INTRODUCING “THE VISION SERIES”
Image credit: Margot Richard x Unsplash
In the midst of perpetual change and chaos, the real question for leaders isn’t just “how do we survive?” but “what’s the vision we want to create for the future?”
I’ve been studying the concept of “Vision” for a long time now.
To be sure, in amongst the chaos, it's easy to get bogged down in the immediate problems—burnout, stress, the endless noise. But this is where Vision cuts through all this and becomes the ultimate unlock for growth.
It provides clarity, direction, and motivation, transforming uncertainty into a focused effort. This means ensuring orientation that focuses resources among endless strategic choices, aligning complex organisations, and speeding up clogged decision making.
With a clear Vision, your team knows exactly where they’re headed, why it matters, and will work out how to collaborate to get there. It’s not about fixing everything today but making a roadmap for what the future could look like.
Vision is more than a corporate buzzword—it’s the ability to imagine a better future and, more importantly, work toward it. A powerful vision drives focus, confidence, and innovation, all of which are crucial for growth.
Take Elon Musk, for example. Love him or hate him - and I appreciate many people hate him right now - his Vision of a multi-planetary future has turned SpaceX into a global powerhouse and the most valuable private tech company in the world. But it isn’t just about building rockets—it is about creating a future where humanity could thrive across planets. And that’s the power of Vision: it’s a force multiplier for growth, aligning every action with a clear, future-facing goal.
So why do so few people have that world-changing vision?
It's not just about capability—it’s about getting past the barriers we have to long-term thinking and giving ourselves the space to dream.
This is where it gets hard because most of us aren’t wired to think long-term. Evolution didn’t prepare us to focus on what’s coming 10, 20, or 30 years down the road. We're geared for short-term survival.
We get stuck in the weeds of the present—dopamine-driven, focused on immediate rewards, running from quarterly report to quarterly report. Visionary thinking, like Elon’s, requires mental training, it requires going against the grain of our biology, and it demands persistence.
So, what makes for a good Vision? I believe it’s a combination of audacity and tangibility at the same time. It’s about motivating and galvanising all stakeholders - not just your internal teams. And it’s about committing for the long haul.
Based on both independent research around the world’s leading brands and business visionaries, and consulting fieldwork with companies including Gap Inc, PepsiCo and Sephora, I’ll be unpacking all of the above in The Vision Series, a collection of articles where we walk through:
VISION. THE ULTIMATE UNLOCK FOR POSSIBILITIES & GROWTH
What is Vision?
The Growth potential with a clear Vision
WHY A VISION IS HARD (AND LEARNING THE GOOD BITS FROM ELON)
Why we don’t have more world-changing Visionaries in business
(Love him or hate him) how Elon and Space X show us what a Vision can do
DEVELOPING YOUR OWN VISION
What makes a compelling Vision?
How to create your own Vision for what’s next
VISION & INNOVATION - SEEING IS BELIEVING
Introducing the Library of Hope
If anything sparks your interest in this or the following articles, please do email helen@purposefulgrowth.co
