Keep it Simple
Our strategic vision building model challenges the notion that elaborate business plans are necessary for success. We advocate for a concise approach, distilling the essence of a company's strategic vision into 15 questions and a 2-3 page document, known as the Vision canvas. Developed as part of our Strategic Operations Leadership System (SOLS), this tool comprises two sections: Focus and Future State, or Core Ideology and Envisioned Future.
Simplicity is the cornerstone of our approach. By articulating a clear and shared vision, we empower teams to align their efforts towards common goals. This shared understanding informs decision-making at all levels of the organization, fostering accountability and cohesion.
Our model emphasizes agility, enabling companies to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing environment. By breaking down long-term big goals and prioritizing short-term objectives within a 90-day framework, organizations maintain momentum and drive towards long-term success. This iterative process, supported by our Agile Flow methodology, ensures continuous improvement and achievement of desired future states.
Two Step Process
Future State uses a two step process to build your strategic vision and define your future state. The first step is to ensure you are clear on your core ideology, who you are as an organization and why you exist. The second step is clarifying where you are going, your envisioned future, this is where you set goals and strategies in alignment with your core ideology.
We call our two Steps your Focus & your Future State- together they will become your Vision. We start with your Focus where you answer 8 key questions about who you are, what you do, how you do it, and why. This is your core ideology. Next we define your Future State by answering 7 questions to establish both long and short-term targets enabling you to effectively operationalize your strategies. This is your envisioned future.
How It Works
The Two Steps Process takes 2 weeks and is intentionally designed to work for busy leaders - we deliberately minimize diminishing returns from excessive meeting time and optimize results by levering your autonomy and abilities to do your homework in between our sessions.
After the 30 minute intro call where we ensure our approach is a good fit for your needs, we will meet for 90 minutes twice a week for two consecutive weeks. Starting with an initial Vision Building Discovery & Kick Off Session. Leaders will be prepared before the first meeting by completing the prerequisite readings &/or videos.
In between sessions, leaders will be expected to complete homework on their own and with their team(s) as needed as well as consume supplemental Strategic Leadership content to help optimize the Vision Building, and more importantly, the Vision execution and management.
After the fourth session, Future State will finalize your Strategic Vision documents and provide a template for future vision work.
Whats Next
Once you complete your Vision work, you and your leadership team will be able to clearly communicate your strategic vision and ultimately enable everyone in the organization to “see” where you want to go- allowing them to contribute and help achieve the shared vision, the desired future state.
At this point you will have the option to run with it on your own, or engage your Future State COO on a quarterly and annual basis to guide your strategic leadership processes.
Extras
If you need an effective process to manage your goals and strategies, Future State COO has a proven agile project management system and process that you can implement to repeat the vision building and annual goal setting process, set quarterly objectives, and execute weekly cadence meetings.
We call it SOLS, The Strategic Operations Leadership System and we can stick around to help you establish your custom strategic system and cadence.
We can also help you design your ideal Organizational Structure and People Plan so you can remain lean while you scale at profit, as well as assist in Value Mapping & Workflow Optimization Planning to ensure strategic alignment with the vision.
Learn “How Strategic Planning, Organizational Design, and Workflow Analysis Drive Success”