The Vision Window is Open...For Now

Recently, a prospective client asked me a simple question:

"Can a brand be ambitious?"

I love questions like this. Especially compared to the important but boring questions I often get about things like budgets and timeframes and logistics.

I paused for a moment before answering.

"I believe a brand must be ambitious. Especially in the social impact space."

For those of us working in the nonprofit and mission-driven world, our marketing and communications can’t just celebrate past wins. Sure, acknowledging successes matters, but the real magic lies in laying down an aspirational path. We need to paint a vivid and emotionally resonant story of what a better future looks like.

At the end of the day, our role is to say: "Here’s the world as it is now. But imagine if it looked more like this."

But what does ambition actually look like in practice? I think in this sector, it starts with vision.

Let’s talk about vision.

We imagine visionary leaders as these rare, almost mythical figures. People who were just born with the gift of foresight. But in my experience, that’s not the full story.

Vision doesn’t just arrive. It emerges.

From experience.
From reflection.
From truth.
From pain.
From frustration.
And sometimes, from pure defiance.

And often, it starts with a flash. That "aha" moment. That deep, gut-level knowing. That realization that says:

"Wait a minute — this isn’t right. This isn’t how things should be."

That spark of clarity is sacred. It’s often uncomfortable. It can be disruptive. But it’s also the seed of vision — a seed that must be planted and nurtured with care, respect, and yes, even devotion.

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Some of the clearest visions I’ve had for my company, Cosmic, were born from moments of deep frustration — when I knew something needed to change. Not just for me, but for the company, for the work, for our clients, or even for the sector at large.

I think back to the moments where my biggest, boldest ideas started to take shape — and it was often when I was most frustrated. Frustrated at how things were, how I wanted them to change, and how the current state of things just wasn't acceptable anymore. For me, that lived, felt frustration became the seed of a new vision.

But vision doesn’t show up uninvited. It needs space.

It requires reflection. It requires time. It requires activating a different part of our brain — not the part that clears our inboxes, or joins the 7th Zoom of the day, or reviews a status report.

And here’s the catch: the very people most responsible for vision — Executive Directors, CEOs, Founders — they're are often the most overwhelmed. They're buried in operational complexity. They have no space. No stillness. And without that, vision can’t emerge.

I was talking recently with Jen Nguyen at the Stupski Foundation for an upcoming Spotlight, and she made the case beautifully: we need philanthropy to fund sabbaticals. Or even just breaks.

Because leaders need time away from the daily grind. Not just to undo burnout, but to create room for new thinking, new ideas, and new aspirations.

Vision needs the right conditions to grow. We have to intentionally create them.

And we also have to recognize the moment we’re in. Right now, I believe we’re living through a leadership void and a vision deficit in the social impact space. Now, that’s not true across the board, but it’s showing up in a lot of places. I think part of this is generational. I think part of this is the ripple effects of a long-underfunded sector. And I think part of this is our relationship with work changing rapidly (by the way, we went deep on this in our recent spotlight with Amanda Litman at Run For Something — be sure to check that one out if you missed it.

We're witnessing one of the biggest political and social transformations of our generation. Especially in the U.S., but globally too. These moments are messy, they're uncomfortable, they're sometimes even tragic. But they’re also filled with possibility.

In advocacy work there’s the idea of a "policy window"—a short window of time where you can make bold moves, if you're ready. I think there’s something similar with ambition and vision: call it a vision window.

These moments come when a new leader enters a legacy organization. Or when there’s a change in political administrations. Or when cultural shifts change public values. In these moments, the ground is fertile for ambitious leaders. But only if you act while the window is open.

I shared this idea with my friend and cohost Jonathan Hicken when he stepped in as the Executive Director at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. I told him:

There’s a need to observe and understand first. To respect the past and learn why things are the way they are. But there's also a moment, a window, where you have to move. Where you must set a new vision and begin to execute. Because If you wait too long, the window closes. You lose potential momentum and support from the people who you need to bring along on this new journey.

There are openings for new visions, new ideas, new actions.

Again, not just ideas. Actions.

Because ambition isn’t just about a big idea. Ambition is active. It's a verb.

It’s about the commitment to see that idea through.

Think about leaders we call "visionaries" — the Steve Jobs archetype. One common trait they all share is a relentless commitment to their vision. Even in the face of doubt, opposition, skeptics, or evidence to the contrary. Jobs had his “reality distortion field.” And I’m not saying he’s a perfect model for leadership, but there’s something instructive there.

So can a brand be ambitious? 

Yes, but only if that ambition is working towards a clear, compelling vision that's rooted in truth and protected with care.

So here’s my challenge to the sector:

Make space for vision.
Protect it.
Fund it.
Fight for it.

And once you’ve found it don't just talk about it. Create it.

We need your ambition now more than ever.
And we need you to be steadfast in that ambition — no matter what.

So what about you?

Where are you feeling stuck in your vision?
What’s getting in the way of bold, ambitious thinking for you right now?
Is it space? Burnout? Uncertainty? Organizational resistance?

I’d love to hear from you.
Join the conversation on substack here. 

Drop your thoughts in the comments or reach out directly. Let’s talk about what it takes to unlock vision in this moment.