Reviewing a three-year Vivid Vision: what hit, what missed

Executive overview

A Vivid Vision is a detailed written description of what your company will look, act, and feel like three years out. Cameron Herold reviews his 2022 COO Alliance Vivid Vision — written three years prior — to assess which targets were met.

Most of the vision was achieved. A few metrics landed behind schedule, and one was abandoned intentionally.

The Vivid Vision works as a compass: reread it quarterly, share it widely, and don't rewrite it mid-cycle.

What was achieved

• COO Alliance remains the only network of its kind globally
• Minimum company revenue threshold raised from $3M to $5M; average member revenue now ~$42M
• Members span 17 countries
• Annual COO Summit held; in-person events continued in Scottsdale and Vancouver
• Private Slack group active — more engaged than anticipated when the vision was written
• Member portal live with closed private area, event updates, and video archive
• On-site film and audio crews attending all events
• World-class speakers joining via Zoom; member 10-minute talks archived
• Marketing strong: brand increasingly synonymous with the COO role
• Team now includes heads of marketing, social media, and technology

What fell short or changed

• Membership count roughly a year behind target (COVID impact)
• Platinum group scrapped and folded into the main programme
• NPS at +75, not the targeted +90 (still above the +50 world-class benchmark)
• Affiliate programme not yet launched; recruitment ongoing
• Morning runs dropped after a hip replacement

How to use a Vivid Vision

• Write it once for a three-year horizon; do not revise mid-cycle
• Share it immediately and widely — sharing makes it real
• Reread it every three months
• Use it to align the team on what "done" looks like, not just what to do next