces start to fall into place. Winter Fancy Food Show Booth 733 68 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com