Make vision tangible with three lenses and pictures people can see

“We need a vision” often becomes a paragraph nobody reads. The problem is that it never lands in people’s eyes. Try three lenses instead. First, the near picture: what we see now. Say it in plain terms without blame. “We answer most messages in three days, some in five.” Second, the next picture: what will be different soon and how. “By Friday, we’ll test a two‑hour reply block at 10 and 2 with a three‑line template.” Third, the new picture: what can be if this works, in human terms. “Parents won’t wait through the weekend for an answer.”

Real pictures stick. A principal taped a photo of a crowded hallway next to a sketch of the desired flow. A nurse manager drew a patient’s journey on a whiteboard with a smiling stick figure checking out on time. People pointed at it as they worked. The images did what paragraphs couldn’t.

Putting what they love in the frame matters. If a machinist loves precision, show the tolerance chart trending tighter. If a counselor loves quiet breakthroughs, tell the story of a student who stayed in class because of the new routine. Vision is both numbers and narrative, both steps and significance.

This aligns with dual‑process theories of the mind: we reason with both analytic and intuitive systems. Pictures, stories, and concrete steps engage both. It also echoes the idea of perception levels: current reality (Level 1), probable path (Level 2), and possible future (Level 3). When you connect all three and include what people love, they don’t just understand the vision, they want it.

Write a single sentence describing the current reality in neutral language, then outline two specific changes you’ll make this week and how you’ll measure them. Add one simple image or mini‑story that shows the better future in human terms, and connect it to what your people care about, whether that’s craft, time, or impact. Put the pictures where work happens and reference them in each stand‑up. Your vision will move from a memo to a map. Draft those three sentences tonight.