There’s a slightly clichéd story about stonecutters that you’ve probably heard before but which is nonetheless helpful when thinking about vision. It goes something like this:

A stranger passes by and asks the first stonecutter what they are doing.

“I’m cutting stones, isn’t that obvious.”

He asks the second.

“I’m building a wall.”

And the third.

“I’m building an amazing cathedral that will be marvelled at for its beauty and inspire countless generations to come.”

Same job. Totally different perspective.

There’s a saying that ‘Vision is the breakfast of champions’. It’s what infuses each day with meaning and motivation. It’s what stirs our passion and fortifies our resolve in challenging times.

Creating vision is not just a matter of generating some arbitrary future projection. It is the process of taking the core of what we are about – purpose, values, mission – and turning that critical information into a vivid picture of what that would look like as we work to turn those dreams and aspirations into reality.

A vision energises. It motivates. A great vision will cause us, our teams, our organisations as a whole, to tackle the specific challenges at hand with our very best efforts.

Of course we need good plans and processes, goals, structure and strategy, but all of these work best when fuelled by compelling vision.

A crucial part of a leader’s role is to consistently and systematically spend time thinking about, clarifying and communicating vision to all interested parties, starting with themselves!

A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.” – Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” – Joel Barker