The Dreams & Details leadership model
helping leaders sustain success in the digital age.
Developed by Jim Hagemann Snabe (former Co-CEO of SAP; Chairman of Siemens) and Mikael Trolle (former national volleyball coach), the Dreams & Details model equips leaders with the mindset and tools to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
Use it to unlock potential, drive innovation, and elevate performance. Now and into the future.
The Dream
Inspiring people to be part of a meaningful and ambitious journey.
The dream defines what the organization ultimately wants to achieve. Rooted in long-term purpose, it sets a clear and ambitious direction without prescribing a fixed plan. By inspiring meaning and purpose across the organization—and avoiding rigid outcome-focus—it actually opens space for better, more aligned results.
A compelling dream also resonates beyond the organization. When a company’s ambition addresses a broader societal need, it naturally attracts greater support from customers, investors, and partners.
The Details
Enabling people to beat their best in areas that are critical to achieve the dream.
The details are the few critical areas that need transformation to realize the dream—at both organizational and individual level. It’s not about addressing everything, but about identifying where the most meaningful change must happen to build future capabilities.
Employees play a key role. Leaders must ensure people gain the right skills, are placed in the right roles, and collaborate across teams to create smarter, more dynamic solutions. When these elements align, they form the foundation for successful transformation.
Key Aspects of the Model
The Dreams & Details framework is desgined to guide leaders and businesses to thrive in a fast and radically changing world. Originating from the book by the same name, it helps you:
- Anticipate change by scanning your business environment for shifts and opportunities.
- Craft an ambitious, inspiring dream to guide future success.
- Balance optimization and transformation to stay competitive long-term.
- Avoid the Innovator’s Dilemma—lead disruption instead of reacting to it.
- Build culture on what truly motivates and engages people.
- Empower employees and unlock a high-performance culture.
The The Platform for Change
Empowering People based on a common Mindset and clear Framework.
To empower employees as autonomous decision-makers and problem-solvers, leaders must communicate a clear, valuable mindset. This mindset bridges the dream’s ambition and the practical details, guiding everyday decisions and shaping transformation. As it becomes embedded, it serves as a reference point for all actions.
Alongside this, a clear framework of rules and norms defines the boundaries for autonomy. When both mindset and framework are embraced, employees can act more independently, responsibly, and creatively—boosting decentralized decision-making, speed, and innovation. The result: greater individual empowerment and maximized collective performance.
Reinvention and the Dynamic Change of Seasons
Scale fast or fail fast
o remain successful in times of rapid change, businesses must repeatedly reinvent themselves—from a position of strength. Without this, even the most optimized offerings risk becoming irrelevant as markets shift and customer expectations evolve.
Reinvention begins by challenging the status quo and proactively identifying fundamental shifts in your business environment and value chain. This helps you spot both declining markets and emerging opportunities—while continuing to build on your strengths to retain market access, financial stability, and top talent.
Striking the right balance between optimization and transformation is what we call the dynamic change of seasons: transitioning from current success into a stronger future before decline sets in.
That’s exactly what the Dreams & Details model supports. It offers a clear framework to rethink assumptions, identify challenges and opportunities, and design a one-page strategy for navigating transformation. Grounded in behavioral science and motivation theory, it also helps leaders build a high-performance culture—where purpose, empowerment, and decentralized decision-making fuel lasting engagement and results.
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In short, the Dreams & Details model enables leaders to unlock the full potential of their people and organization around a shared vision. It strengthens your ability to sense and respond to change—or even lead it—creating a more resilient, adaptive, and innovative business.
Would you like to know more?
Do you want to try the model for your own organization? Don’t hesitate to reach out. Or read more on our Insights page
About the Authors
Combining the best from the worlds of business and elite sports for a common vision for future leadership and strategy.
Mikael Trolle
Mikael Trolle is CEO and Partner at Idonea, helping organizations reinvent from a position of strength. For nearly three decades, he led Volleyball Denmark, including two stints as head coach of the national team.
Today, he lectures at the University of Copenhagen and CBS, and advises organizations such as Novo Nordisk, the Danish Government, and DR.
Jim Hagemann Snabe
Jim Hagemann Snabe is Chairman of Siemens and former Chairman of A.P. Moller – Maersk. A veteran of SAP and IBM, he played a key role in SAP’s transformation as Co-CEO from 2010–2014.
He is also a leading voice in digital transformation and sustainability through the World Economic Forum and serves as adjunct professor at CBS.