When I mentor CEOs globally, I endeavor to give them a war chest of skills that will help them long into the future. One tool that I ensure each of them has is a Vivid Vision (formally Painted Picture). I’ve talked about these invaluable documents a lot in other blog posts. They are one of my hallmarks.
And why am I such an advocate? Because time after time, I’ve seen them work.
Over the years, I’ve worked at creating Vivid Vision with dozens of organizations, from small boutique firms to $700 million enterprises. I now have writers and designers in the wings helping to perfect them for CEOs around the world. email me if you’d like an intro Cameron@BackPocketCOO.com
In this post, I thought I’d share a little detail about what some of these companies did to their Vivid Visions that really made them pop.
Red Balloon Days, an online retailer that sells exceptional experiences to Australia and New Zealand, had a graphic designer give their Vivid Vision the royal treatment. Bright colors, cool fonts, funky images—the document grabbed the reader’s eyeballs and refused to let go.
So often, companies fear injecting life into their documents or presentations lest they appear ‘unprofessional’ or ’amateur’. Sure, there are times for somber, professional presentations, but I strongly support adding flair when the opportunity presents itself. I stop short of cheesy cartoons or using Comic Sans font, but believe that bright, colorful annual reports, proposals and Vivid Visions are far more effective (and more fun to read).
What do you do when you are a global organization with offices in 25 countries and you want to introduce the concept of a Vivid Vision to all of your employees? If you’re Sebastien Tondeur, the CEO of MCI (a global event management firm), you film a slick, professional introduction that explains exactly what a Vivid Vision is, and how it relates to the company’s future. MCI went multimedia with their Vivid Vision to take their written version to the next level. This global conference and meeting planner has grown from $100 Million to over $500 Million since doing their first Vivid Vision 5 years ago.
I could go on and on, but what’s important to remember is that any Vivid Vision is exceptional. You don’t need flashy graphics or CGI visuals , you just need to take the time and effort it takes to visualize your company’s future. Who knows, you might end up in my Hall of Fame. If you’d like a few samples of great Vivid Visions from CEOs like you – email me – Cameron@BackPocketCOO.com and I’ll send you a few.
