Why Vision is Everything
We’ve heard several stories from people who spent many years working at one company — as a founder, executive or early employee — and one idea has come up again and again: it’s absolutely essential to be passionate about the company’s vision. In technical terms, vision is “an informed and forward-looking statement of purpose that defines the long-term destiny of the firm” (Technology Ventures textbook, 4th edition). Or, in other words, it’s what the company does and why. Many of our speakers have mentioned the importance of aligning with a company’s vision, and how it ultimately leads to successful companies and meaningful careers.
Elizabeth Holmes: Vision gets you through the hard times.
When asked about all the tough press that Theranos has gotten recently, Elizabeth answered by saying that it doesn’t matter. What matters is the work you do, and in the case of Theranos, the lives that you will be able to save. When dealing with rough patches in a company — whether it’s press, leadership transitions, or financial challenges — it’s the vision and purpose of the company gets people through to the other side. In Elizabeth’s case, she believes so strongly in Theranos’ vision that she will do whatever it takes for the company to succeed. In fact, her work is so core to who she is as a person that she literally cannot imagine doing anything else — she even mentioned that if she weren’t working at Theranos, she would still find a way to do what she’s doing today. That’s the kind of passion that gets people and companies through the hardest times.
Reed Hastings: Passion gives you the drive to improve.
Reed founded Netflix over fifteen years ago and still serves as its CEO today. The role of CEO significantly evolves as a company grows from a small startup to a large corporation, which means that the founder/CEO often has to learn to grow with the company or leave. Because of his passion for the company, Reed stuck it out and invested in his own personal growth as a leader and manager, which has enabled him to successfully lead the company through its many stages. On the topic of hiring employees, Reed also says it’s important to find people who are excited about the company’s vision and culture, and will condone firing those who turn out not to be a good fit.
Shishir Mehrotra: Purpose motivates people.
Vision is also an essential component of recruiting and motivating key stakeholders at a company. Of the three levers of motivation that Dan Pink talks about (autonomy, mastery and purpose), Shishir argues that purpose is the most important. When a person’s purpose is in alignment with a company’s vision, the person will care more about what they do on a day-to-day basis and feel much happier and more motivated, which ultimately produces the best work.
For those curious to tease out their own purpose, Shishir shared a set of questions that lead to finding one’s purpose in the context of considering a job transition:
- What are you hoping to accomplish in the next year?
- Which of the items in list 1 wouldn’t happen if you were to leave your job? (This is marginal utility.)
- Which of the items in list 2 would you feel really terrible about? (This is your purpose.)
Marissa Mayer: Passion prevents burnout.
In the early days at Google, most employees easily worked 100+ hours a week. Looking back, Marissa identified two key factors that prevented burnout: a deep passion for the work they were doing and an ability to “find a rhythm” in their schedule. By having a deep passion for the work they were doing, Marissa and many other early Google employees were able to propel Google forward as a company and also find fulfillment in their work.
These stories have been particularly inspiring to me as I’ve thought through different job opportunities (I’m graduating in a few weeks) and reflected on what kind of career I want to pursue. Hearing these highly accomplished and passionate people speak about their own experiences reaffirmed for me the importance of staying true to your passion in career decisions. It’s easy to get caught in the trap of looking for the most prestigious job, the highest paying job, or simply the “best” job, but when it comes down to it that’s not at all what matters. What does matter is the following: What do you really care about, and how do you want to spend your time?
