Creating a Vision
If creating a vision is a skill and not a talent or a gift (as described here), then how do you go about building that skill?
The intuitive approach for most leaders is:
"What problem are we solving?"
but,
Solving a problem is a plan, not a vision.
Problem solving is the craft of getting rid of what you don't want.
Future Solving is the craft of getting what you do want.
So how do you future solve?
Problem solving begins with the question: "What problems do we need to solve?"
Future Solving begins with the question: "What ought to be?"
In your organization, when you perform your annual planning cycle, are you amassing a list of problems to be prioritized and invested in solving?
If so, this is a recipe for incremental improvement on whatever existing value proposition and position your organization holds in the market.
Future Solving instead begins with a vision of "what future do you want to create?"
This could be:
"We want to guarantee there is no child labor in our supply chain."
"We want to have zero safety incidents in our factories."
Or it could be:
"We want people to be so delighted with our customer support that they are lifetime customers even if we have product issues."
Create a vision
As I’ve been leading workshops with senior leadership teams to create a vision for the future of their company or market, I have continuously run into a set of roadblocks:
The ideas are not ambitious enough
The ideas are too ambitious
The ideas are only focused on areas where there is direct control (achievable within my team), only where cross-organizational consensus would be necessary, or only where an industry coalition would be necessary
This often stifles momentum and creativity, as it pivots the conversation to the overwhelm of needing an industry coalition, control/purchasing power when the ideas are only “achievable within my team”, or the challenges of attaining cross-departmental consensus. The goal should be to create a portfolio of ideas and initiatives across these vertical lanes and pursue them concurrently.
So I created this framework 👇🏼 (first framework post-Autonomous Transformation, actually)
In the first brainstorming session, the goal is to create a list of ideas outside of this framework first, then map those ideas to the framework to learn about the natural limitations of the team’s initial mindset.
Then, once the team has gone over the results and realized where their natural inclinations lead, run a second round of brainstorming - this time with the goal of creating a portfolio of projects that are bold and achievable across all three verticals. This is the best way to ensure you’re innovating not only for the-long term or short-term.
One you have a clear set of ideas, you can group them and translate that grouping into a vision, which becomes the “future point” in the Future Solving framework below, e.g. the future you’re solving for.
Now work backwards
What would have to be true for us to reach this future?
Typically, for any vision to become a reality, there is a list of 4+ theories that would have to be true. These theories form the basis of your strategy, which we'll get into next week (this is my free monthly Tuesday deep dive—be sure to become a member if you want access to all of weekly Tuesday deep dives, fireside chats, and more)
Vision > Strategy > Planning > Tactics > Pieces
In the meantime, set time aside with yourself and with your team to start asking the question of "What ought to be?" for your customers and your market segment that has nothing to do with solving any of the existing problems or even what customers are asking for.
It's helpful to remember that your conscious mind only has access to the equivalent of 2 feet around you, as opposed to your subconscious mind, which can access the equivalent of 11 acres, so this is not a one-time exercise, but should be done several times until you've arrived at a vision that you and your team feel is bold and achievable.
Thanks for reading,
Brian
Whenever you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:
My LinkedIn Learning Course launched on October 3rd: Organizational Leadership in the Era of AI. This 48-minute course is packed with frameworks and insights to help you lead in the era of AI using the new system of leadership I introduced in Autonomous Transformation and is free to anyone with a LinkedIn Learning subscription.
If you want to go deeper as an individual, you can sign up for my live course Future Solving Fundamentals. My flagship live course on how to position yourself in the future in the era of AI. I share over a decade of AI strategy expertise, proven methods, and actionable strategies. This course sets the stage for a new era of value creation with artificial intelligence. Join leaders from Microsoft, Accenture, Amazon, Disney, Mastercard, IKEA, Oracle, Intel, and more.
If you want to go deeper as a team or organization, I’ve partnered with LinkedIn Learning, Emeritus, and Duarte to create tailored Future Solving™️ programs that leaders at Fortune 500 companies are implementing to help reembrace science in their decision-making and meet the complexities of the 21st century with a system of leadership, strategy, and decision-making that is built-for-purpose for era of artificial intelligence. You can reach out to connect and learn more here.