Growth Leadership – Vision
This is about the vision of the future. (I promise to keep it short and sweet.)
The best place to start something new is to define what you really want.
One of the best ways I know is to take time to think about the vision of the future. Clarifying your vision will create new actions, and therefore new results. I want you to join me on the journey to creating a new vision for your #1 focus as a Growth Leader. A compelling vision will allow you to achieve so much more—to create something so profound that you are drawn into the work of making it happen.
“Crafting your vision” might sound grandiose, but in fact, it’s quite simple—it’s exactly the process of analyzing and planning out the end result of whatever scenario you’re facing.
“If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.”
—Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple and Visionary Leader
By describing the destination or future, vision will create these benefits for you individually, for your team, and for your company:
- Vision pulls you into action. (I use “pulls” on purpose. Steve Jobs believed that a truly powerful vision pulls you to action.)
- Vision serves as a lens to focus your strategies, projects, plans, actions, and skill development.
- Vision can be critical to building a thriving business that encourages raving fans.
- Vision clarifies your role in the future of your organization. If you’re an employee, you may be looking for more responsibility; if you’re a business owner, you may be looking to change the nature of the business or to have less day-to-day responsibility in running it so you are free to pursue bigger things.
- Vision sets your target.
Enemies of Your Vision
We all face challenges in our personal and professional lives, and failure is a natural part of dealing with those challenges. It’s the same when you are creating and implementing your vision, but don’t worry: you can overcome any setbacks.
Let me share with you some of the “enemies” that will try to keep you from crafting your vision—things that will limit or block your progress. As you read the following list of internal enemies, think about how they could affect you, and how you could overcome them.
- “I know what to do, I don’t need a vision.”
- “The vision process takes too long, I am in a hurry.”
- “I already have a project plan [or business plan, strategy, blueprint, etc.].”
- “It is impossible to know what my vision is…we are just getting started.”
- “It is too expensive to take the time for this.”
- “It will change down the road, so why do it now?”
- “I lack the skills or resources to include [some important thing] in my vision.”
- “I need to be realistic because the thing I really want is too hard.”
- “I don’t know how to do that, so it can’t be part of my vision.”
- “My vision won’t be ready until it is perfect.”
Number 10 is especially important. A vision needs to be specific, but it will never be perfect. If you spend too much time crafting your vision, you will find it hard to take action when needed. A vision is critical to your success, but do not let yourself be paralyzed; drive ahead to make your vision real.
Questions to Inspire You
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- What would you see if you have accomplished this focus?
- What would others say to you?
- What would you feel in accomplishing it?
Resources:
See Chapter 5 of “The Trap of Success” on Clarifying Your Mission & Crafting Your Vision.
I also interviewed Horst Schulze, co-founder of The Ritz-Carlton about the power of vision
Episode #391 | Leading Excellence Co-founder of The Ritz-Carlton with Horst Schulze