PDF Summary:Vivid Vision, by Cameron Herold

Most businesses rely on vague mission statements or vision boards to communicate their goals—but these methods often fail to align teams or inspire action. In Vivid Vision, Cameron Herold presents an alternative approach: creating a detailed, written description of what your company will look like three years in the future, covering everything from culture to operations.

Herold explains how to craft this forward-looking document and share it with employees, customers, investors, and partners to build alignment and excitement. He walks through the process of creating your vision, implementing it within your organization, and maintaining focus on it over time. This guide offers practical steps for turning an ambitious future state into reality by getting everyone working toward the same clear picture.

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Conventional visioning techniques, such as statements of purpose and boards with images, are often unclear and ineffective. Herold explains that mission statements are typically crafted by assembling a group of people who jot down preferred words on a whiteboard, vote on them, and then combine the top choices into one sentence. Conversely, vision boards are a collection of images on a display meant to collectively generate cohesion and inspire a lucid perspective.

However, Herold argues that such claims are only words, and these boards are meant solely for a single person. The words you derive from a vision board and those someone else does will inevitably differ. As more individuals view the display, the number of interpretations increases.

The Ineffectiveness of Mission Statements and Vision Boards

Herold’s claim that mission statements and vision boards are often unclear and ineffective is supported by research on organizational culture. Organizational culture expert Edgar Schein argues that visible artifacts like slogans and image collages are interpreted differently by different subgroups within an organization. Schein’s research shows that even when organizations have clear mission statements or visual representations of their goals, these artifacts are often interpreted differently by various subgroups within the organization. This supports Herold’s argument that traditional visioning techniques like mission statements and vision boards are often too vague to create a shared, precise vision.

Additionally, vision boards can lead to multiple interpretations and fail to align a team. Herold reiterates that a board with visuals can be helpful individually, though it's a terrible method for unifying multiple people. Individuals will inevitably focus on incorrect elements unless you give further clarity.

(Shortform note: Some practitioners believe vision boards are one of the best tools for aligning a team. In Visual Meetings, David Sibbet argues that well-designed visual displays—such as murals, story maps, and large shared charts—create a shared mental model that aligns people faster and more deeply than verbal discussion alone. When teams build these boards together, everyone can literally see the same picture emerging and take ownership of it.)

The Vivid Vision Method Is a Superior Alternative

In contrast, Vivid Vision offers a clear and compelling picture of where your company is heading, which can inspire confidence and excitement among stakeholders. Herold explains that communicating your Vivid Vision with suppliers allows them to better understand your company's future needs and adjust their operations to meet them. They might even offer you more competitive pricing and improved service, viewing you as a bigger, more profitable customer. Additionally, customers will feel reassured that your company is stable and has a vision for the future, making them more likely to stay loyal. Investors will grasp your company's potential and be more willing to invest. The media may be more inclined to write about your organization, helping you reach a wider audience.

(Shortform note: While sharing your Vivid Vision with external stakeholders can be beneficial, it can also backfire. If you fail to meet the expectations you set, you could face legal and reputational consequences. For example, if you publicly state that your company will achieve a certain level of growth or profitability by a specific date, and you fail to deliver, you could face lawsuits from investors or customers who feel misled. Additionally, your company's reputation could suffer if you make bold claims about your future capabilities that you can't back up. Competitors might use your Vivid Vision to gain insights into your strategic plans and use that information to their advantage.)

Sharing your detailed plan with people outside your company can also inspire your employees, making them feel involved in a larger mission. This can help you attract new employees who are excited about your company's future and repel those who aren't compatible.

(Shortform note: When you share your detailed plan with people outside your company, you’re creating an employer brand. This is the reputation you have as an employer, and it’s based on the experiences and perceptions of your current and former employees, as well as the public.)

Creating, Implementing & Maintaining Your Vivid Vision

When implementing your organization's Vivid Vision, Herold advises sharing it internally first. He explains that this ensures all team members comprehend and feel enthusiastic about the Vivid Vision. The people in your organization are the connections to the external world, so they need to be fully informed before anyone else. When you launch it internally, Herold recommends doing it face-to-face with your group. Aim to assemble everyone together in a single place. Of course, this depends on your company's size.

(Shortform note: Since the publication of Vivid Vision, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in remote and hybrid work environments. This shift has made it more challenging for organizations to gather all employees in a single location for face-to-face meetings. As a result, many organizations have adapted their Vivid Vision launch strategies to accommodate distributed teams. Some have created virtual launch events, while others have developed asynchronous launch experiences that allow employees to engage with the Vivid Vision at their own pace.)

If your organization consists of 30 people, you can conduct it with the entire group together. For a company with 500 employees, consider splitting the groups according to department and meeting separately with each one. If your organization has 20,000 people, you'll conduct meetings in groups. Start by giving each person a printed version of the Vivid Vision. Everyone will read it out loud in turn. Each person takes turns reading a few sentences, continuing this pattern until finishing the document. While the reading happens, the CEO should look around to assess how people are reacting.

(Shortform note: This approach may not work in all cultures. In Cultures and Organizations, Geert Hofstede, Gert Jan Hofstede, and Michael Minkov explain that in cultures with large power distances, the emotional distance between superiors and subordinates is great. Subordinates are dependent on their bosses and feel inhibited about contradicting or criticizing them in public. Therefore, they tend to show visible respect and outward agreement while withholding disagreement or negative feedback. In such cultures, meetings with the boss are more likely to produce compliance than open, critical discussion.)

Observe who seems the most enthusiastic, committed, and interested. Notice who isn't. You should be cautious and concerned about that second group. You should be alerted to warning signs. You might need to eventually remove them from the organization. Because a single negative influence can spoil others. Once everyone has finished reading the pages, have each employee highlight any phrases or sentences that they find most inspiring or exciting. Ask the whole group to express their ideas. There won't be any debating or discussion. The purpose of this exercise is for employees to clearly see the direction the CEO has for the organization. Future gatherings will offer a chance to explore how each point will be realized, but this information should simply be absorbed as a source of reflection and motivation at this time. Engaging your people with "What if?" scenarios fosters alignment.

Counterpoint: The Importance of Psychological Safety

Harvard Business School professor Amy C. Edmondson would likely disagree with this approach. In The Fearless Organization, she argues that leaders have a responsibility to create a psychologically safe environment where employees feel comfortable speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes without fear of embarrassment or punishment. Edmondson would likely view a “no debating or discussion” rollout as risky, potentially stifling valuable feedback and dissent. She would probably encourage leaders to actively invite questions and dissenting views, interpreting hesitancy or critical questions as potentially valuable signals rather than a lack of commitment. Edmondson would likely argue that leaders should respond appreciatively when people surface worries or disagreements, as persistent silence is more likely to reflect fear than true buy-in. She would probably caution that judging those who don’t seem enthusiastic, committed, and interested as negative influences to be removed could undermine learning, innovation, and effective performance.

Herold also emphasizes the importance of maintaining alignment with your Vivid Vision over the three-year period. He explains that you can stack the Vivid Vision—building a foundation, then adding floors, walls, and upward layers, like constructing a dream house. It's important to let people know that to reach a three-year future, you first have to achieve a future that's a year ahead and then two years ahead. Otherwise, they might believe you're simply insane. They can't imagine how it will seem in three years, as it's too distant from their present situation, and the transformations they'll experience are too big to grasp.

(Shortform note: Herold’s advice to break down the three-year Vivid Vision into one- and two-year stages aligns with research by psychologists Yaacov Trope and Nira Liberman on construal-level theory. Their research shows that people perceive distant future events more abstractly and with greater skepticism, while nearer-term goals feel more concrete and attainable. By presenting a three-year vision as a series of shorter-term milestones, you reduce its psychological distance, making it feel more realistic and actionable. This approach helps people shift from abstract, skeptical thinking to concrete, practical engagement, preventing them from dismissing the vision as unrealistic or “insane.”)

To maintain alignment, Herold suggests rereading your created Vivid Vision each quarter. Use green to mark sentences that have become reality since the previous quarter. Use yellow to highlight any sentences that are in progress. Then, examine every sentence and determine which projects to prioritize next in chronological order, as well as what steps are required to make them happen. This will help outline your quarter's plans, allowing you to navigate your course using these sentences as a guide.

Focus on Your Wildly Important Goals

In The 4 Disciplines of Execution, the authors suggest that “the more you try to do, the less you actually accomplish.” To avoid this, they recommend choosing one or two “Wildly Important Goals” (WIGs) to focus on at a time. These are the goals that will have the most significant impact on your organization’s success. When reviewing your Vivid Vision, consider which sentences, if completed this quarter, would make the biggest difference in achieving your overall vision. Prioritize these as your WIGs and make everything else secondary.