Beyond the Rainbow: Turning Illusions into Strategy

Christina Guerrier

02 Jul 2025 — 1 min read

I was driving through a rainstorm, wipers working overtime, water drumming on the roof. In my rearview mirror, a rainbow appeared, arching gently across the gray.

A moment later, after a few turns, the rainbow was in front of me instead.

It struck me how perfectly a rainbow captures the illusions we chase. Rainbows are optical phenomena — they don’t exist as tangible objects. Their position depends on your vantage point and the light. What seems close enough to touch keeps shifting as you move.

In strategy, the same dynamic shows up. We pursue bold visions, inspiring missions, or grand-sounding initiatives, convinced they are as real as the road beneath our tires. Yet they can be just as elusive: captivating, colorful, even hopeful, but ultimately impossible to arrive at without a grounded plan.

The truth is, rainbows are beautiful. But we cannot drive to them.

A powerful strategy does not live in slogans or hopeful metaphors alone. It lives in disciplined diagnosis, in clarity of what matters most, and in coherent, focused action that steadily moves us forward.

What to take away?

Be clear: Understand the true challenge in front of you.
Be disciplined: Don’t spread efforts thin chasing illusions.
Be coherent: Align your resources, decisions, and actions to a grounded, tangible path.

There is space for inspiration, for wonder, for color in our work. But if we want to make real progress, we must look beyond the rainbow — and build on solid ground.

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The Quiet Courage to Speak Up

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The Shift from Many Hats to System Steward