Give the Future a Face means translating strategy into a clear, concrete picture teams can actually imagine. “Good” looks like painting a vivid snapshot of what success looks like, naming what will be true when you’ve won, highlighting the difference from today, and anchoring it to real customer and business outcomes. Leaders who master this skill eliminate ambiguity and create direction that teams can rally behind.
This imperative drives two outcomes: clearer strategic posture and reduced cost of trying to be everything to everyone. When vision is vivid, teams stop drifting and start aligning.
Teams drift. People execute based on personal interpretation instead of shared vision. Resources scatter across too many priorities, and cross-functional partners struggle to coordinate. Customers feel inconsistent product direction and slow improvements.
Direction sharpens. Teams align quickly because they can picture the destination. KPIs improve: resource focus ratio tightens, strategic drift decreases, and priority kill rates rise. Effort concentrates on what matters most.
A strategy lead realized her team couldn’t describe what “winning” looked like. She reframed the vision into a vivid future snapshot tied to customer outcomes and operational realities. Within weeks, teams dropped low-value initiatives, aligned on priorities, and accelerated delivery on what truly mattered.
For sharpening strategic clarity, see Strategy 100: Name How You Win. To eliminate drift caused by misaligned priorities, explore Purpose 300: Budget Your Why. For building alignment across teams, revisit Alignment 100: Model the Mess.
