Believe it or not, this somewhat clunky acronym could be just what your organisation needs to flourish.
V2MOM (shorthand for Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, Measures) is a system of goal-setting, developed late last century by Marc Benioff, CEO and co-founder of CRM giant Salesforce.
Here at Impellus, we’ve been following the V2MOM process for over 4 years now, and it’s revolutionised the way we work.
Its beauty lies in its simplicity and ability to empower every single person within an organisation – but how does it work?
Think of it as a roadmap, a travel guide to your next 6 months.
Everything you want to achieve, what you’re going to do to achieve it, and what might get in your way, is laid out in the five sections of your V2MOM.
Let’s have a look at each of those sections, and what you should seek to include in each one.
Firstly, create the VISION.
In one or two short sentences, lay out what you want to achieve. Make it realistic, make it succinct, but also make it ambitious.
Where am I heading this year? Where do I want to focus my efforts?
The second V stands for VALUES.
If I’m going to achieve my vision, what values do I need to espouse to get there?
Some will be long-standing, ‘forever’ values, but some will move and change as priorities shift over time
Aim for about four or five and rank them in order of importance to you.
The third piece of the puzzle is your METHODS.
Put simply, these are things that you’re actually going to do.
What are my plans for the next 6 months? What’s going to be taking up my time?
Be aspirational with it, there’s little value in just regurgitating your job description here.
The O stands for OBSTACLES.
What are the things that might make my vision harder to achieve?
These could be anything from huge geo-political issues, right down to individual, personal challenges.
Being clear and honest about what’s going to be getting in your way will help you to make allowances for them.
Finally, the MEASURES.
How will I know that I’ve achieved what I’ve set out to do?
Make these specific, and (perhaps unsurprisingly) make them measurable.
As a rule of thumb, every method should have a measure to accompany it.
When you’ve completed the sections make sure it’s comprehensible and share it with colleagues for feedback and buy-in. This can make your goals much more achievable.
A V2MOM is a live, working document and should be treated as such.
Review it regularly, use it as your guide during one-to-ones and performance reviews.
Keep a copy on your desk, refer to it in meetings, and be prepared to tweak it as necessary.
This is what makes the process so successful; it’s a single side of A4 that’s easy to read, easy to follow and easy to interpret.
Eager to learn more? The V2MOM process is discussed in our Organisational Leadership Skills course.
Written by Daniel Bailey – Operations Manager
Impellus is a UK-wide provider of management, leadership and core commercial skills training. See our relevant courses:
Management & Leadership Skills
