vi-strat-ess is a blog dedicated to the principles and concepts required for consistent and sustainable success through vision, strategy, and progress. The topics will range from employee retention, leadership, social media, project management, and any other topic where these three critical elements can be best expressed and discussed. This includes our personal lives.
My experience includes the U.S. Marine Corps, Fortune 500 corporations, state government, start-up companies, and non-profit organizations. As notable examples of where vision can collapse, I worked at Wang Laboratories and MCI when their original founders and visionaries were still in charge, Dr. An Wang and Bill McGowan, respectively. Dr. Wang passed away in 1990, and in 1992 Wang filed for bankruptcy protection. Bill McGowan passed in 1992, and by 1998 MCI was purchased by WorldCom. By 2006 MCI was bought by Verizon, and that is the last we heard of MCI.
Both corporations modified their vision when new leadership was installed. Unless MCI’s new vision was to be acquired by another corporation, something failed in all or part of its new vision, strategy, and execution (progress).
Many feel “action” trumps vision and strategy. That is to say, more energy should be applied to tactical action rather than “soft” matters such as strategy.
The best example is that of a start-up company. Someone had an idea or vision for what they wanted to accomplish. They examined the market, competition, available skills, and prevailing costs to form a strategy to offer the best path toward success.
Through metrics, critical success factors (CSFs), and key performance indicators (KPIs), they constantly validate their assumptions, ensure their actions are aligned with their intentions, and examine the results to calibrate their ongoing approach.
Tactical action without a strategy or vision increases our costs, creates a weak structure, reduces or delays our success, and notably impacts the morale of an organization.
So we ask the question – what are the ingredients of “vision”, “strategy,” and “progress”? That’s what we hope to explore through this blog.
Please join me as we seek to better understand these foundational concepts.
Thank You,
Bill