Visionary thinking

Strengths

• Keeps the organisation grounded in reality and current capabilities
• Provides a sense of security and stability for the team
• Excellent at identifying immediate risks and operational gaps
• Focuses on incremental improvements that deliver reliable results

Liabilities

• May miss large-scale market shifts or “disruptive” opportunities
• Can be perceived as uninspiring or overly cautious
• Might dismiss “big ideas” too early due to practical constraints
• Risk of becoming “obsolete” by perfecting a dying model

Development tips if you lean left

• Set aside 30 minutes a week to read about trends outside your industry.
• Ask “If we had no constraints, what would we do differently?”
• Practice “Backcasting”: imagine a successful goal 5 years out and work backwards.
• Spend time with “dreamers” or innovators without critiquing their ideas.
• Look for patterns across different sectors that might apply to yours.
• Experiment with “What if?” scenarios during brainstorming sessions.
• Identify one long-term “bet” the organisation should take.
• Distinguish between “impossible” and “difficult but transformational.”

Strengths

• Inspires others with a compelling sense of purpose and “the why”
• Anticipates future trends and positions the team for long-term success
• Comfortable with radical change and large-scale innovation
• Acts as a catalyst for growth and organisational evolution

Liabilities

• Can lose touch with the day-to-day operational realities of the team
• May change direction too often, creating “initiative fatigue”
• Might underestimate the resources or time required to achieve the vision
• Could be perceived as “having their head in the clouds” by pragmatic staff

Development tips if you lean right

• Partner with a “Practical” peer to stress-test the feasibility of your ideas.
• Define the first 3 tangible steps needed to reach the 5-year vision.
• Check in with the team to see if they feel overwhelmed by the “new.”
• Acknowledge and celebrate current operational successes, not just future goals.
• Learn to “sell” the vision using practical metrics and data.
• Slow down the “idea-to-action” pipeline to allow for planning.
• Be clear about which ideas are “exploratory” and which are “directives.”
• Reflect on whether the current foundation can support your next big leap.

If you lean toward practical, you may:

• Ask “How will this work?” before asking “Why do it?”
• Focus on solving the problems that are right in front of you
• Prefer proven methods and evidence over abstract theories
• Value reliability, efficiency, and consistent delivery

If you lean toward visionary, you may:

• Ask “What else is possible?” even when things are going well
• Focus on the long-term impact of today’s decisions
• Enjoy exploring “blue ocean” strategies and untapped potential
• Value innovation, transformation, and “breaking the mold”

Visionary thinking helps when:

• The industry is undergoing rapid disruption or technological change
• The organisation has become stagnant and needs a “reboot”
• Rallying a team around a significant, multi-year transformation
• Differentiating a brand or service in a crowded marketplace

Visionary thinking hurts when:

• The “core business” is failing due to poor daily execution
• The team is already exhausted and needs stability, not more change
• The vision is so abstract that people don’t know what to do on Monday morning
• Resources are spread too thin across too many “future” bets