Connecting to people and creating meaning are important parts of leadership. People want to belong to something bigger than themselves. They want to build cathedrals, or at least they want to feel connected to an organization that is building one. How inspiring are spreadsheets and short-term roadmaps to you? Most likely they do not make your heart pound faster.

To attract the right network partners, it is important to develop and communicate a clear and appealing vision. Your vision statement is your inspiration, the framework for all your strategic planning. When creating the initial vision statement, you are essentially articulating your dreams for the future. It may apply to the entire company or to a single division of the company such as the department(s) responsible for relationship management which is the focus of this chapter. The vision statement answers the question, “Where do we want to go?”

The vision has an external orientation and relates the present to a goal in the future. An appealing long-term vision with a vivid and concrete description of an envisioned future that lies beyond the narrow focus of short-term results activates employees and stakeholders. It is an aspiration that guides a set of choices about how to best invest time and resources to achieve this vision.

Such a vision provides the organization with a framework that is both stable and malleable. The vision is not like a text written in stone — the vision of an organization is the collective sum of the visions of the stakeholders which allows it to create shared value. A vision in society 4.0 is dynamic and adjustable to changing circumstances, open for feedback from stakeholders, and enables the organization to respond adaptively to the changes in its surroundings. It serves as a benchmark to align the organizational strategy and alliances as well as the internal structure and attitude towards the fulfilment of its goals.