Leadership - The vision - general
The vision - general
Foresight
Without this many leaders would be a leader in name only.
It is a little different from considering what might happen in the future.
The latter usually derives from an act of planning.
Once you have considered what adverse events may happen in the future you would then consider what the risk would be of the adverse event actually occurring. You might then create a contingency plan on this basis.
These aspects are discussed in more detail in ‘The Complete Risk management package’.
Foresight is different. It doesn’t generally come from formal planning (although it could do) but a realisation that an adverse event may happen based upon experience and an assessment of the current position of a project.
Many people do not have this ability and a good leader can use this to his or her advantage.
Knowing that an adverse event may happen then requires you to take evasive action.
Development
You will need a vision to help you concentrate on where you are going.
Without one your organisation will lack focus and probably a competitive edge.
Many people can not see a vision and will underachieve.
Others see the vision but are unable to pursue it by themselves and will remain followers.
Some will achieve the vision by them selves.
A rare few will not only see the vision but encourage others to follow and achieve it, they will be the leaders.
People take more notice of what they see rather than what they hear.
It is easy to for a vision to fall at the first sign of problems.
As a leader you must have faith in the vision and the perseverance to see it completed.
The problem with trying to convince others of your vision is that everyone sees things differently.
If you can put yourself in the other person’s shoes and understand how they think about your vision you will be in a better position to influence them.
You don’t have to be a perfect individual to be a leader.
Many famous people have deficiencies in some form and still achieve great things.
It’s no good just having a vision with plenty of enthusiasm.
If the vision is based on a lack of reality in the real world it becomes a dream and not a vision.
The leader needs to develop his or her vision based upon experiences and prevailing conditions at the time.
In other words it must be practical and achievable.
If the vision is credible and the timing is right you will have a very good chance of gaining acceptance.
People will value the vision if the leader is fully behind it and it makes sense to them personally and they will gain by it.
Overall, if the leader and the people have ownership of the vision the chance of success is greatly increased.
Patience is a virtue for a leader. If a leader tries to push people at a pace they are uncomfortable with they will resist.
This will endanger the vision.
Helicopter view
The leader is concerned with where the organisation or the team are heading and not the process of how to get there.
If the vision is promoted often enough doubters will start to believe it is a possibility.
People issues
The majority of problems in achieving a vision are usually due to people.
The first person problem is often the leader. If the leader is poor then the vision communication will be poor with a reduced chance of successful completion.
Fear of failure based upon prior bad experiences limits many people from accepting a vision.
Others have a fixed view on life so don’t look to the future and what might be.
Gaining security is a powerful motivator. For some people, once security is achieved, their enthusiasm dissipates and the focus on a vision dwindles. They become too comfortable.
Insecurity can be deep rooted for many people. Many will hate taking chances and moving away from their comfort zone.
For these individuals they will tend to follow the herd mentality. If most people like the idea then they will happily follow suit.
In many ways the leader will always stand out from the crowd as he or she will always be thinking ahead of the herd.
Perfection is very hard to find.
Even if your vision is good, has great benefits and is communicated well someone will come up with obstacles.
These people seem to present problems for the sake of it, trying to undermine the vision.
There is nothing wrong with raising issues if you are also prepared to suggest a solution or at the very least admit that you do not have one.
The selfishness of particular individuals will never allow them to achieve a vision.
Visions are not obtained by individuals but by teamwork.
Others will suggest that a vision can not be achieved without any supporting evidence.
These doom and gloom merchants rarely achieve anything themselves.
They are defeated before they even start.
Presenting the vision
We know that people like to follow a vision where they have something to gain.
How a person assesses their personal gain will depend on how they view the vision as it is presented to them.
The leader is not limited by his or her knowledge but by his or her vision of the future.
A leader must make this vision as interesting as possible to an individual.
Whilst you are trying to create and image of how things will be in the future it is important to identify the difficulties and the achievement that will be gained when these are met and solved.
The current situation may be constrained and limiting in terms of market development in the face of competition.
Hopefully, the vision will provide a view of the future that frees the organisation and individuals to reach their potential.
The overview of the vision should include the effect on you as the leader as well as the rest of the organisation and team.
This will reinforce your own commitment and help to improve acceptance in others.
As a leader you must have absolute confidence in the need for your vision and that it can be completed successfully.
A leader will focus on the job in hand and consider the importance of the end result.
He of she is not easily dissuaded from their path and can take criticism lightly.