What is a vision?
A vision is a description of what a company aims to become over the long term. It points to a future state, usually five to ten years out or more, and gives planning a direction. Jim Collins and Jerry Porras argued in Harvard Business Review in 1996 that a useful vision pairs what the company will keep constant with an ambitious picture of where it is headed.
Why it matters to a revenue leader
A vision tells a revenue leader which growth counts. If the company aims to be the regional leader in recurring fire and life safety service, a quarter built on one-time installs is a miss even when it hits the number. Sellers and managers use the vision to settle trade-offs no plan anticipated, and a sponsor uses it to test whether the commercial plan supports the story the company will tell at exit.
Example
Fictitious numbersA utility services company sets a vision of becoming the contractor of choice for municipal water systems in its region. The revenue leader moves two of nine sellers from private developers to municipal accounts and adds an estimator focused on public bids. Within 18 months, municipal work grows from 20 percent to 35 percent of bookings.
"If a seller had to choose between two deals tomorrow, would our vision tell them which one to take?"
Sources
- Vision Statement: Definition, Key Elements and Example (Corporate Finance Institute) checked 9 Oct 2026
- Building Your Company's Vision (Harvard Business Review, 1996) checked 9 Oct 2026