.: Vision: How Leaders See The Invisible
By:Eric Garner
Category:Home / Personal Development / Leadership
The one thing that distinguishes great leaders from also-rans is the power, depth, and breadth of their vision.
Vision is a strange concept. Its much more than just a goal or purpose. Goals simply state what we aim to achieve. Visions paint a fuller picture describing our most cherished dreams, hopes and possibilities.
1. Seeing Possibilities. The ability to see possibilities that others dont see is one of the hallmarks of great leaders. Where most of us see just a consignment of goods, leaders see an exciting product that can change someones life. Where most of us see an office with space for desks and filing cabinets, leaders see a place where teams can do groundbreaking work. Where most of us see people with names and titles, leaders see budding organizational champions. As George Bernard Shaw said, Some people see things as they are and ask Why?Ž I see things that are not and ask Why not?ŽŽ
2. Clear and Compelling. Management writer Warren Bennis was fascinated by the ability of leaders to see what the rest of us cant see. A few years ago, he carried out a study of 90 top leaders in the United States. They included the first man to set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong. What Bennis discovered was that, despite their different backgrounds, disciplines, and circumstances, these people all had one thing in common: a clear and compelling vision of what they wanted to realise. To them, the vision wasnt at some point in the future. It was right in front of their eyes.
3. A Vision Without Limits. The truly great leaders dont put limits on their vision. They go for the biggest dream they can imagine even if it is only realized at some time in the future when they are no longer around. There is a story about the filmmaker Walt Disney who died six years before the opening of the first Disney World. At the opening ceremony, two Disney executives were sitting together. One said, Too bad Walt couldnt have been here to see this.Ž The other replied, Youre wrong. Walt did see it. Thats why its here.Ž. While most of us see no more than three months ahead, outstanding leaders can see several years ahead. Elliott Jaques of Brunel University believed that one person in a million can see 20 years ahead. The Japanese industrialist Konosuke Matsushita even has a 250-year plan for his business.
4. Drawing Others In. Leaders do more than have a vision of what is possible; they articulate it and draw others in. They do this through metaphor, images, and by triggering the innate desire of all people to be part of something big. Compare the visions of the two leading soft-drinks companies in America in the 1920s. One was a Boston-based company called Moxies. Their stated aim was to sell herb-based drinksŽ. Nothing to get excited about there. The other companys vision was to quench the thirst of a nationŽ. That company was Coca Cola. Today, nobody remembers Moxies.
5. Action. Without action, visions are just dreams. They are creations of our imagination, no more. But with action and the ability to see the steps from where we are now to where we can be, dreams become reality. In Shell UK, managers are taught to develop a quality known as helicopter visionŽ. This is the ability to see across three time zones of the future, as if in a hovering helicopter. From here, you can see the near plains, the middle range foothills and the distant peaks. Being able to see all three zones at once harmonizes your tactical actions, your operational planning and your overall strategy. There is a clear map to the realization of the vision.
We all dream but few of us remember our dreams let alone act on them. But leaders are different. They make a difference to our daily lives and our collective lives. They do this by capturing our dreams, nurturing them with care, and in the fullness of time helping us bring them to the glorious light of day.
Article keywords: vision, potential, possibilities, George Bernard Shaw, Warren Bennis, Walt Disney, strategy, strategic thinking, action, a compelling vision
Article Source: http://www.articles32.com
© Eric Garner, ManageTrainLearn.com
For instant solutions to all your management training needs, visit www.managetrainlearn.com and download your FREE personal copies of our training software. And while you're there, make sure you try out our prize quiz, get your surprise bonus gift, and subscribe to our newsletter. Go and get the ManageTrainLearn experience now.
.: New Leadership Articles
1). Leading Knowledge Workers: Avoid These 5 Leadership Sins
According to the latest studies, the average employee is delivering only 50% of what they are capable of offering to your organization. As a leader, you’re frustrated by this lack of performance. You’d like to clone your high performers so you can become more results oriented like the entrepreneurial companies you see in the marketplace.
To capture the talents and potential of today’s knowledge workers, you must recognize the dramatic rise in numbers of these employees.
2). A Leader Should Be Willing To Take Responsibilities
Who would forget the ever-famous line of Peter Parker’s grandfather, “With great power comes great responsibility.” The society expects Spiderman, a comic book, TV, and movie superhero, to be responsible for saving his town, or even the world, in some instances, from evil because he has super powers.
From all the episodes he appeared in, he never let us down.
3). The Hanging Of Jonathan Wild: A Leadership Lesson
PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: brent@actionleadership.com
Word count: 473
Jonathan Wild, notorious English criminal (1682-1725) picked the pocket of the priest who administered the last rites on the gallows at Tyburn.
4). Leadership, Tribal Spiritual Wisdom, And The Leadership Talk
PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: brent@actionleadership.com
Word count: 814
You can boost your leadership skills and hence your career by understanding this one thing that most leaders miss: great leadership incorporates a spiritual dimension.
5). Boost Your Leadership Skills By Disciplining Yourself In The Way Of The Question Mark
PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: brent@actionleadership.com
Word count: 735
I'm often asked to come in to organizations and give a motivational speech to their employees.
6). A Leadership Secret: Replace Goals With Processes Using The Shared Dream
PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: brent@actionleadership.com
Word count: 1082
I bring leadership processes that help leaders get more results faster continually.
7). Leadership: One Quick And Easy Thing You Can Do Right Way To Improve Your Results
People who want to lose weight search for a magic program that will let them lose weight without changing how they eat or whether they exercise. Late night infomercials tout systems that will turn you into a millionaire overnight. We crave magical solutions that are quick and easy and produce big results.
Well, I haven't found any magic diet programs, and I never saw a get-rich-quick program that really worked, but I do know one "magic" thing you can do to improve your results as a leader.
.: Top Leadership Articles
1). Leadership & Teamwork
Strong, positive teamwork is defined by a leader who has a vision and the ability to inspire his or her team to work toward the realization of that vision.
The leader is not threatened in the least by the expertise and diversity of his or her team. Rather, a good team leader engages his or her teammates in a discussion about what quality looks like, what is needed to perform and complete the job, and empowers the team members to always strive for quality improvement.
2). Speaking Well In Public Is By No Means Accidental
You might possibly know how jokes can complement your speech. But jokes can also cause your speech to be disastrous. Jokes are both a boon and bane to a speech.
If you are very much in comfort with it, use humor. Just check it first if it fits, serving as a breaker between sections or emphasizing a certain point. A funny and great line, or a comment that is irreverent can help liven up the presentation that you have and will help people to remember the things you have said.
3). 8 Steps to Effective Christian Leadership
1) Probably the most important thing you can do as a Christian leader is to clean up your act---if there is anything in your life, moral or ethical, which would not stand up to scrutiny if the entire world found out---you must eliminate it immediately. Do not give anyone an occasion to think that you are a hypocrite.
2) Be sure that every decision you make is honest and ethical.
4). Ask Don't Tell Leadership - How Do I Create Accountability As A Leader?
Dear Coach,
Question: I own and run a company, but my leadership skills are sometimes lacking. My Senior Team refers to me as “Mr. Softy,” because I fail to discipline those who breach company policies. I am having particular difficulty with my VP of Sales. While he does bring in new accounts, he consistently enters them incorrectly and causes all sorts of problems for production staff.
5). From Basics To Mastery
For all of us, emotional intelligence encompasses five basic areas of mastery. They are:
- Knowing your feelings and using them to make life decisions you can live with.
- Being able to manage your emotional life without being hijacked by it -- not being paralyzed by depression or worry, or swept away by anger.
- Persisting in the face of setbacks and channeling your impulses in order to pursue your goals.
6). Transform Your Organization With Facilitative Leadership
So, facilitative leadership: is leading by committee ... not!
It is not about getting everyone together and asking, "what do you and you think?" Everything cannot be decided via committee! Especially if your work involves things like law enforcement or the military. The front lines are not the place to take a 'straw poll'. Even as I say this, and even in those aforementioned operations, there are times when a leader can, and should get people together to talk about how to improve the operation; by genuinely asking for input from all levels.
7). Six Important Managerial Skills for Leadership
A mark of a good leader is to provide constant motivation to his team to maintain an excellence and quality in results. A good leader is always looking for ways to improve production and standards. Here are six skills you can develop in working to attain quality in the team.
1. Observation
This is an important aspect that often gets neglected due the demands on a leader’s time and schedule.