Vision In Leadership

While many people may believe that leadership is something that is in the genetic makeup of the person, the truth is that it is a quality that all of us possess. However, like any skill it must be brought out and properly trained in order to reach its full potential.

Part of the education process in discovering and honing leadership skills is recognizing the different elements that define what it should be. Certainly one of the most important aspects of leadership is vision, something that all effective leaders have which galvanizes followers and brings them into your confidence.

What is Vision?

Put simply, vision is the expression of a goal that rallies people to your side and holds them together as you press forward. Vision is one of the pillars of leadership that is a vital element which unites people into completing a task or goal. Without proper vision there is no leadership because the people will not follow someone if they themselves do not know where they are going.

However, vision is a little more complex than just stating a goal and telling people to work towards its accomplishment. It must be accompanied by the appropriate planning, direction and focus in order to bring people together. There is no leadership without the expression of the goal and the outline of how people are going to accomplish the task at hand.

How is Vision Used in Leadership?

When you research the great leaders of history, all of them expressed a vision that brought people together behind his or her efforts to create a team that accomplished a goal that otherwise would have been impossible to achieve. All effective leaders have within them the vision to achieve all sorts of goals and the knowledge in how to get others to follow.

Express the Goal: First and foremost, the people on your team must know the goal that has to be accomplished. In fact, it is the initial expression of this goal that accomplishes most of the task as people get excited to what you plan to achieve and how it can be accomplished.

Outline the Effort: Details are not really necessary, but it is important to establish roughly just how a particular task is going to be achieved. This means doing a basic outline of what needs to be accomplished, a time frame in which it will happen and what resources are needed in order to finish the task.

Push to the End: You’ve expressed it, shaped it and now you must motivate your team to finish the task. This will mean expressing your vision in ways that appeals to the individuals who are working for you to reach that goal. People feel more trust and work harder if they share your vision and are motivated by what its completion will accomplish for them as well as others.

A leader does not need to be the smartest or most talented member of the team, but he or she must have the vision to lead and the ability to express that idea in a manner that pulls people aboard. Understanding and expression your vision is one of the vital keys to bringing out your leadership qualities.