Being Visionary

Vision and leadership seem inexorably linked. There are plenty of business books that address both of these topics and more than a few authors who make the case that without vision there is no leadership. I’m not going to argue the merits of this linkage or further the hypothesis by offering my own experiences and observations on the topic. Instead, with the pending New Year now just days away, I’ll offer a few thoughts on what it means to be visionary in the year 2009.

Vision is a verb in my vocabulary. While I agree that leaders need a strong sense of where they wish to move the organization, there is more to vision that just knowing the direction you are headed. What are the opportunities and threats that could affect your enterprise? Being visionary includes knowing how to assess both current and future circumstances. One opportunity that awaits many firms in the New Year is the chance to prepare leaders for the economic turnaround. It’s easy to cut training and coaching budgets when times are tough but is that really being a visionary leader? Now is the perfect time to invest in your organization’s future and hone the skills of existing and promising leaders. By offering these key persons a chance to grow you are assuring they will be ready to weather the storm and emerge stronger and better prepared than your competition.

Being visionary also means making decisions while never losing sight of the bigger picture. One of my talents is an ability to think strategically. When faced with a thorny problem or several possible solutions my brain is wired to see options and sense those that have a greater chance of success. If I follow those impulses without a 10,000-foot view of the future it is likely I will fail. Even the best and most logical conclusions won’t serve my clients or me when they don’t have context. That is why vision must be a shared process that invites others to offer their insights and pays attention to their needs.

Finally, if a leader is being visionary he or she will not just share the process with others but also inspire them to see beyond their personal and corporate limitations. In challenging times this can seem a daunting task, but clinging to the status quo won’t affect much real change. Leaders must also willingly examine how their own fears keep them from reaching beyond personal boundaries. Your stakeholders will be inspired to soar when you are willing to shake the dust from your wings and step off the cliff first.

The dawn of a New Year seems like a good time for reflections about vision. Instead of writing resolutions I invite the leaders who read this blog regularly to focus on being visionary. Consider the opportunities and threats you face, set a strong direction with shared insights from employees, clients, and vendors, then inspire those who follow you to affect real change. Visionary leaders aren’t born that way; they learn and practice disciplines that enable them to be more effective in their roles. So don’t articulate a vision, be a leader that lives it in 2009!