Give me a CEO with a spine, not a slogan

Every company has a vision.

It’s printed. Laminated. Slathered on mugs and mission decks - Change the world. Dream boldly.

But ask who gets funded, what gets cut, or who bleeds if it fails -

and the room goes quiet.

Because vision flatters.

Strategy bites.

Vision is easy. Strategy exacts.

Vision is the hymn. Strategy is the sacrifice.

Vision makes space. Strategy draws the line.

Vision says everyone belongs.

Strategy says you go left, not right - and own what happens.

It names names.

It sets deadlines.

It dents egos.

If no one bristles, it’s not strategy. It’s wallpaper.

Vision invites. Strategy insists.

Vision lets every team “ladder up.”

Strategy holds someone accountable when it sways.

Vision is what you say.

Strategy is what you do - and pay for.

It lives in the budget.

In the calendar.

In the P&L.

In the risk someone took to back it.

If nothing’s been resourced, you don’t have a strategy.

You have a vibe.

“But people want to be inspired…”

Yes. But leadership isn’t a performance.

Not everything sacred has a spotlight.

Sometimes it’s keeping the broadband stable.

Making the cereal taste the same.

Clearing customs without chaos.

That’s not visionary. It’s dependable.

Not a mission. A promise.

And if your strategy hides behind inspiration because the real work feels too ordinary -

It’s not a strategy. It’s an escape hatch.

Strategy is the job.

It’s not what you say in the offsite.

It’s what you won’t do when the stakes sharpen.

Because direction isn’t about excitement.

It’s about exclusion.

You earn trust by choosing - and by owning the cost when you’re wrong.

Not by playing the rockstar.

Not by dazzling a crowd with a new poster every quarter.

But by doing the dull, demanding, grown-up work of realism.

Making the hard choice. Living with it.

Because spine matters more than sparkle.

And in leadership, courage beats charisma.

So give me a CEO with a strategy.

Not one who dreams in headlines.

I don’t need to be inspired.

I need someone to decide.

Back the choice.

And bear the consequence.

Because vision wins applause.

Strategy earns scars.

And in the end, only one of them moves the needle.