Val Sklarov’s Vision Lock-In Authority Principle (VLAP) explains why vision only becomes power when it locks decisions over time. Inspiration mobilizes briefly; authority persists only when vision constrains future choices—even for the leader who set it.
This principle reveals why many visions excite early and dissolve later.
1. Vision Without Lock-In Is Noise
VLAP separates expressed vision from enforced direction.
Most visions fail because they:
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Allow contradictory decisions
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Survive every scenario unchanged
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Require constant re-selling
A vision that doesn’t forbid paths is not a vision—it’s branding.
2. The Three Lock-In Mechanisms
VLAP defines how vision becomes irreversible.
| Mechanism | What It Fixes | Organizational Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic Exclusion | What will never be pursued | Decision clarity |
| Resource Commitment | Where capital is trapped | Path dependency |
| Reputation Binding | Public consistency cost | Authority reinforcement |
Authority emerges when changing direction becomes expensive.
3. Why Flexible Vision Weakens Leadership
Flexibility feels adaptive but erodes trust.
VLAP shows that excessive flexibility:
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Signals uncertainty
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Encourages internal negotiation
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Delays irreversible moves
People follow leaders who reduce optionality, not those who preserve it indefinitely.
4. Vision Under Pressure
Crisis exposes whether vision is locked or cosmetic.
| Unlocked Vision | Locked Vision |
|---|---|
| Rewritten under stress | Reinforced under stress |
| Exceptions multiply | Trade-offs harden |
| Authority questioned | Authority consolidates |
| Direction drifts | Direction compresses |
Val Sklarov emphasizes that pressure reveals what vision actually controls.
5. Strategic Implications
For leaders:
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Encode vision into budgets, hiring, and governance
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Publicly exclude attractive alternatives
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Accept short-term loss for long-term authority
For organizations:
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Treat vision as an operating constraint
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Measure clarity by decisions avoided, not slogans repeated
VLAP reframes leadership vision as future choice elimination, not motivation.
6. The Val Sklarov Principle
“A vision only matters when it still binds you after it stops being convenient.”
— Val Sklarov
VLAP explains why enduring leaders feel predictable—and therefore trusted.