48 years since his passing, Jimi Hendrix remains one of the world’s greatest guitarists.

(If you’re more of a Jimmy Page, Van Halen or Clapton fan please read on as there’s some simple Scale Lessons here for your business).

Hendrix’s career only spanned four years.  So, how did he become one of the most influential guitar players who ever lived?

He simply stayed true to his musical vision. 

Everything he did and the boundaries he pushed were designed to demolish traditional definitions of music, extend the reach of the guitar and prove music can transcend race, genre and time.

Of course, not everyone is an admirer of his music (or antics), but this goes to show how powerful having a purpose and vision is.

And the same goes for business.

Sadly, most businesses lack a visible ‘guiding principle’ so are just going, which means they’re in serious danger of falling down suddenly and very hard.

However long you’ve been in business, you must bring everyone together with a vision – a goal that the business is looking to reach.  And then align everything and everyone to help deliver this.

Back in my CEO days, our goal was simple: to make £1 of profit.

Every single member of my team passionately bought into the joint vision.  They weren’t simply doing their job, hitting the numbers or trying to achieve a target to avoid getting their knuckles rapped.  They were involved in the destination at which we, as a unified team, were aiming to arrive. Everyone completely believed in the higher purpose and they were all inspired and excited by that version of success – not the job that they did.

In a matter of months, we turned this large corporation from losing £250k per month, to making its first £1 profit, in just a matter of months.

This week I want you to think about your vision – do you have one – do you believe in it – do your team believe in it – are you on track – how do you know when you’ve achieved it?