About three years ago, a picture painted itself in my mind. It was the feet of a baby that belonged to me, and beside the feet was my newly acquired degree certificate. It felt like a wild dream, but there it was. How on earth was I going to pull off both at the same time, especially with my pregnancy journey seeming like an Olympic hurdle? So I brushed it off as wishful thinking, but I consciously made plans. It was not until the fall of 2022 that reality hit me—I was four weeks pregnant and enrolled in a master’s programme. That mental image that I had three years ago was not just a passing thought; it was a vision—one that needed me to take serious strategic steps for it to be fulfilled.

Post-graduation, as I lay in bed reflecting on the journey, I remembered the craziness of the past year—juggling pregnancy, work, studies, baby duties, and a research project. At that moment, the mental picture from three years ago flashed back, and it hit me again. I now have both achievements from that image, even though I had long forgotten about the vision. In awe of what I had just realised, I captured the above photo with my phone. It was proof of what I have always known—that visions or dreams do come true. The fulfilment of that vision, however, was dependent on my resilience, my hope, and my determination to see the desires of my heart come to life.

As a faith-led professional, my experience was a spiritual manifestation at play; however, these lessons stretch beyond the personal and spiritual into the professional and corporate world.

 

Actualising your Professional Vision

As professionals, one of the most common desires you might have is getting that promotion. You envisage yourself attaining a certain level in your career, but your current reality seems far from it. While it can be a difficult position to be in, it is not enough to simply hope for the best or put it in prayer without taking strategic actions. Knowing when to push for a promotion and initiate a conversation with your manager about your career advancement is crucial for your professional development. Choosing the right moment to ask would require that you do some homework. What has been your contribution to the organisation? You must objectively assess your performance and note any milestones that you have achieved; pay attention to internal opportunities that align with your skillsets; build a business case for your promotion by aligning your most recent achievements with the company’s goals; and when you have the conversation, be prepared to receive feedback that may not be an outright yes but would give you the information needed to improve your performance in anticipation of the next opportunity.

Actualising your Corporate Vision

As a business owner or executive, your organisation’s vision is a compelling image in your mind, representing the company’s desired long-term goals. It serves as a guiding beacon, especially when the business veers off course. This vision provides direction, motivates your employees, guides strategic decision-making, and attracts the necessary talent. To actualise this vision, the executive team must take strategic actions—leading by example, clearly communicating expectations, aligning strategies with the corporate vision, empowering employees to contribute to the mission, and monitoring the progress of the team.

Discerning When and How to Take Action

In pursuit of profitability and maintaining a competitive edge, effective business discernment requires assembling the right talent to periodically scan the external environment. You would need to stay abreast of changes impacting the organisation, leverage data and analytics for strategy assessment, identify process loopholes and areas for improvement, embrace agile leadership practises for adaptability, gauge the sentiments of employees and customers through feedback, and participate in strategic planning sessions to evaluate goals and formulate new action plans.

Closing Thoughts

Comfort zones are never the birthing grounds for rewards. Whether you are leading a team, an organisation, navigating academia, or even parenthood, to actualise your vision now or in 2024, you must be willing to take that step, have faith, demonstrate resilience if things don’t go as planned, and be comfortable taking a bit of risk.

Until next time,

Bukola Osuntuyi.

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