To do or to be

There are two ways to think about the vision of a business. One is popular: “To become the number 1 xyz,” “to be the most sought-after xyz,” and so on. I used to lean this way.

The other focuses on the world you want to help create: “A world where…”, “a time when…”, “to build a new reality for Africa where…” It’s about the impact of your actions.

When your vision is about what to become, fulfillment sits far away, and you may feel more impatient than inspired. But if it’s about the world you want to shape, each day becomes a step toward it. You control more, and you can build that world one bit at a time.

At FourthCanvas, our vision was once “to become one of the top 10 agencies in the world by 2025.” Looking back, we didn’t even know what that truly meant. More importantly, it never fueled us like the mission: “to partner with good businesses to build great brands.”

That mission was really a merge of both — the action and the outcome.

With experience, our focus has shifted. Not on some global ranking, but on the kind of world our work can help create.

And besides, the top 10 agencies in the world most likely didn’t set out to become top 10. They just kept showing up, doing the kind of work that could actualize the kind of impact they wanted to have, and the recognition followed.