When Words Collide: The Vision Vacuum Killing Transformations Before They Even Begin

When Words Collide: The Vision Vacuum Killing Transformations Before They Begin

Sydney, Australia – 13th November 2025 — Former Deloitte Partner and Accenture Managing Director Sarah Conibear, now founder of Flux Advisory, is offering media an exclusive early look at The Vision Vacuum — the third instalment of her commentary series, The Seven Deadly Sins of Transformation. 

Set for public release on 18 November, The Vision Vacuum exposes how corporate “North Stars” and buzzword-filled visions are quietly killing transformations before they even begin. 

“The Vision Vacuum is one of the most pervasive and frustrating challenges I’ve seen in 25 years of leading change,” Conibear says. “Most leaders think they’ve communicated a vision, but what they’ve really done is shared a set of fashionable words. The result? Teams marching confidently in slightly different directions.” 

Lost in Translation 

Conibear describes the Vision Vacuum as a widening gap between executive intent and team understanding — a silent drift that leaves programs in a void of clarity rather than creating it. 

“The corporate lexicon is bloated with buzzwords that sound impressive but blur meaning — AI-powered, agile, product-centric,” she says. “We overestimate how clearly words communicate. Add layers of spin, and the truth disappears entirely.” 

Behind many transformations sit unspoken truths — cost pressures, capability gaps, and political tension — that few leaders articulate. “When those truths remain unspoken,” Conibear warns, “teams start guessing. And that’s when confusion reigns supreme.” 

The Courage to Be Creative 

Flux Advisory’s Jumpstart Labs were designed to close that gap — replacing jargon with drawing. 

“In one exercise we ask teams to literally draw their vision,” Conibear explains. “When they sketch what the future looks like — no matter how rough, even stick figures — the differences in understanding become instantly visible. What takes hours of debate becomes clear in 20 minutes.” 

It’s an exercise that reveals misalignment faster than any slide deck. “People can hide behind words,” she says, “but not behind a drawing. Once you see what’s in people’s heads, you can start creating a shared picture of the future.” 

The Pen is Mightier than the Word 

Conibear believes creativity, not complexity, drives clarity. 

“We treat creativity as unprofessional, when it’s actually the ultimate accelerator of understanding.” 

It’s a practice rooted in Conibear’s own experience. During her early career, while pitching for partnership at Deloitte, she ditched the conventional slide deck for a visual story — photos, images, even music. “It felt risky, but it worked,” she recalls. “When you tell your story visually, people don’t just understand it — they feel it. They remember it.” 

In another program, her team described a 120-slide business case with a single cartoon of the future-state operating model. “Our sponsor said, ‘Let’s lead with the cartoon.’ In a Board room used to thousand-page packs, simplicity cut through. They could see the future instantly.” 

A Call to Leaders 

Conibear challenges executives to test their own clarity: 

1. Does everyone truly know what we’re trying to do? 

2. Do they understand the why as well as the what? 

3. Have the told the story in a way they can see, feel, and repeat? 

4. Is there a blueprint bridging imagination and delivery? 

“The Vision Vacuum doesn’t close with another PowerPoint,” she says. “It closes when leaders choose clarity over cleverness, courage over caution, and storytelling over spin.”