Vision frameworks

Vision Frameworks

Vision vs. Mission vs. Values

Element	Question answered	Time horizon	Changes?
Vision	Where are we going?	5-10+ years	Rarely
Mission	What do we do and for whom?	3-5 years	Occasionally
Values	How do we behave along the way?	Enduring	Almost never
Strategy	How do we get there?	1-3 years	Annually
OKRs	What are we doing this quarter?	Quarter	Quarterly

Vision Statement Crafting

Qualities of a Strong Vision

• Vivid: Creates a clear picture — you can almost see it
• Inspiring: Pulls people forward; bigger than any individual
• Directional: Rules out certain paths; creates clarity on priorities
• Ambitious but plausible: Stretch without fantasy
• Memorable: One or two sentences maximum

Vision Statement Formula

[Desired future state] for [who] [by when / in what world]

Examples by Type

Type	Example
World-change	"A world where everyone has access to the global economy"
Leadership	"To be the most customer-centric company on Earth"
Transformation	"Accelerating the world's transition to sustainable energy"
Elimination	"A world without disease"

Vision Drafting Workshop (2 hours)

1. Pre-work (1 week before): Ask leadership team to write a paragraph describing the company in 10 years if wildly successful
2. Themes (30 min): Identify common themes across submissions
3. Draft (30 min): Small group drafts 3-5 candidate statements
4. Stress-test (30 min): Does it rule things out? Would a competitor say the same? Is it inspiring?
5. Select + refine (30 min): Choose one, polish language
6. Validate (async): Share with 10 employees — "What does this make you want to do?"

Mission Statement

Mission Formula

We [verb: help/enable/build] [who: specific audience] 
[do what: outcome they achieve] 
[so that / by: how or why it matters].

Examples

• "We help small businesses compete with large corporations by giving them enterprise-grade tools at startup prices."
• "We enable scientists to discover drugs faster by automating the hypothesis-to-experiment loop."

Mission vs. Vision Test

• Mission: "What do we do today that creates value?"
• Vision: "What world does doing that create over time?"
• If they're the same sentence, you haven't separated them clearly enough.

Values Operationalization

From Words to Behaviors

Values without behaviors are decoration. For each value, define:

Value: [Name]
What it means: [1-sentence definition]
What it looks like (do this): [2-3 specific behaviors]
What it doesn't mean (not this): [Common misinterpretation]
How we hire for it: [Interview question or signal]
How we reward it: [Recognition example]
How we exit for it: [Violation example]

Example

Value: Directness
What it means: We say what we think, respectfully and specifically.
Do this: Give feedback in the meeting, not after. Disagree in writing 
         with specifics. Say "I disagree because..." not "interesting idea."
Not this: Bluntness without care. Directness ≠ unkind.
Hire for: "Tell me about a time you pushed back on a decision from above."
Reward: Publicly recognize when someone raises a hard issue early.
Exit: Consistent pattern of saying one thing in meetings, another after.

Long-Range Planning (3-5 Year Horizon)

Planning Process

Phase	Timing	Activity
Market scan	Month 1	Trends, competitive landscape, technology shifts
Internal assessment	Month 1	Capabilities, gaps, strategic assets
Scenario planning	Month 2	3 futures: base, optimistic, bear case
Strategic options	Month 2	What bets would win in each scenario?
Prioritization	Month 3	Where to focus? What to stop?
Plan finalization	Month 3	Written plan, financial model, OKR seeds
Board approval	Month 3	Board review and alignment

Scenario Planning Framework

For each scenario, define:

• What world does this assume? (Market, technology, regulatory)
• What would our revenue/position look like?
• What capabilities do we need?
• What bets would we make?
• What are the leading indicators this scenario is unfolding?

Strategic Plan One-Pager Template

## [Company] 3-Year Strategic Plan: [Year]-[Year+3]

**Our vision:** [Vision statement]
**Where we play:** [Markets, segments, geographies]
**How we win:** [Differentiation — what we do better than anyone]

**Strategic bets:**
1. [Bet 1: what we're doubling down on]
2. [Bet 2: where we're expanding]
3. [Bet 3: what we're building for the future]

**What we're stopping:** [Explicit deprioritizations]

**Financial targets:** [Revenue, margin, key metrics at year 3]
**Key risks:** [Top 3 risks to this plan]

Strategic Narrative

Structure (Andy Raskin Framework)

1. Name the enemy / change: "The world has changed. [Old way] no longer works because [shift]."
2. Show the promised land: "Imagine a world where [your vision]."
3. Prove the magic: "Here's how we make that possible: [your unique mechanism]."
4. Overcome objections: "You might think [objection]. Here's why that's no longer true."
5. Give them a role: "You can be part of this. Join us."

Narrative for Different Audiences

Audience	Emphasis	Length
Employees	Why this matters + their role	10-min presentation
Investors	Market opportunity + why we win	5-min pitch
Customers	Problem we solve + proof	2-min story
Recruits	Mission + growth + culture	3-min conversation
Press	Change in the world + company's role	1 quote

Cascading Strategy

Flow: Company → Division → Team → Individual

Company vision + 3-year plan
    ↓
Annual company OKRs (3-5 objectives, CEO-owned)
    ↓
Division OKRs (aligned to company OKRs, VP-owned)
    ↓
Team OKRs (aligned to division OKRs, manager-owned)
    ↓
Individual goals (aligned to team OKRs, IC-owned)

Cascade Quality Check

• Can each team member trace their work to a company objective? If not, why are they doing it?
• Are there team OKRs that don't connect to any company objective? Question those.
• At least 70% of individual OKRs should ladder to company OKRs; 30% can be team-level.

Communicating Vision at Scale

The Rule of 7 (Kotter)

People need to hear the same message approximately 7 times before it sinks in. Implications:

• Repeat the vision in every all-hands, not just the annual kickoff
• Reference it in decision-making: "Does this move us toward [vision]?"
• Embed it in onboarding so every new hire learns it day one
• Put it in the physical and digital environment (walls, Notion, Slack banner)

Making Vision Tangible

• Customer stories: "Here's a real person whose life we changed"
• Progress milestones: "We're now X% closer to [vision goal]"
• Anti-examples: "This decision moved us away from our vision — here's why we reversed it"
• Future press release: Write the press release you'd want in 5 years; share it with the team

Refreshing Vision

When to Refresh

• Business model has fundamentally shifted
• Achieved the vision (rare, but happens)
• Vision is no longer inspiring anyone (7+ years old)
• Significant acquisition or strategic pivot

When NOT to Refresh

• A new CEO wants to put their stamp on things (preserve if still valid)
• The vision is "old" but still directionally right
• Short-term performance is down (don't confuse execution issues with vision issues)

Refresh Process

• Acknowledge the old vision and why it served you
• Name specifically what has changed that necessitates a new direction
• Involve the same cross-functional process as original creation
• Ensure continuity: what endures from the old vision into the new one?