Vision in Leadership
Pointing the Way
For Your Team

However, before you can have a vision for your organization, you must first have a personal vision for your life.

• Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ time?
• What are you going to achieve?
• Who are the people they are going to be around you?

Many managers inherently know that a vision statement is required of their organization. They’re thinking,“since everyone else has one, I better have one too.”

That is the beginning of problems in any organization; management doing something that they don’t understand, much less believe in.

I don’t know about you; but I’ve heard enough of mission and vision statements put up in organizations but no one actually knowing that it means and stands for.

I’m sure you’ve got one in your organization and you probably can recite it by heart.

The problem of an organization not living out its vision begins with the leader of the organization.

If a leader does not have a vision for his own life or does not even understand what a vision is, he cannot possibly have vision in leadership ask his organization to live it out.

The question of vision is a very simple one; what do you want in your life? What does your heart desire you to be?

For me, one day I want to become an influential business leader who will groom potential leaders and teach other businessmen to do business the right way.

How about you?

It doesn’t matter what people want you to be; think about what you want.

Maybe you want to be a writer. Great! Writing is powerful because words can influence people’s opinions, thoughts and beliefs.

Maybe you want to be a pastor of a big church who is changing the community.

Maybe it’s something else for you.

But most important, you need to know what you want and see yourself in that future.

If you currently don’t really know what you want; your answers to these type of questions are, “ um… I suppose I want this.. or that..” or some vague answer like,“ I want to be rich.”

If that is your answer to the questions I posted, then its time to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and start thinking about what you want.

Take a holiday to a quiet destination and start thinking about this issue.

It concerns your life; and if your life is important to you, nothing would be too costly for you to go and find out what is your life’s calling.

That is so important in leadership. Because you chose to be true to yourself, you can be authentic in pursuing your passion and achieving your goals.

Your vision won’t be another statement on the wall; it’ll be written in your heart, guiding your every speech, your every action. And that speaks louder than any plaque on the wall.

Your team will see it in you. They will see you are true, authentic in pursing the vision you have set your life out; and they will follow you for it.

So take some time to think about it. Don’t allow the clutter of life to get to you; keep your life in focus. If you don’t fight for your vision, no one else will.

It’s only after that that you are ready to create and share a vision for your team. Your vision in leadership should never deviate too far from your personal vision.

Your life is one.

You can’t be moving one way for your own life, and asking your followers to move another way.

Two visions give DI-vision.

Here are some important qualities of a corporate vision.

A good vision excites.
Visions of the future should excite people. It must be a future that everyone is longing to create. It is that excitement that can bring out the passion in people to commit to seeing that vision come to pass.

A good vision stretches.
A good vision challenges people to rise beyond their comfort zone and develop as an individual to become better, stronger, to become more of a man than today. A vision that does not stretch everyone’s capacity means that it can already be achieved today; it doesn’t qualify as a vision.

A good vision is clear
While a good vision is pretty much imagination, but it must be clear enough that everyone on the team can visualize what you are talking about. Vague visions are as good as not having a vision at all. You must be extremely specific; detailing everything that you see in your mind’s eye to your team!

A good vision includes everyone
Remember that you are not getting your team to buy into your agenda. You guys have a common agenda and it’s a win-win for everyone on the team.

Vision in leadership is very powerful and it can draw commitment from people like nothing else can. Many of the most powerful leaders in history have been visionary leaders and they changed their world on a simple vision that they saw in their head.

A vision begins with a thought or an idea but when put into action, it can change teams, communities and even nations!

Return from Vision in Leadership to Inner Leadership

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The most important ingredient in leadership: integrity
Integrity is the most important ingredient in leadership. Having it is the make-or-break for any leader. Understand the importance of integrity and also how you can develop yourself to be a man of integrity.

Looking on the bright side on life:Optimism
As a leader, you should be an optimistic person. An optimistic person will naturally seek to see the good in the future, and bring the team to create positive change together.

Have a great attitude!
Attitude is everything. The saying goes that your attitude determines your altitude. How you perceive and interpret events in your life will determine how far in life you will go.

Vision: Having a direction in your life
Having a personal vision in your life means everything in leadership. As a leader, you must not only consider the organizational vision, but also the vision of each and every member of your team.

Articulating your vision: Pointing the way for your team
I have shared in other sections about the importance of having a vision, but it’s really one thing to have a vision, but another thing to articulate it well. Understand how you can articulate a vision in this section effectively, so that your team will catch it and run with the vision.

Learning to put first things first
Learning to prioritize your life will aid you a lot in your leadership journey where you decide what activities add value to your organization and what does not.

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