Seven Signs of Visionary Leaders

If there are a bunch of people in a room and you are asked to identify those who are visionary what would you do? Would you talk to each person individually to find out who is visionary and who is not? Would you assign them some tasks in order to watch them and identify the visionary ones? Would you divide them in groups and observe which ones act as visionary leaders? Visionary leaders have some signs that make them stand out from the rest of the crowd. Following are 7 signs of visionaries.

They are imaginative

Visionary people can visualize things easily. When you talk to visionary leaders you can recognize them from the rest of the crowd because of their imagination. Visionaries can imagine future possibilities in their minds and then explain what they have imagined clearly. They imagine things that others cannot imagine. Through their imagination they can draw future possibilities for their organisation.

They are big-picture oriented

You can recognize visionaries by their ability to see the big picture. In a group of people, visionary ones talk about the big picture and how various factors link together to create that picture. They see the whole process and not a single step.

Since visionary leaders are big-picture oriented, they are not attached. They are not worried about why this happened and why that did not happen. They enjoy the whole process. They are patient. They see all the links in the big picture and therefore they do not blame others.

They are focused and present

When you are in presence of a true visionary, you can feel their power. Visionaries are powerful because they are focused and present. In other words, focus and presence create power.
Since visionaries are present and focused, you can connect with them when they talk about what they have in mind, when they teach you something, or when they perform a task. People are more drawn to those who are focused and present. 

They are open minded and fan of new ideas

Visionaries have open minds. They do not limit themselves to their own thoughts and ideas. When you talk to a visionary leader, he or she is open to what you talk about and listens to your ideas and thoughts attentively.

One thing that differentiates visionary leaders from other open minded people is that visionaries tell you their expectations upfront. They give you a big picture of what they have in mind. Then they let you be creative and come up with new ideas and thoughts on how to achieve that vision. They encourage you to be as creative as possible and never afraid of presenting your so called silly ideas.

They are positive energizers

Another sign of true visionaries is their positive attitude. Since visionaries are passionate about and connected with their vision, their positive energy level is typically high. As such, they act as positive energizers; that is, they recharge people with positive energy.
Due to their positive attitude, true visionaries are surrounded by positive people who are willing to help them achieve a common vision.

They are never afraid of failures

As mentioned earlier, true visionaries see what others cannot see. They see the big picture. They see the links among different events. They see possible obstacles. They know there would be challenges along the way. They know they might have temporary setbacks. But they also know the great value of fulfilling the vision. Therefore, true visionaries never give up. They are not afraid of failures because they know that failures are part of the process as well.

In a group of leaders, true visionaries can be recognized with their tendency towards taking risks and transforming those risks to opportunities. Their positive approach and their focus on the vision help them not be afraid of failures. Such leaders are willing to discover new paths and become searchlights for others. This is the secret of their success.

They share and communicate the dream/vision

One of the big signs of visionaries is their willingness for sharing their vision with the world. They don’t keep it to themselves because they know that they cannot get to the destination alone. They need others for filling the gaps and that is why they communicate their vision and dreams with others to attract the right people.

If you have these signs, I congratulate you for being a visionary leader. If you don’t have some of these signs, you can take the lead and improve your skills toward becoming a fully visionary leader.