Vision = Power

American business claims cash is king. Cash makes businesses flexible and agile so they can change with market shifts. Technology is also claimed to be king so productivity can continue its upward march. Also education leading to research and invention.


All of these are great indicators of economic power and long-term survival. But they are not the definition of power or long-term sustainability. What is the defining element that makes power?


In my view it is vision.


Many will argue the point. Let them. They will burn much energy proving the supposition wrong when all the time they lose ground. To what? To VISION.


What is meant by this? Vision is imagining the future and how it will look, function and serve people. This entails imagining products, services, lifestyles and a bunch of social characteristics. Metrics of value will be evident. But not inevitable.


Vision is first looking at what is all around us now. Today. Inspect it critically. Become knowledgeable on what makes today good, and what makes it bad, underperforming, wasteful, problem generating for future generations to tackle. Really get to know our ‘today’ so we can properly imagine a better time in the future.

Now, envision what you want that future to look like. Don’t leap five years ahead, jump 10 or 15 years into the future. Better yet, play with images of 20 or more years in the future. Do the detail work with the 10- or 15-year images, just so we can create a bridge into the farther flung future.


Assess the realism of the vision. How much of a break with the present is required to make the vision possible? Are their resources to make it possible? What current resources will be repurposed to make the vision happen? What systems, relationships, training, education and investment in new technologies will be required?


Better yet, what mind shifts need to happen to make the future unfold your way? What is given up accomplishing this? What is the gain we all acquire with the new future?


The envisioning process is fun. It is educational. It is creative. It will lead to ‘aha’ moments that will lead to inventing exciting futures.


Those new futures will invent new industries, products and services as well. That means new jobs, careers and the means to get there. Those involved need not be geniuses to participate in this process. They just have to be open to it and have the courage to risk current stability to gain the new.


We are currently in shut down. We are not currently stable. We will not be stable in the reopening of the economy after the pandemic. We will be searching for new stability.


What a perfect time for us to stretch our brain matter and invent a new world.


Now that’s power! Let's use it!


May 13, 2020