The Leader Mindset #31

Hi everyone,

Welcome back to The Leadership Mindset.

Vision That Sticks: Turning Inspiration into Action (Part 2 of 2)

Last week, I wrote about the power of vision and how a compelling picture of the future is needed to inspire people and give meaning to their work. If you missed last week’s article and want to learn more about creating an inspiring vision, you can find it here.

I don’t know about you, but I appreciate the audacious, emotionally charged speech. You know the one—the kind that gives you goosebumps and makes you feel ready to run through a wall. Unfortunately, those feelings fade fast, and once the applause dies down, people drift back to their regular routines.

So how do you capture the spark from that initial vision and sustain it long enough for real change to take root?

That’s the follow-up I want to explore this week. Communicating a vision is important, but it is not the finish line. It is just the beginning.

Turning Vision into Practice

Vision only matters if it is woven into the daily fabric of the organization. Let’s make this real by using Apple as an example.

Years ago, their vision was to create beautifully designed products that customers did not even know they needed. Wow, this vision was big, bold, and inspiring. But what made that vision powerful was not just Steve Jobs saying it; it was the thousands of decisions that reinforced it. Apple’s product design didn't care about cutting costs or chasing trends. It was about building the simplest, most elegant product anyone had ever seen. Similarly, their retail stores were not built like electronics warehouses of the day. They were designed like a minimalist museum where products were displayed like art. Even hiring was shaped by the vision. They did not just want engineers. They sought individuals who were passionate about detail, design, and craftsmanship. As you can see, each decision reinforced the vision.

Now, let’s bring it back to your organization. A company can stand up and say, “We are going to be the most customer-centric business in the industry.” Inspiring? Maybe. But, if customer service representatives are measured solely by call volume instead of satisfaction, the vision collapses. If customers must go through a maze of phone options to get their questions answered, the vision collapses. If training does not prepare people to handle tough customer interactions with empathy, the vision collapses.

The truth is, almost every lever in your organization either strengthens the vision or quietly erodes it. Think about:

• Who you hire, and sometimes, who you let go

• The skills you choose to train

• The shape of your org chart and decision rights

• What gets recognized, reinforced, and rewarded

• How performance is assessed and promoted

• Even the physical space, which says much about what you value

Each one tells your people what really matters. And here is the thing: if those signals do not match the vision, employees stop believing the words and follow the actions.

Building a Reinforcing System

So, what is the move? Before rolling out a new vision for your team or organization, conduct a vision “readiness” audit. Analyze each of these 10 internal practices and answer two questions:

Internal Practices: Recruiting/Selection, Performance Management, Leadership Expectations, Internal Communications, Facility Design, Organizational Structure, Marketing Messages, KPIs, Training and Development

• Does this practice reinforce or contradict the vision?

• What changes are needed to produce a better alignment?

These are the essential questions that drive design choices. Often, they surface uncomfortable truths: some norms, systems, and even people no longer align and may need to be changed.

My Closing Thoughts: If you are rolling out or refreshing a vision, do not stop with the messaging. Ask yourself: what parts of our system will make this real, and what parts might quietly erode it? The difference between a vision that dies on the page and one that shapes the future comes down to whether leaders follow through with the actions that reinforce it.

Now that you have read both articles, you should have a clearer understanding of how to craft a compelling vision and how to build the system that makes it a reality. The challenge is yours: create a vision of the future so powerful that people cannot help but be inspired to follow.

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Andy Noon, PhD

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Thanks for reading and look forward to seeing you again next week.

Andy