Core value · Wisdom family
Vision
A clear picture of the future
Also covers Foresight
What does vision mean as a core value?
Vision as a core value means holding a clear, concrete picture of the future you want, and letting it guide today’s choices about work, family and where you put your effort.
You can see where things could go before others can. Holding vision as a value draws you to the long view: the shape of the organisation in five years, the life you’re building with your family, the trend that hasn’t quite arrived. A clear picture of the future gives your present effort meaning. Working without one feels like busy wandering, and you may get impatient with people who only ever look at this quarter.
What does vision look like in practice?
- You describe what success will look like in concrete detail before a project starts.
- You spot a shift in your industry early and start preparing while others shrug.
- You weigh today’s decisions by whether they move you towards the future you’ve pictured.
- You talk with your partner about where you want to be in ten years, as well as next summer.
- You turn down a good opportunity because it pulls in the wrong direction.
When is vision overplayed?
A strong vision can make the present feel like an obstacle. You may be frustrated by the details needed to get there, lose patience with people who can’t yet see what you see, or grow so attached to your picture of the future that you miss signals it needs to change. Teams can end up feeling dragged along. Healthy vision is held with conviction and some humility, and it updates when reality argues back. Try sharing your picture of the future with someone likely to disagree, and ask what they’d change.
Often confused with
Vision vs Imagination
Imagination creates possibilities, lots of them. Vision chooses one picture of the future and commits to it.
Vision vs Purpose
Purpose is the reason behind what you do. Vision is a picture of where it leads: purpose answers why, and vision shows what it will look like.
Vision vs Leadership
Vision sees the destination. Leadership gets people moving towards it, and plenty of visionaries struggle with that part.
Questions to sit with
- Which part of your picture of the future is really yours, and which part did you inherit from someone else?
- What are you doing this week that has nothing to do with the future you say you want?
- Who has challenged your vision recently, and what could their objection teach you?
More values in Wisdom
Understanding, insight and good judgement.
About the author
Matt Rutherford is a Career and Leadership Coach. The Values Finder is the same exercise he uses with his coaching clients. He also writes Stuff that MattRs, a weekly newsletter with practical ideas to help you think clearer and work better.
Find your own
Is Vision one of your core values?
Choose from 155 values, narrow them down to the few that matter most, and get a personal report to keep. Free, and it takes about 15 minutes.
Find your core values