One Simple Vision Question

I have spent many years working with all kinds of clients—from massive corporate teams and healthcare organizations to individuals trying to find their way. Over and over, I see people wrestling with the exact same headache: trying to define their “Goals and Vision.”

Let’s be honest. Most of the time, the process of creating a corporate vision is utterly frustrating. It usually involves sitting in a windowless conference room, throwing buzzwords at a whiteboard, and ending up with a bloated statement that looks nice on a plaque but means absolutely nothing to the people doing the actual work.

Because I like to keep things simple—maybe because my school principal, Brother Flaherty, once asked me, “Cunneen, are you simple or what?”—I decided to boil this entire exhausting exercise down to one straightforward question.

If you want to instantly clarify your vision, just ask yourself: “What do I want to be famous for?”

Redefining “Fame”

Now, before you think I’m suggesting you go out and try to get your own reality TV show or millions of followers on TikTok, let me hit the brakes. I don’t mean public fame, media fame, or celebrity status.

I mean professional reputation.

When you ask, “What do I want to be famous for?”, you need to narrow your focus to the people who actually matter to your day-to-day life: your work colleagues, your customers, and your stakeholders.

Think of it as the ultimate shortcut to defining your personal brand. Another way to frame it is to ask: What do I want people to say about me when I walk out of the room?

Why This Simplifies Your Goals

When you change the conversation from a vague “five-year strategic plan” to a very human question about reputation, everything gets clear.

• For the Individual: If you want to be “famous” among your peers for being the person who always meets a deadline and keeps a cool head under pressure, that is your vision. Your daily goals are now instantly set for you.

• For the Leader: If you want your team to be “famous” for providing the most empathetic, seamless customer service in your industry, you no longer have to guess what to prioritize.

It strips away the corporate jargon and replaces it with human behavior.

Take 30 Seconds Right Now

The next time you feel stuck, frustrated, or disconnected from your professional purpose, take just 30 seconds. Grab a pen, or just close your eyes, and answer the question honestly: What do I want to be famous for today?

Define that reputation, live up to it, and the vision will take care of itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does it mean to be “famous” in a professional context?

When I ask, “What do you want to be famous for?” I don’t mean Hollywood fame, reality TV, or getting millions of followers on social media. I mean your professional reputation. It is about defining the specific, positive traits you want your immediate circle—your work colleagues, your customers, and your stakeholders—to associate with you every single day. What is it you would LIKE them to say about you when you have left the meeting?

2. How is this different from a traditional corporate vision statement?

Traditional corporate vision statements are often bloated, overcomplicated, and filled with empty buzzwords that nobody remembers.

To give you an idea of what we are fighting against, I asked an AI to describe my own work using typical corporate speak. Here is the absolute nonsense it generated about IrishmanSpeaks:

“IrishmanSpeaks leverages a synergistic, bi-hemispheric framework to optimize human-capital alignment and drive cross-functional operational excellence. By utilizing proprietary narrative methodologies rooted in Euro-centric cultural heritage, Conor Cunneen facilitates impactful paradigm shifts, empowers stakeholders to actualize their core competencies, and unlocks scalable, value-driven leadership ecosystems.”

Based on that, I’m obviously not charging enough! Translate that back into human English? It just means: I’m an Irishman who helps organizations improve people, performance and productivity – with a Smile providing useful business frameworks, research and stories to help your team work better together. That is the difference. One sounds like a computer trying to impress a board of directors; the other actually changes how you act when you walk into the room.

This question strips away the jargon and focuses purely on human behavior. Instead of a vague five-year plan, it gives you an immediate, actionable standard for how you treat people and handle your work right now.

3. Can a team or an entire company use this question?

Absolutely. In fact, it is one of the best ways to align a team. Instead of guessing what to prioritize, a leader can ask, “What do we want our department to be famous for among our clients?”

4. How often should I ask myself what I want to be famous for?

You can ask it as often as you need a reset, but I recommend taking 30 seconds to think about it at the start of your work week or before a big project. It acts as a quick mental compass to keep your personal brand and daily actions completely aligned.