If you’ve ever struggled with envisioning, articulating, or staying on track with your business’ (department, business unit, or your teams’) future, your solution isn’t in the traditional planning tools most others rely on (and often quickly forget about).

Quite frankly, most planning methods and vision statements just don’t work.

Instead, what you want is a framework that perpetually energizes you - and every person on your team - with extraordinary clarity, focus, and momentum.

What you want is a Vivid Vision, created by Cameron Harold, former COO of 1-800 Got Junk.

What is a Vivid Vision?

A Vivid Vision is a powerful tool for alignment.
It’s a framework that perpetually energizes you - and every person on your team, with clarity, focus and momentum.
Creating a Vivid Vision brings the future into the present, so we can have clarity on what we are building now.
It is a detailed overview of what your business will look like, feel like and act like three years out.

Why this Vivid Vision works:

If you don’t have a good idea of where you want to be going, opportunities could pull you away from what you should be doing.
When you’re clear on your direction, you’ll be able to say yes to the right opportunities and no to the wrong opportunities.
Most leaders have a vision but they just don’t communicate it clearly.

Who should create a Vivid Vision:

Leaders leading a transformation or change project
Leaders who are responsible for a team or business unit
Leaders looking to advance in their role/career
Leaders looking to create change in their personal lives

My experience creating a Vivid Vision:

I knew I needed a Vivid Vision for Unleash Forward. I had been meaning to do it for a while, but I felt apprehensive and nervous. Thinking about your company 3 years out is challenging, and it felt like I didn’t know exactly what to write. I have been in the weeds in my business lately. When you’re deep in something, it can be hard to take a step back and see it for what it truly is. Whether you’re a business owner, team leader, or executive, I know you can relate to this feeling.

Then, a friend of mine reminded me, my company’s vision is already in me. I created the company, I work with it every day, and I decide what it is and what it will be. As Michelangelo said while creating David, “David was always there in the marble. I just took away everything that was not David.” This was a defining moment for me that empowered me and took away the fear.

And then I just let the words flow.

All of the work I had been doing, from developing my business plan, developing new programs, updating my branding and website to brainstorming new newsletter formats and ideas, all supported the vision that I already had in my mind, without me fully realizing it. I had been slowly transforming Unleash Forward into my ideal business abstractly, but now, with my Vivid Vision, I have concrete ways to move forward. I know what I want Unleash Forward to look like 3 years from now, and I know how to get there.

I highly recommend creating a Vivid Vision. The power of the Vivid Vision not only comes from providing the author with greater clarity, but also brings alignment across your team and all your stakeholders to have the same clarity and to bring forth ideas to make your Vivid Vision come to a reality. Let me tell you, it feels amazing!

“David was always there in the marble. I just took away everything that was not David.” - Michelangelo

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