Visions—Not Just For Leaders.
by Miki Saxon
Visions are the stuff of leaders and must be communicated.
Actually, visions are for everybody, since we each must first lead our self.
Visions go by many names, but whatever you call it—goals, plans, objectives, ambitions, aspirations, purpose, aim—it involves a two-step process.
You need to visualize where you want to go and plan how you’re going to get there.
The first part is your vision, whether you’re Steve Jobs with a vision of the iPod, the child who plays doctor and grows up to be a surgeon, the couple who falls in love and plans a family or the laid-off worker whose purpose is to survive the current mess.
The second part is how to get there. As a wise person once said, “a goal without a plan is a dream” and dreams rarely come true.
Whether you’re a manager, student or parent recognize that your goal/plan/objective/ambition/aspiration/purpose/aim is, in reality, your vision and treat it with the respect it deserves.
- Write it down;
- think it through;
- describe it in detail;
- determine how to achieve it;
- write down the steps;
- commit yourself; and
- do it.
But while you’re doing it remember that visions aren’t carved in stone, they need to breath and live as you do.
That means you may need to modify, put on hold, or even scrap your vision—but not at the first bump in the road.
Visions are worth fighting for, but rarely worth dying for—even metaphorically.
Think of it this way: Life happens; the world happens; flexibility is part of success—INflexibility paves the road to ruin.
Image credit: Jasmic on flickr
February 1st, 2014 at 8:17 am
Hi Mikki,
Thank you for sharing this post with The Leadership Development Blog Carnival!
I’m curious, wy do you think visions are rarely worth dying for?
February 3rd, 2014 at 4:30 am
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February 3rd, 2014 at 3:11 pm
Hi Chery,
That statement was tied to the two before it,
I think, especially these days, that too much ideology is masquerading as vision and, in my mind, ideology is rarely worth dying for.
Also, again to me, visions need to be reality-based at least to some extent; and, finally, if you are dead you can not continue to fight.