Some years ago, my CIO told me: “Chris, you need to be more strategic.”
Back then, that usually meant beautiful slides, strong buzzwords, and impressive roadmaps.
They looked great in a steering committee… but everyone on the floor knew the truth:
👉 If the vision isn’t clear, no strategy will ever work.
People simply can’t follow what they don’t understand.
And when a plan feels like management theatre, teams don’t challenge it —
they quietly ignore it.
The real turning point for me was understanding this:
Strategy only lives when the vision is shared.
Not just announced — shared.
Not only presented — understood.
Not imposed — owned.
Because once people know exactly where the company wants to go, they can finally answer the daily questions that matter:
Where are we going — and why?
Vision + purpose → the compass.
Who do we serve first?
Clear stakeholder prioritisation.
What deserves investment?
Budgets reveal the real strategy.
What should we stop doing?
Focus, discipline, courage.
How do we decide?
Decision rights, speed, culture.
What do we value?
Behaviours → execution → results.
Because in the end:
👉 Strong companies don’t obsess over plans. They obsess over principles.
And those principles must create value for all six stakeholders:
customers, employees, partners, owners, regulators, and society.
Lose even one, and the organisation starts to crack.
When vision and principles are clear, something powerful happens:
People stop waiting for instructions.
They start making the right decisions — consistently.
Which leads to the only strategy test that truly matters:
“If I disappeared for 3 months, would my team still take the right decisions?”
If yes — that’s strategy.
If no — that’s a PowerPoint.
What’s your take on this?
Feel free to comment or send me a message — I always appreciate the exchange.
And since this is my last article of the year:
2025 was one of those years that truly counted for me — personally and professionally.
I’m entering 2026 with fresh energy, a new beginning, and a new professional challenge on the horizon.
Wishing you a great end of 2025 — and an even stronger start to 2026.
Christopher Franskin is the former vice president and global head of core IT and digital corporate enablement at Syensqo (Solvay) and the founder of Fusion Consulting
