The secret to a useful vision

Summary

Chris Erickson argues that too many vision statements are vague. They sound inspiring but don’t drive action or give direction. Many CEOs, especially at early-stage startups, keep visions loose to stay flexible, but Chris says vagueness creates drift instead. He compares going on a hike with completing the Twin Lakes Loop on July 2nd: both are true, but only one is actionable. Spelling out the details up front lets people decide how to support the vision, and a vision a team can measure saves it from slow, inefficient guessing.

Highlights

• Vague visions sound inspiring but don’t drive action.
• Keeping a vision loose to stay flexible creates drift instead.
• If a team can’t measure the vision, it’s left guessing and checking.

Key insights

True isn’t the same as actionable

A vague vision isn’t wrong, it’s just incomplete. Without a where and a when, nobody knows what to do next.

Details let people commit

Doing the work to define the vision up front gives people what they need to make decisions and back it with confidence.

Detailed analysis

The pull toward a loose vision usually comes from a good place: leaders don’t want to box their teams in. But a vision with no finish line pushes the hard choices down to everyone else, who each fill in the blanks differently. A specific, measurable vision does the opposite. It sets the target once, so the team spends its energy moving toward it instead of debating what it is.

Conclusion

Make your vision specific, directional, actionable, and real. Then do the same for every part of the business.