Vision without Strategy: A Parable
Vision is a gift. Vision imagines what could be; it sees what is and idealizes a better state. Vision, though, is a dream. It has no legs, no arms, and no strength. A vision alone accomplishes nothing.
General: "Take the hill!"
Troops: "Yes!!! What's the strategy?"
General: "The hill is the strategy. What else do you need?! It's important, so do it!!!"
Troops: "What's the plan though? Like, who's doing what? What AREN'T we doing so we can take on this mission?"
General: "This isn't about what we're NOT doing, it's about what we ARE doing. We ARE taking the hill!"
Troops: "Yes, I mean, we're all with you on that, but what about artillary? Air support? Ground movements? Are we working together—who does what?"
General: "We don't have time for minutiae. Take the hill!"
A predictable yet well-intentioned concert of chaos ensues. Inevitably, the fictional General is shocked at what he labels new-found incompetence within the ranks. His troops worked feverishly in a disjointed, uncoordinated, and overlapping method—colliding, bumbling, and stumbling toward the top of the hill.
Let's be clear. The General's vision was correct. The proverbial hill needed to be taken. Likewise, the General's fear of becoming bogged down in strategic perfection was also valid—the need to move quickly was paramount.
The General's fears weren't unfounded. Strategy without vision is monotony: executing a plan without an ideal future state ("vision") results in a death spiral of inconsequential minutia.
But that's not the downfall of our mythical General today. His misstep was the inverse: Believing that vision = strategy; the vision will be enough to win the day.
Vision is a gift. Vision imagines what could be; it sees what is and idealizes a better state. Vision, though, is a dream. It has no legs, no arms, and no strength. A vision alone accomplishes nothing.
No matter how many KPIs or target goals are put behind it, a vision remains immaterial until it is married to a strategy.
Here lies the rub. Most folks who excel at vision stink at strategy. Likewise, while most strategy-minded folks excel at finding a path and coordinating the effort, they often need help finding a compelling vision of an ideal future state. We need each other's skills and areas of working genius.
Stink at strategy? That's OK. Here are the essential strategy questions you should answer alongside your fellow leaders (e.g., don't do it alone!). It's a brainstorm.
Stakeholders: Bring stakeholders to the planning table. Strategy is about creating the best plan—not executing your plan.
Vision: What's the ideal future state?
Why: Why does this future state matter to us? What will we gain?
Obligations: What work or tasks are we currently committed to perform that may jeopardize or delay the vision?
Focus: What tasks are we saying NO to because we've said YES to achieving this vision?
Hard stop: When will we know that we've succeeded or failed? Dates and timelines are helpful but not the core point here.
Objectives: Break down the vision into high-level outcomes. "For this vision to become a reality, XYZ must happen first..."
Assignments: Hand off the objectives to responsible stakeholders for completion by their respective teams.
Overwatch: Regular check-ins with stakeholders regarding progress. Review the answers to these questions as a team to confirm continued alignment; things will change as new information arrives!