# Vision Frameworks

> When to activate: vision, mission, values, long-range planning, strategic narrative, company direction, north star vision, galvanizing teams, cascading strategy

- Skill: `mattakushi432/vision-frameworks` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add mattakushi432/vision-frameworks`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/mattakushi432/vision-frameworks/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Marketing & Growth
- Author: Mattakushi432 (https://skillmd.com/u/mattakushi432)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/mattakushi432/vision-frameworks

---


# Vision Frameworks

## Vision vs. Mission vs. Values

| Element | Question answered | Time horizon | Changes? |
|---------|-----------------|--------------|----------|
| **Vision** | Where are we going? | 5-10+ years | Rarely |
| **Mission** | What do we do and for whom? | 3-5 years | Occasionally |
| **Values** | How do we behave along the way? | Enduring | Almost never |
| **Strategy** | How do we get there? | 1-3 years | Annually |
| **OKRs** | What are we doing this quarter? | Quarter | Quarterly |

## Vision Statement Crafting

### Qualities of a Strong Vision
- **Vivid**: Creates a clear picture — you can almost see it
- **Inspiring**: Pulls people forward; bigger than any individual
- **Directional**: Rules out certain paths; creates clarity on priorities
- **Ambitious but plausible**: Stretch without fantasy
- **Memorable**: One or two sentences maximum

### Vision Statement Formula
```
[Desired future state] for [who] [by when / in what world]
```

### Examples by Type
| Type | Example |
|------|---------|
| World-change | "A world where everyone has access to the global economy" |
| Leadership | "To be the most customer-centric company on Earth" |
| Transformation | "Accelerating the world's transition to sustainable energy" |
| Elimination | "A world without disease" |

### Vision Drafting Workshop (2 hours)
1. **Pre-work** (1 week before): Ask leadership team to write a paragraph describing the company in 10 years if wildly successful
2. **Themes** (30 min): Identify common themes across submissions
3. **Draft** (30 min): Small group drafts 3-5 candidate statements
4. **Stress-test** (30 min): Does it rule things out? Would a competitor say the same? Is it inspiring?
5. **Select + refine** (30 min): Choose one, polish language
6. **Validate** (async): Share with 10 employees — "What does this make you want to do?"

## Mission Statement

### Mission Formula
```
We [verb: help/enable/build] [who: specific audience] 
[do what: outcome they achieve] 
[so that / by: how or why it matters].
```

### Examples
- "We help small businesses compete with large corporations by giving them enterprise-grade tools at startup prices."
- "We enable scientists to discover drugs faster by automating the hypothesis-to-experiment loop."

### Mission vs. Vision Test
- Mission: "What do we do today that creates value?"
- Vision: "What world does doing that create over time?"
- If they're the same sentence, you haven't separated them clearly enough.

## Values Operationalization

### From Words to Behaviors
Values without behaviors are decoration. For each value, define:

```
Value: [Name]
What it means: [1-sentence definition]
What it looks like (do this): [2-3 specific behaviors]
What it doesn't mean (not this): [Common misinterpretation]
How we hire for it: [Interview question or signal]
How we reward it: [Recognition example]
How we exit for it: [Violation example]
```

### Example
```
Value: Directness
What it means: We say what we think, respectfully and specifically.
Do this: Give feedback in the meeting, not after. Disagree in writing 
         with specifics. Say "I disagree because..." not "interesting idea."
Not this: Bluntness without care. Directness ≠ unkind.
Hire for: "Tell me about a time you pushed back on a decision from above."
Reward: Publicly recognize when someone raises a hard issue early.
Exit: Consistent pattern of saying one thing in meetings, another after.
```

## Long-Range Planning (3-5 Year Horizon)

### Planning Process
| Phase | Timing | Activity |
|-------|--------|----------|
| Market scan | Month 1 | Trends, competitive landscape, technology shifts |
| Internal assessment | Month 1 | Capabilities, gaps, strategic assets |
| Scenario planning | Month 2 | 3 futures: base, optimistic, bear case |
| Strategic options | Month 2 | What bets would win in each scenario? |
| Prioritization | Month 3 | Where to focus? What to stop? |
| Plan finalization | Month 3 | Written plan, financial model, OKR seeds |
| Board approval | Month 3 | Board review and alignment |

### Scenario Planning Framework
For each scenario, define:
- What world does this assume? (Market, technology, regulatory)
- What would our revenue/position look like?
- What capabilities do we need?
- What bets would we make?
- What are the leading indicators this scenario is unfolding?

### Strategic Plan One-Pager Template
```
## [Company] 3-Year Strategic Plan: [Year]-[Year+3]

**Our vision:** [Vision statement]
**Where we play:** [Markets, segments, geographies]
**How we win:** [Differentiation — what we do better than anyone]

**Strategic bets:**
1. [Bet 1: what we're doubling down on]
2. [Bet 2: where we're expanding]
3. [Bet 3: what we're building for the future]

**What we're stopping:** [Explicit deprioritizations]

**Financial targets:** [Revenue, margin, key metrics at year 3]
**Key risks:** [Top 3 risks to this plan]
```

## Strategic Narrative

### Structure (Andy Raskin Framework)
1. **Name the enemy / change**: "The world has changed. [Old way] no longer works because [shift]."
2. **Show the promised land**: "Imagine a world where [your vision]."
3. **Prove the magic**: "Here's how we make that possible: [your unique mechanism]."
4. **Overcome objections**: "You might think [objection]. Here's why that's no longer true."
5. **Give them a role**: "You can be part of this. Join us."

### Narrative for Different Audiences
| Audience | Emphasis | Length |
|----------|---------|--------|
| Employees | Why this matters + their role | 10-min presentation |
| Investors | Market opportunity + why we win | 5-min pitch |
| Customers | Problem we solve + proof | 2-min story |
| Recruits | Mission + growth + culture | 3-min conversation |
| Press | Change in the world + company's role | 1 quote |

## Cascading Strategy

### Flow: Company → Division → Team → Individual
```
Company vision + 3-year plan
    ↓
Annual company OKRs (3-5 objectives, CEO-owned)
    ↓
Division OKRs (aligned to company OKRs, VP-owned)
    ↓
Team OKRs (aligned to division OKRs, manager-owned)
    ↓
Individual goals (aligned to team OKRs, IC-owned)
```

### Cascade Quality Check
- Can each team member trace their work to a company objective? If not, why are they doing it?
- Are there team OKRs that don't connect to any company objective? Question those.
- At least 70% of individual OKRs should ladder to company OKRs; 30% can be team-level.

## Communicating Vision at Scale

### The Rule of 7 (Kotter)
People need to hear the same message approximately 7 times before it sinks in. Implications:
- Repeat the vision in every all-hands, not just the annual kickoff
- Reference it in decision-making: "Does this move us toward [vision]?"
- Embed it in onboarding so every new hire learns it day one
- Put it in the physical and digital environment (walls, Notion, Slack banner)

### Making Vision Tangible
- **Customer stories**: "Here's a real person whose life we changed"
- **Progress milestones**: "We're now X% closer to [vision goal]"
- **Anti-examples**: "This decision moved us away from our vision — here's why we reversed it"
- **Future press release**: Write the press release you'd want in 5 years; share it with the team

## Refreshing Vision

### When to Refresh
- Business model has fundamentally shifted
- Achieved the vision (rare, but happens)
- Vision is no longer inspiring anyone (7+ years old)
- Significant acquisition or strategic pivot

### When NOT to Refresh
- A new CEO wants to put their stamp on things (preserve if still valid)
- The vision is "old" but still directionally right
- Short-term performance is down (don't confuse execution issues with vision issues)

### Refresh Process
- Acknowledge the old vision and why it served you
- Name specifically what has changed that necessitates a new direction
- Involve the same cross-functional process as original creation
- Ensure continuity: what endures from the old vision into the new one?