There are distinct qualities which separates a great leader from everyone else, such as foresight and the depth of their vision. Vision when it comes to defining their goals or purpose.
Goals usually being the prime objective on what they’re attempting to achieve, to conquer next.
What having a clear vision does is it paints a picture, that includes a plan which describes their hopes and dreams of achievement.
What this encompasses is the ability for them to see things beyond the common objective, to be able to witness possibilities that others aren’t capable of or don’t see, which are great attributes of a leader.
The majority of us will just see the consignment of goods, where the genuine leaders will envision an exciting product which can possibly change someone’s life.
Most will view a bland office which is lined with cubicles and filled with desks and filing cabinets, where true leaders will see the same space as where individuals can perform groundbreaking work.
Most will see and define others as just names and titles, where leaders will see a group of extraordinary people with potential, who can form a formidable organization.
As someone once said, the majority of individuals will just see people or things exactly as they are, and wonder why they should excel, where leaders will see the exact same and say, I’ll be the difference.
Developing A Clear And Compelling Vision
There’s a strong fascination on how true leaders are able to envision what everyone else don’t or can’t see.
To dissect this further, there was a study which was focused on the recognized leaders from a cross section of industries. They included noted leaders of business from a variety of backgrounds, circumstances, and disciplines.
It was found that these individuals had one common pattern, and that they all had a clear, concise, and a compelling vision of what they wanted to do.
For the majority of them, the vision wasn’t focused on some point in the near future, such as next week, but the point was somewhere further into their future.
No Set Limits
The greatest of leaders will never place limits on their vision. What they aim for are the biggest dreams which they can imagine, even if it’s only realized at some point in the distant future, where they may no longer even be around.
Some will create a vision and will then immediately begin working on it. They will view something majestic such as a skyscraper, and it may not come to fruition until their gone.
So once it’s built, the prevailing thought is that the originator wasn’t able to see it’s completion, but the truth is that they did see it in their minds, first, and the reason why it was built.
It’s thought that the majority of us don’t bother visioning anything greater than three months in the future, where the best of leaders and visionaries are able to see several years ahead.
It’s thought that the most extraordinary of leaders, that one in a million, is able to see up to twenty years ahead of time. There are some industrialist who are known to have a 50 to a 100 year plan for their conglomerates.
Attracting Others In
The greatest of the leaders among us do more than just having an accurate vision of whatever is possible, but they’re also able to articulate it, and they have the ability to draw others in.
They’re able to do this by triggering the innate desires of the majority of individuals to participate in something that can be potentially big in scope. It’s all about vision and then mesmerizing the mass groups of people to follow them.
For instance, take that soft drink company which began in the 1920’s. Their vision was to quench the thirst of an entire nation, and did they ever succeed, where numerous others have failed.
Taking Action
Nothing ever happens until it’s activated, until some type of action is taken. Otherwise, any vision, how great it may be just remains a dream. Having a vision is the creation of our very imaginations, and nothing much more.
Once someone takes action, having the drive to be able to see the steps they need to take from where they’re at now, to where they can be, the dream then becomes a reality.
There are certain managers who are taught to learn and then develop a quality which is known as ”helicopter” vision. What this involves is the ability to see across three different time zones of the future, as if they were in a hovering helicopter.
Once there, they’re able to see the plains, the mid-range foothills, and then the distant peaks and valleys. What being able to view all 3 zones at once does is it harmonizes their tactical actions.
Doing so is also thought to improve the operational planning, along with the overall strategy planning. There’s then a clear map that’s developed of the realization to the overall vision.
Fulfilling Our Dreams
What we all have is the capacity to dream, but there are just a few of us that are able to remember them, let alone take action on them. But this is where the true leaders of the world are different.
What they have is the ability to make a difference to the lives of others on a daily basis, along with their own collective lives by carrying out their missions and then turning them into action. These extraordinary leaders are able to recapture these dreams, nurture them with precise care, and then over time, bring them to reality.