What is Vision?

Oren Harai, an author and business professor at the University of San Francisco, provided a rather succinct definition of vision in business:

“Vision should describe a set of ideals and priorities, a picture of the future, a sense of what makes the company special and unique, a core set of principles that the company stands for, and a broad set of compelling criteria that will help define organizational success.”

When you imagine the future of your organization (or for yourself), what do you see? Do you have a clear vision?

Someone with vision has a vivid mental image of a desired state.

For a rookie entrepreneur, it might be more like a dream – a bit fuzzy, with some elements (including people) that can’t quite be defined. The vision is like a rough outline for an intriguing story.

But for an experienced leader – a vision is something they not only can describe with great detail, they can also see all the benefits for everyone involved.

Vision is inclusive, inviting, and intoxicating.

Yet, it’s not for the faint of heart.