A mistake I often made while running my previous company: Not being clear enough about the Sunday vision and the Tuesday goals.
- Sunday vision: The huge, nearly impossible goal you’re trying to achieve as a company eventually
- Tuesday goals: What the company needs to accomplish in the near future (e.g., over the next few quarters)
Both are necessary. You can’t reach Sunday without first getting through Tuesday. Focusing on immediate goals and rallying the team around them brings focus and simplicity. However, smart people need a big vision in their hearts — a vision far bigger than themselves. This is where the Sunday vision comes in.
The problem happens when a founder conflates the two in communication. When a founder says, “We need to do this,” sometimes it comes from their Sunday vision, because founders are always thinking about the big picture. But this can confuse the team, as what the founder just mentioned may seem to deviate from the near-term goals discussed in the last team meeting.
The key is for founders to clearly distinguish between the Sunday vision and the Tuesday goals whenever they mention “We should do x/y/z.” They can just clarify upfront: “What I’m about to say falls under the Sunday vision,” etc.