Though Ambani saw the same environment in the 60s as many other businessmen, he also discerned ways of overcoming obstacles that were not apparent to most others. Some saw a vision of the it industry long before it took shape in India. Nirma did not regard Levers as a threat, but rather as an umbrella under which it could expand its business. A vision, therefore, involves sifting through facts in a unique manner that gives rise to a unique opportunity. Corporate strengths and weaknesses again are not givens .
Strengths are stretchable and weaknesses can be overcome.
What is of greater relevance is the ability to convert a vision into strategic intent and the intent into a set of steps which can form the backbone of a strategy. Once this is spelt out, the options available to accomplish this strategy can be narrowed down to a decision. T hese processes generally unfold unconsciously inside the mind of the entrepreneur or decision-maker. That is the way most corporations transit from a nascent stage to maturity. Somewhere along the line the processes get broken down in a conscious manner such that the visionary, the strategist, the decision-maker and the implementer get separated.