You Don’t Sell a Vision

You don’t sell a vision. You help people see themselves in it.

In Kouzes & Posner’s The Leadership Challenge, the practice is Inspire a Shared Vision. The challenge is this: in large efforts, it’s not enough for leaders to talk about the future. Everyday clients, subject matter experts, managers, and partner teams all need to recognize their role in that future.

In my experience — whether on multi-year modernization efforts or quick-turn prototypes — what worked wasn’t a grand, drawn-out plan. Instead, it was small, visible examples that built belief.

A two-week prototype in front of real users. Tough questions from the experts, with their feedback built into the next round of changes. Status updates delivered early and often. The reason for every decision explained, especially when it impacted another team.

That’s how a “vision” moved from being an abstract statement to something people could test, trust, and believe. And it only worked because every stakeholder’s voice felt heard, valued, and incorporated into the process.

What turned vision into reality wasn’t the meetings or slide decks. It was the habits:

  - Visible progress. Share prototypes, demos, or quick wins so people can see movement, not just hear about it.
  - Shared language. Keep the story simple enough that anyone on the team can repeat it in one sentence.
  - Clear next step. Every group should know what to do tomorrow that moves us toward the bigger picture.

Do that, and the vision stops being yours. It becomes ours.