As a Director and Senior Director for JPMorgan Chase, DaVita, and Charles Schwab, I have been part of several executive leadership teams responsible for defining, communicating, and executing the vision for end-to-end IT capabilities. 

Themes
I believe in several key themes that inform the direction and goals of an organization - 

• Strategy
  The strategic plan for any department must be derived from the goals and objectives of the business. Strategy enables business success and must be informed by business roadmaps, documented objectives, and measurable outcomes that provide direction for more specific workstreams.

• Commitments
  One of the most important goals for any organization is to deliver on the commitments made to business sponsors and other stakeholders. Successful project execution, ongoing operational excellence, hitting financial targets, and delivering measurable business outcomes are key measures of success for the organization.

• Culture
  The mindset of an organization shapes the attitudes and energy of the teams and people that deliver success. The leaders of the organization set the example and shape the behaviors of the teams they lead. Culture must be intentional and continuously reinforced to become a natural genuine extension of the organization.

• Team
  The success of the department begins with the quality of the leadership, management, and staff. It is our job as senior leaders to hire and retain top talent, provide opportunities for learning and career advancement, and create an environment that promotes integrity, engagement, service excellence, continuous improvement, and fun.

• Process Excellence
  The effectiveness and efficiency of business, operations, or IT capabilities depends largely on developing sound practices derived from a consistent framework for service delivery. I believe in the adoption of a consistent language and approach to integrated end-to-end services based on framework ideas grounded in proven industry standards.

Sharing the Vision
Senior leaders in the organization share a responsibility beyond the definition of the vision for their team. It is equally important to share this vision to ensure that all members of the larger organization understand the direction and their role in success. This message must be reinforced through regular communication including quarterly Town Halls, monthly Leadership Calls, regular Team Meetings, and Leadership Events.

The purpose of this communication must be to create an awareness of the vision, promote joint ownership, and encourage accountability for the themes and direction of the department, and ensure all team members are engaged, committed, and fully sharing in the success of the organization.

Promoting Accountability
Once the key themes are established, accountability for progress against department goals must be measured and reviewed on a regular basis. A focus on transparency is intended to provide an executive level snapshot of metrics and trends that reinforce both operational and transformational efforts, highlight key successes that recognize the hard work of the team, and identify areas of improvement to focus efforts on key pain points.