Introduction
Aspirational vision fuels long-term success, but without practical, iterative execution, it’s meaningless. Too often, enterprises pit vision against execution, as if they are opposing forces. In reality, thriving organizations recognize that aspiration and immediate action must work hand in hand.
Today’s business climate demands measurable results on compressed timelines. Outcomes once expected in months are now required in weeks or even days. Leaders must serve their customers, their teams, and the enterprise while also shaping a vision for the future. These responsibilities are not opposing forces. The strongest organizations recognize that managing today and planning for tomorrow are symbiotic. Immediate execution drives long-term success, and long-term vision guides today’s actions.
Telescope and microscope
A former colleague would often say that leaders need to have one eye in the microscope and one eye in the telescope. This mindset always resonated with me, with a twist. Leaders do need to find time and ways to do this, but leaders often need to focus exclusively on one or the other for extended periods. Every company and team is on a journey. Alignment with organizational goals is essential but so is intentionally planning for the long term alongside daily decisions.
In insurance, for example, underwriting service associates (USAs) process administrative tasks like validating signatures on applications thousands of times a day. One USA recognized how AI could streamline this work. He carved out time to develop a vision, then partnered with an innovation team to prototype an AI-based signature validation system. His vision shaped the team’s future while staying aligned with company strategy. Dedicating even 30 minutes a week to ideate and capture long-term vision for your scope can be transformative.
Translating vision into outcomes – practical steps
- Find time to understand your enterprise’s three-year goals. It is important to connect those to your scope in a meaningful way.
- Write a concise narrative of your three-year target vision.
- Stretch your thinking and link your future to the “superpowers” of the organization. Think in terms of applied vision.
- Collaborate with others to validate, iterate, and gain support. Gain input and context from your leader. Make it a dialogue and ask each group about potential pitfalls.
- Gain credibility by underpromising and overdelivering.
- Deliver small outcomes within four months.
- Validate assumptions, test ideas and outcomes, and pivot whenever needed. Avoid locking into a future state and declaring victory too early. Portions of the journey will come from the most non-obvious sources over time.
Share your experience
How do you balance vision and results in your organization? Share your perspective—I’d love to learn how others make this partnership work.