In one board retreat I facilitated, a chairman proudly unveiled the new “vision statement.” It was poetic: “to be the leading financial institution transforming lives across Africa.” When he finished, silence filled the room. The directors nodded politely. No one felt it. No one could act on it. Why? Because it inspired applause, not action. Boards do not exist to craft elegant sentences, but they exist to set direction that mobilises belief. Vision is not what hangs in the lobby. It is what shapes daily decisions at the lowest level of the organisation. The real test of vision is not…