Vision and Leadership

We need vision today as much, and perhaps more, than ever. Not an everyday--"things will get better, be better someday" sort of vision—but an extraordinary vision of what can and will be.

In order to be great, a vision has to be both compelling and propelling, meaning it both pulls and pushes people toward something greater than themselves.

It's the basis of all effective leadership. A leader leads because they have the ability to see beyond "what is" to "what can be". They lead because their vision is not only inspiring, but it's encompassing for themselves and others around them.

The proverb "Where there is no vision, the people perish" has an inherent meaning that people are affected by the vision or lack thereof. But it also implies that an effective vision extends beyond the visionary to the people who are inspired and compelled to do more, to be more.

Every great leader throughout history has had the ability not only to "see" a better future but to convey a sense of greater possibility and guide others along the way.

The global economy stinks. A lot of people are losing jobs, homes, patience, and maybe even hope. Times are tough for millions of people.

What "is" at this moment, isn't what has to be, but "now" is simply a step on the path to something different, something greater, something we can all aspire to create and be part of. But in order to create it, we need to know what "it" looks like; if we can't see it for ourselves, perhaps someone else can share the image of a brighter future.

Vision is not only the vehicle that propels a leader but carries the people who see, embrace, and helps bring possibility into reality.

In times of turmoil or uncertainty, it's the leaders with a vision of possibility and certainty that change the world because they help us change our perception of today but also the potential we see in ourselves.

Leadership isn't the same as authority; doesn't come from position, and it's not "forced" upon us—it's embraced by us because we hold a higher sense of potential than where we are, and perhaps we who we are at this moment. It compels us to think of ourselves as people of possibility and propels us to reach our potential and create a new reality.

The world doesn't need more politicians, gurus, experts, managers, speakers, teachers, or preachers who only talk about the past or the turmoil we face today. We need more people with vision, and the ability to share that vision with and for others so that we may see the world of potential and possibility before us. You, me—all of us can be those leaders, the visionaries of a greatness that begins today.

There's great value in the light of the leadership of others but it is "we" who must walk into a brighter future for ourselves and to lead the way for those a step behind us and help those alongside of us.