Vision in Leadership
VISION
VISION IN LEADERSHIP
The great need of the hour is for positive, constructive, dynamic, creative and effective leadership. The world is divided into leaders and followers. Civilization must experience progress, and progress depends upon leadership. True leadership skills and abilities are developed over an extended period of time.
Leaders are long-term thinkers who see beyond the day's crisis and the quarterly report. Their interest in the organization does not end with the unit they are heading.
They want to know how all the organizations departments affects one another,and are constantly reaching beyond their specific areas of influence.
They put heavy emphasis on vision, values and motivation.
They have strong people skills and don't accept the status quo.
A leader can therefore be defined as one who guides and develops the activities of others and seek to provide continual training and direction.
Leadership therefore is the discipline of deliberately exerting special influence within a group to move it toward goals of beneficial performance that fulfill the groups real needs.
Also leadership is;
- ¨ Knowing what to do next
- ¨ Knowing why it is important to be done
- ¨ Knowing how to bring appropriate resources to bear the need at hand
So leading is causing people to take effective action, or just to keep it simple.
A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.
Vision is the key to understanding leadership. Without vision you are just playing games with your life. Men and women with vision see more and further than others. Leaders have empires in their brains. Your imagination is one of the most powerful things you possess.Imagination is your dream machine. Leaders organize special dream times. Time to dream big dreams. It is so true that poor eyes limit a man's light; poor vision his deeds.
Strong leadership is powerful. Confusion on leadership of the vision will result in diminished accomplishments. The vision, along with the leadership must be clear and concise.
Vision is a comprehensive sense of where you are, where you are going, how you are going to get there and what you will after you get there. It is dreaming dreams about the future. It is seeing the big picture and personally painting a part of it.
Vision is feeing challenged by the world around you and being compelled to make a mark on it through the force of your own ideas, personality, resources and desires.
Vision must be focused. If it is too broad, people will flounder and be discouraged.If it is non-specific it is useless. It must be clear, concise and in focus. Blurry vision causes people to lose their way.
Set realistic rechargeable goals otherwise you will become discouraged and will discourage others.
The majority see the obstacles: Few see the objective. Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goals.
Vision starts very much out of attitude and attitude determines altitude.
Forget the cynics and the knockers: People of vision are not afraid to fail.
The tragedy of life is not that we die, but what dies inside a man while he lives. Neither you nor the world knows what you can until you have tried.
Vision creates power: The enthusiasm that comes out from vision results in dynamic power.
This then leads to greater productivity and feelings of productivity increase your feelings of self-esteem. Enthusiasm is produced from vision and the power from enthusiasm is the energy that drives any successful idea.
Great vision comes from being quiet, still, often alone. Every leader needs to spend time
in solitude and reflection. Never allow your vision to escape you. Vision never allows you the luxury of discouragement. It never allows you to accept anything that is negative.
Persistence(staying power) is the quality that sets a leader apart. Problem and discouragements will face the leader but he can overcome them with staying power.
A leader must have a vision but that vision must be fulfilled with goals that work toward the achievement of the vision. A vision is the foundation for all leadership. A leader has one life- dominating vision which he converts to a life compelling mission. But his goals are many.
Vision must be road enough to be permanent.