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27 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT Every beginning has magic within There is often something magical, brilliant, or world-changing associated with a vision. A vision does not necessarily have to be altruistic or valuable from a social or en- vironmental perspective. In terms of the business it is also not primarily a focus on financial issues because this is usually the original purpose of the business. A company vision describes a state that goes beyond the entrepreneurs as a person – it maps out a realistic picture of the future. Strictly speaking, a vision is a realistic description of a desired state for the future company development – it describes where the company will go and is a defined ideal state. A vision creates a desirable and emotional image of the future of a company. It shows the idea for which the company stands, the basis for strengths, and how the company could look and be perceived. A vision is made up of two elements: one is a clear concept of what is planned to be achieved in 10, 20, or 30 years. The other is a consideration of the substantive core that makes up a company, that is, its fundamental values and beliefs. Particularly for smaller to medium-sized owner-ope- rated companies such as dental practices, it is essential that these beliefs correspond to the personal values of the owner. Looked at figuratively, the company vision has firstly a sort of “pole star” function for the company by defining the future-orien- ted direction. In the long term it acts as a compass that keeps the company on track. Vision vs. goal Visions are often confused with company goals. For example, increasing practice turnover by 10 percent over the next two years is not a vision but instead is a clear goal. True goals are temporally limited; they should be divided into short-, medium-, and long-term goals. To make them measurable, it is important to formulate the goals in concrete terms. The goals of a company are derived from the company strategy. Goals and the corresponding measures to achieve them are flexible. A company strategy can only be developed from the vision. Good company strategies adjust to changes in the market environ- ment to minimize risks and seize oppor- tunities. Strategies are flexible whereas visions are stable. Visions are therefore an integral com- ponent of every business as well as the cornerstone on which they are built. This important foundation is therefore the basis of all subsequent company decisions. The company vision is an important factor regarding the performance of a company. It is thus responsible to a large degree for its competitiveness. The relevance of a company vision is often underestimated, however. Particularly in smaller companies, a vision often develops intuitively. Subsequently, this guiding “pole star” is missing. In an environment that is not changing, this is usually of little importance. However, every practice is exposed to a range of in- ternal and external changes, such as regu- latory changes, the opening of another practice in the immediate neighborhood or the departure of a founding member of In the section “Practice Management” we will examine the establishment of communication strategies for the dental practice in a series of articles. The series will open with a discussion of vision, because every company starts with a vision, whether consciously or not. With a consciously designed vision all decisions are made on the basis of this important foundation, which ultimately steers the development and thus the success of the company in a specific direction. Andrea Stix, M.Sc. Consultant for Communication Strategy and Practice Marketing VISIONS – THE STIMULUS FOR A SUCCESSFUL FUTURE