A Company's Vision is Not Just a Dream or a Wish

One of the most important aspects of leadership is having a clear and compelling vision for the future. A vision is a statement of what an organization or a team wants to achieve, what impact it wants to have, and what value it wants to create. A vision is not just a dream or a wish, but a realistic and attainable goal that guides and motivates the actions of the people involved.

However, having a vision is not enough. A vision needs to be translated into a strategy, which is a plan of action that outlines how the vision will be accomplished. A strategy is a set of choices and trade-offs that define the scope, direction, and priorities of the organization or the team. A strategy is not just a list of tasks or activities, but a coherent and logical framework that aligns the resources, capabilities, and efforts of the people involved.

The difference between vision and strategy can be illustrated by using the analogy of a journey. Vision is the destination, the place where you want to go. Strategy is the road map, the route that you will take to get there. Vision is more abstract and inspirational, while strategy is more concrete and practical. Vision answers the question "where do we want to go?" while strategy answers the question "how do we get there?".

To illustrate this point further, let us consider an example of a company that wants to become a leader in the online education market. The company's vision could be something like this:

"Our vision is to provide high-quality, affordable, and accessible online education to learners around the world, empowering them to achieve their personal and professional goals."

This vision statement defines the purpose, scope, and value proposition of the company. It also sets a high standard for excellence and innovation. However, this vision statement does not tell us how the company will achieve this goal. For that, we need a strategy.

The company's strategy could be something like this:

"Our strategy is to leverage our core competencies in content creation, platform development, and customer service to offer a diverse portfolio of online courses and programs that cater to different segments of learners. We will also invest in marketing, partnerships, and quality assurance to increase our brand awareness, reach, and reputation in the online education market."

This strategy statement defines the key activities, decisions, and resources that the company will use to pursue its vision. It also identifies the target markets, competitive advantages, and growth opportunities for the company. However, this strategy statement does not tell us what specific actions or steps the company will take to implement its strategy. For that, we need tactics.

Tactics are the operational details that specify how the strategy will be executed. Tactics are the short-term actions and tasks that are aligned with the long-term goals and objectives of the strategy. Tactics answer the question "what do we need to do?" For example, some of the tactics that the company could use to implement its strategy are:

• Create and launch new online courses and programs every quarter
• Develop and update the online learning platform with new features and functionalities
• Hire and train more instructors, tutors, and customer service agents
• Conduct market research and customer feedback surveys
• Run online advertising campaigns and social media promotions
• Establish strategic partnerships with universities, employers, and influencers
• Monitor and evaluate key performance indicators and quality metrics

 As you can see, tactics are more specific and measurable than strategy, which is more specific and measurable than vision. Vision, strategy, and tactics are interrelated and interdependent components of effective leadership. They form a hierarchy of goals that cascade from the top to the bottom of an organization or a team. They also provide clarity, direction, and alignment for everyone involved in achieving a common purpose.

 In conclusion, vision is the desired destination, while strategy is the road map that leads to it. Vision is more abstract and inspirational, while strategy is more concrete and practical. Vision answers the question "where do we want to go?" while strategy answers the question "how do we get there?". Vision sets the direction, while strategy sets the priorities. Vision inspires action, while strategy guides action.