Are you pursuing perfection? The goal of perfection will never be reached, but it is essential to strive for none the less. If we keep our focus on perfection, we have direction. And direction is essential in a world filled with chaos and instability.

Every organization exists for a purpose. The organization’s purpose should engage its people and drive all daily activity. A vision gives a clear, specific picture of what the organization would look like if it met or achieved this purpose at some time in the future.

A long-term vision is something you want to do in the future… A long-term vision is something you want to become or accomplish in the future. Long term visions require time and planning. They are not something you can do this week or even this year. In fact, a long-term vision may not be something you ever achieve. Think about this long-term vision as perfection. Imagine the absolute perfect state of your organization. For example, maybe the perfect state is to have zero injuries, or to end homelessness, or to ship product 100% on-time. Will your organization ever achieve this perfect state? Probably not, but what if we get close to it? What will we learn on the journey? Would that be something to celebrate?

Absolutely.

Toyota has for several decades been pursuing a long-term vision that consists of:

• Zero Defects
• 100% value added
• One-piece-flow, in sequence, on demand
• Security for people

Toyota sees this vision as an “ideal-state” condition. It is their “true north.”

True north is defined as the direction along earths surface toward the geographic north pole. Using a compass from anywhere in the world, will point you directly toward the geographic north pole. If you were to follow that compass reading, you would move in a direct straight line until you reach the north pole.

As an organization, have you established your true north?

By knowing our true north, we can establish our compass reading and stay on track moving closer every month, quarter, and year. Our true north will set the direction of process improvement and should be discussed regularly. Many companies have a “vision” or a “mission statement”. These are rarely used to guide conversations or decisions related to continuous improvement. Once a true north is established, every decision should be considered in relation to the true north. You should be asking, “will this get us closer to our true north, or will it take us farther away?” “Are we on path toward our long-term vision?” Or, “Do we need to re-assess and get back on path?”

The job of every leader should be to actively seek solutions that move the team and organization in that direction.