I’d been facilitating vision + mission + values work for almost a decade when I found myself in a ZingTrain Visioning workshop wondering how Zingerman’s, a community of businesses in Ann Arbor, Michigan, spawned from a humble deli, had come up with a tool that would transform visioning and strategy for my clients. Most vision statements are one-liners like Unilever’s “To be the global leader in sustainable business” — lofty, yet not particularly actionable — more of a tagline than a specific future people can build together.

Zingerman’s Ari Weinzweig reflects in Why and How Visioning Works, “I used to think that innovation came from a flash of brilliance. But I’ve learned that it actually comes when you build in (and regularly use) processes that encourage it. Zingerman’s visioning work is based on a concept that dates to the late 1950s and early 60s. The late Ron Lippitt (U Mich) called it ‘Preferred Futuring’ and found that when people focused on the end result rather than the litany of logistical issues, the energy level in a room went up. And by getting people to start thinking about what success was going to look and feel like, creative, out-of-the-box ideas flowed more freely. It gets people to go after the future of their choosing.”

This isn’t a unique idea — Amazon has people write press releases describing the announcement of a successful outcome for initiatives they want to pitch, and David Cooperrider’s Appreciative Inquiry is a popular futuring tool — yet, Zingerman’s method is the simplest, most accessible, and powerful I’ve experienced.

What’s a vision?

Ari defines a vision as a vivid and detailed picture of success at a particular time in the future that’s inspiring, strategically sound (doable), documented, and communicated. “A vision is not a mission statement. We see those as being akin to the North Star, a never-ending piece of work that we commit to going after for life. It also isn’t a strategic plan — which is the map to where we want to go. A vision is the actual destination.” It transforms what Jim Collins calls BHAGs — Big Hairy Audacious Goals — from a bunch of goals on a slide to a sensory-rich story of the future as illustrated in this first paragraph of a vision of an imagined farmers market:

A Thursday evening Farmers Market in the parking lot of Zingerman’s Roadhouse – The Vision:

Throngs of people are milling around the Roadhouse parking lot on this Thursday, amazed and excited at the abundance of locally produced goods and services ranging from several varieties of tomatoes to handmade soap and artisan crafts, to herbs and plants, plus Zingerman’s items—cheese from the Creamery, breads from the Bakehouse and the ever-energetic Roadshow crew caffeinating all the vendors and customers. Every vendor is selling the best of what they are growing or producing. There’s a tangible truth patrons have come to trust—that all these products have a story and none of them traveled far to get here. Tents and awnings cover the stalls, creating a colorful and festive mood. There are 15-20 vendors at the West Side Farmers Market so it’s accessible and maintains variety but remains magnetic and welcoming…

A good vision simplifies strategy, as it shines light on the path to take.

Long-haul visioning

A long-haul vision can be a story of success for an organization ten years out, or for a big project, or a personal vision of the future we want for our own lives.

Ari’s step by step instructions detail the process. The secret sauce is a combination of (1) using what he calls the “hot pen technique” to get started and (2) inviting the entire organization to participate, or family and friends in the case of a personal vision, to make the vision better and get buy-in.

The hot pen technique is a brainstorming writing tool that puts us in the future to coax big, bold, and crazy-good ideas deep in our subconscious to the surface. It’s remarkable what lies inside of us. When people share their hot pens, the collective imagination of what could be inspires mission-driven futures of greatness.

A long-haul vision helps us map out a clear set of steps to get there, and it keeps us focused on the cathedral we’re building together with the bricks we lay each day.

Short-haul visioning

With the hot pen center-stage, visioning can be used to imagine and set intentions for a great week or day, meeting, shift at the hospital, or even an uncomfortable conversation we need to have. All we need to do is put ourselves in that near-term future and put words to what we want to be true. Once a clear story has been penned, our conscious and subconscious are on it, and guide us.

Vision light

Just beginning with the end in mind gets us focused and intentional. If writing isn’t your thing, or there’s no time, just taking a moment to get clear on what the end of a great day, meeting, or conversation looks, feels, and sounds like, sets us up to get there.

The darndest thing about a vision is once we’ve done the work to create one, it actually begins to come true. It’s delightful to witness, and even better to experience.

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Next up, putting words to our mission in Solid core, part 3.

Thoughts are welcome