The brand vision acts as the compass that guides your brand to the market. While it doesn’t provide a clear set of actionable steps for your team, it offers a sense of direction. The vision is the promise the business makes to itself. So, of course, you want your staff to buy into your business vision.

However, sometimes employees find it hard to support the business vision. They might not express it clearly, but you can’t miss signs of disparities:

• Their behaviors contradict your vision
• Not everyone follows the same direction
• They don’t take pride in their job
• They don’t see the greater good

Yet before blaming your employees, you need to understand why they don’t support the brand vision.

#1: Your Branding Is Confusing

Your branding serves a double purpose. It helps identify your brand and differentiate it from the competition. But it is also a visual reminder of what your business stands for. Strategic branding can communicate your values just by looking at it. While it can be tempting to use a free logo tool to create your brand, small businesses must be willing to invest in quality branding. Ineffective branding will not only generate confusion but could also turn your employees against you. This is especially true with international organizations, as the meaning of colors and shapes can vary greatly between cultures.

#2: The Office Environment Is Draining

Fatigue, both physical and mental, can be an obstacle to your vision. Many businesses assume that fatigue is an issue that is caused by activities and decisions outside of the office. In reality, your office environment can significantly contribute to employees’ fatigue. Indoor air pollution, for instance, is a leading cause of productivity loss, loss of mental focus, and loss of motivation. If you suspect poor indoor air quality, you can learn more here about indoor purification services. Low access to tech solutions and devices can also affect employees’ motivation and engagement. After all, how can they take seriously the business claim of wanting to improve customers’ lives when they work on outdated technology?

#3: The Company Culture Is Damaging

On paper, the business vision can sound amazing. However, in day-to-day life, the existing business culture could harm your positive vision. It’s important to differentiate between a bad company culture and a company that’s just going through a tough time. High stress levels and occasionally cutting corners could be linked to an urgent deadline. On the other hand, a bad culture tends to involve a lot of gossip and unfriendly competition between employees. People are less likely to support the brand vision when they don’t feel supported by the brand.

#4: Counterproductive Strategies

More often than not, ineffective communication and cooperation can make it look as if employees were working against each other. This is frequent when different teams don’t share their objectives. People need to work together to fully contribute to the brand vision. Unfortunately, isolated projects can cannibalize each other.

Your brand vision is an aspirational goal for the business. However, confusing branding, ineffective communication, harmful office environment, and company culture can turn this vision into a nightmare. When nobody supports the vision, it loses its purpose. The business becomes meaningless, which could threaten growth, reputation, and quality.