Understanding Business Terms Through Anatomy

To young leaders.

Business jargon such as “vision”, “strategy” and “core values” can sometimes be confusing or overwhelming.

To help teams understand what these various business terms mean and how they are related to each other, I’ve developed a human anatomy analogy (see short video below):

– Core Purpose: your DNA, the hidden blueprint underlying your entire organisation.

– Core Values: your skeleton, the frame that gives you shape, without which you would be a formless, impressionable blob.

– Vision: your eyes, allow you to see opportunities and threats as and when they arise. A business with no vision is quite literally driving blind.

– BHAG: big hairy audacious goal, a painted picture of your vision, the X on your map. This is where you’re heading to, with a deadline.

– Strategy: your brain, a navigation plan for getting you from where you are today to your BHAG by the designated date.

– Execution Capability: your muscles, the ability to translate your plan into action. Vision without execution is merely a dream.

– Culture: your heart. The heart has always been a symbol of courage and compassion – the twin pillars of all great cultures. Do you have the ticker?

– Trust: your blood. Trust is the bloodstream of your culture. If the trust levels are low, your whole body will be malnutritioned: your eyes, brain, muscles and even your heart.

– Brand: your personality, that part of your vision and culture that you want others to remember you for.