CONSTANT REMINDERS

In an instant-access, always-on world of cell phones and personal digital assistants, tried-and-true communication channels and tactics such as posters and business card reminders may sound quaint. But the more channels you open, the better your chances of communicating.

Put pithy reminders wherever you can—coffee mugs, T-shirts, letterheads, computer screen savers, luggage tags, pencils, file cabinet magnets, suggestion box prizes, notepads—anywhere that will keep the message first and foremost in the minds of your employees, stakeholders, and customers. You can even embed the vision in your organization's performance and leadership development activities so that employees can associate their personal goals with the organization's future success.

To use all these media effectively, state the vision briefly. People remember small phrases. Communicating a vision is like making a sales pitch. You want people in the organization to believe in the vision and pass it on to others. You want it to be infectious.

Some leaders feel embarrassed or uneasy about the selling required to communicate a vision. Even when it comes to their personal visions for success, some leaders feel uncomfortable promoting ideas because they are uncomfortable promoting themselves. But as a leader representing a vision, you are at the front of the curve. You are an early adopter. You already support the vision, but others may not know enough about it even to see it, much less support it. It is part of the leader's job to inform and persuade.