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Creating and Communicating a Compelling Vision
Henry Ford dreamed of a car for every family and Steven Jobs dreamed of a computer in every classroom. At the time, skeptics thought their dreams were impossible. In the face of adversity, their persistence changed the world.
We instantly recognize people with vision because they aren't afraid to share their hopes, their dreams, their longings. They express their love for the big picture and offer an irresistible image of the future. Visionaries are deeply involved with righting social injustices and they love to break new ground.
They know that the best way to predict the future is to create it. Instead of following the path, visionaries go where there is no path and blaze a new trail.
Great visionaries:
- are inherently curious
- convey a clear sense of passion
- explore their own nature unceasingly
- communicate a desire to make life better for others
- do more than expected
- cultivate an optimistic outlook
- expand the sense of possibility
A positive outlook helps you see things in terms of what is possible. Focusing on expanding the possibilities helps you find your vision.
When you project a longing for the future, people are often drawn to the picture you paint. Your optimism is contagious. Helen Keller said, "No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit." Indeed, the vision quest often begins with a sense of dissatisfaction or an internal struggle. Gandhi and Martin Luther King both went through agony before they were able to get in touch with their values and discover their vision.
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your mind off your goals. But Goethe said, "One never goes as far as when one doesn't know where one is going." There is a delicate balance between knowing where you are going, and remaining open to possibility. If we limit ourselves to what the mind can imagine, we can miss out on huge possibilities. Learning to think and live beyond what you think is possible is like using a new set of muscles. Every day use helps you overcome the resistance to making the impossible happen.
Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking that only the leader of an organization holds the vision. In actuality visionaries are everywhere from the board room to the boiler room. A vision can be as focused as seeing all your files in perfect order or as broad as Coca-Cola's vision that everyone in the world taste Coke.
Great leaders can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way and who will share the adventure. Real vision arises from the deepest parts of yourself, your inner system of beliefs. That means trusting your soul, thoughts and feelings.
According to Leadership magazine, communicating a vision is one of the most frustrating areas of leading an organization. An effective vision is filled with visual imagery. Like a good story, it uses the senses to draw people in. A vision filled with sight, sound, feelings, taste and smell, attract people like a good restaurant. After visiting a carnival with his daughter, Walt Disney wanted to create a place of magic that was fun for the whole family. He dramatically expressed his dream of Disneyland in terms of discovery, nostalgia, joy, hope and beauty.
Developing a vision is sometimes thought of as a solitary process. Yet the more people involved in shaping your vision, the more help you can get to carry it through. Involvement leads to commitment and a willingness to help implement the plan. An effective vision can act as a catalyst for other people to expand their goals.
That doesn't mean you design your vision by following the consensus of other people's opinions. All the players involved in the vision make their own commitment to it. When your vision of the future is well communicated, you help people search for and discover new opportunities.
Martha Lasley is the author of this column and a business coach at Leadership that Works, a firm that offers training and coaching for individuals and companies.
E-mail or call her at 570-297-2270. She specializes in enhancing performance to reach business and career goals.
© 1999 Leadership that Works