Return on Vision, New Stroke Indicator? Inspiration!
Business
The Return on Vision
Last week we talked about how painful it can be to create a compelling vision statement for your business. Today, I want to tell you why the return on a great vision is worth the effort!
Let me clarify what I mean by a great vision. A great vision must be: a stretch goal (50-65% chance of accomplishment), measurable (you’ll know when you get there) and it must honor the purpose of your business.
Alignment – Have you watched the rowing competition in the Olympics where they can have up to 8 people rowing at one time? Did you notice how crazy fast they go? What about how synchronized their strokes are? If one rower gets off rhythm, what happens? Certainly a loss.
When your entire team has their eye on the vision and are acting according to your core values, you will have fantastic alignment just like those Olympic rowers.
Decision Making – When your team can look to your vision and core values as their guides, they can make great decisions. Decisions that you would be proud of. Even if they make what could be considered a bad call, it won’t be that bad. Why? Because your people are smart and you let them know that if a decision gets your team closer to their vision and does not violate your core values, it has got to be a pretty good call. If they fail, they will be failing in the right direction.
Skyrocketing Capabilities – A stretch goal will push you and your team to your limits. The stretch goal of putting a man on the moon and bringing him home safely required America to develop technology that had never existed. It also inspired a generation of scientists while dramatically improving our math and science education. That stretch goal made us way better. Even if you miss a stretch goal, you and your team will be better for what it made you.
Focus & Engagement – Distraction is a huge problem for leaders of all levels. Chasing shiny objects is also demoralizing for your team. Everyone wants to make progress towards a compelling vision for their lives inside and outside of the business. A compelling vision will allow you and your team to say no to anything that does not get you closer to the vision.
Did I convince you? Next week, we’ll dive into the details of what makes a great vision.
Health
A New Stroke Indicator?
Each year 600,000 Americans experience a stroke and 160,000 die. That makes stroke the leading cause of death in the US. Many stroke victims are left with terrible disabilities. 85% of all strokes are a type that can be treated using a drug called tPA. This drug can greatly reduce the effects of a stroke. But, the drug must be administered within 4.5 hours of the stroke occurring. Results are best if tPA is administered within 60 minutes.
So, recognizing a stroke and getting treatment as quickly as possible the key to recovery! An email has been circulating about having stroke victims bleed from their fingers and checking their tongue as a stroke indicator. The American Stroke Association does not recognize or recommend these steps and instead want everyone to focus on using their FAST acronym to get stroke victims treated as quickly as possible.
Here they are:
F – Face Drooping – Ask the person to smile. Is the person’s smile uneven or lopsided?
A – Arm Weakness – Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S – Speech Difficulty – Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like “The sky is blue.” Is the person able to correctly repeat the words?
T – Time to call 911 – and note the time when symptoms started. The first responders will want to know.
If you are unsure if the person has had a stroke, call 9-1-1! Making an unnecessary trip to the hospital is way better than the debilitating effects that a stroke can have.
Here are a few other stroke symptoms you can look for:
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech.
- Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg. Especially on one side of the body.
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause.
Life, Fun, Whatever…
Instead of making a PR (Personal Record) in the New York City Marathon, these two runners helped a disabled runner and his brother cross the finish line. Brent and Kyle Pease run marathons to support Kyle’s foundation that supports success for persons with disabilities.
Around mile 13 of the marathon, Kyle’s wheelchair broke. Brent tried to carry him and even tried to tether him to his back but realized they would never make it to the finish line that way. That is when a woman from Maryland and man from New York abandoned their race plans to make sure Brent and Kyle finished the race. Awesome story.
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