Bâtir une vision

[Building a Vision]

Many companies, when they attempt to make their vision explicit, come up against the conceptual aspects of the exercise and the skepticism it can raise. Vision, values, purpose, mission—what are we actually talking about? What will it provide? And even if we do perceive its meaning and usefulness, how can we align the organization behind a phrasing that is both credible and mobilizing?

Jean-Gabriel Kern and Thibault Vignes have achieved a small tour de force. They manage to shed light on complex notions and to give leaders all the keys they require to work with their teams: what to talk about, and how and why to do so. In the first part, they very clearly define the triptych a vision relies upon: purpose, ambition, and values. Each of these three pillars responds to distinct challenges, with differing chronological horizons. This makes it easier to distinguish their specificities and complementarity. The second part is devoted to the method. What process should be followed? What questions should we ask ourselves? What traps should be avoided when the time comes to formalize? Etc. A third part is dedicated to the executive’s role in this process. All of this is completed by six case studies to allow readers to project themselves concretely.

Clear on a subject that is sometimes prone to jargon, precise and pragmatic without losing the depth of reflection, this book is worth making a stop.