If you’re like most social entrepreneurs, you're passionate about and committed to your mission and your vision for your venture. You have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you want to make a difference in the world. But sometimes, that vision can also be a trap. It can make you ignore or dismiss the challenges and risks that you face along the way. It can make you overconfident or stubborn when you need to be flexible and adaptable. It can blind you to the feedback and advice that could help you improve your impact and sustainability.
I know this from personal experience. When I started my first venture, I was so focused on my vision that I didn't pay enough attention to the market realities and customer needs. I thought I knew what they wanted and needed, but I didn't bother to test or validate my assumptions. I spent a lot of time and money developing a business that wasn’t very different from the competition and that was difficult to grow in the way it needed to. I was too attached to my vision to admit that I was wrong and pivot to a different solution. I ran out of funds and had to shut down my enterprise.
This was a hard lesson indeed. I realized that vision was necessary but not sufficient. I needed to balance it with data, evidence, and feedback. I needed to listen to my customers, partners, and stakeholders. I needed to be open to learning and changing. I needed to be humble and realistic.
I now refer to that hard lesson as my first M.B.A. – Me Being Arrogant.
Don't get me wrong, having a vision is important and powerful. It gives you direction, motivation, and inspiration. It helps you communicate your value proposition and attract supporters. It helps you overcome challenges and setbacks. But it can also be dangerous if you let it blind you to the realities of running your venture, your program, or your organization. You need to watch for potential pitfalls and avoid them.
So how do you do that? Here are some tips that I’ve found helpful:
Test your assumptions. Don't assume that you know what your customers want or need. Don't assume that your solution is the best or the only one. Don't assume that your impact is positive or measurable. Test everything with data, experiments, surveys, interviews, and any other explorations or investigations you can think of.
Seek feedback. Don't isolate yourself in your own bubble. Seek feedback from your customers, partners, stakeholders, mentors, peers, etc. Listen to their opinions, suggestions, and criticisms. Learn from their perspectives and experiences. Pay special attention to the most negative, the most discouraging, or the most challenging feedback. Don’t make decisions based on a single opinion: Watch for trends or patterns in what you’re hearing.
Be flexible. Don't be rigid or dogmatic about your vision. Be willing to adapt and adjust it based on new information or changing circumstances. Be open to new opportunities or challenges that may arise along the way.
Be realistic. Don't be over-optimistic or unrealistic about your vision. Be honest about the feasibility, viability, and desirability of your solution. Be aware of the limitations, constraints, and trade-offs that you face.
Keep learning. Don't stop learning and improving yourself and your offerings. Keep up with the latest trends, best practices, and innovations in your field or sector. Keep seeking new knowledge, skills, and insights.
Remember: The vision that drives your social enterprise can also blind you to obstacles or realities that conflict with that vision.
That which makes you stronger can kill you. But it doesn't have to be that way…
You can use your vision as a guide, not a cage.
You can balance it with data, feedback, flexibility, realism, and learning.
You can make it work for you, not against you.
You can make it stronger without killing it.
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