I Just Had A Vision.....

 "Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." -- Warren G. Bennis

"A leader without vision is like a piano player without a piano or a kite without wind." -- Jonathan Michael Bowman 

There are two similar words in both of these quotes. Can you find it? The word I'm referring to is "leader" and "vision". A leader is someone who motivates individuals to push themselves/company to a specific goal or vision. A vision is having the ability to think about or plan the future with imagination or wisdom. When I combined the definitions, this is what I came up with: A leader with a vision is someone who motivates their company or team to accomplish goals that will positively affect them in the future. 

  This week in class we talked about leadership and vision. We discussed how important it is for leaders to have a vision. A leader without a vision cannot take their work to new heights. I believe that when leaders have a plan/vision for the companies future that they are able to help their employees work towards accomplishing all the goals that they have set. 

This week for my blog I'm going to discuss the importance of vision in leadership and the ways a visionary leader positively affects those around them. Let's jump right on in!

Now we all may have heard of Raven Baxter from the hit Disney Channel Show That's So Raven. If you've never heard of the show let me catch you up! In the show, Raven Baxter would have visions that would give her a glimpse of her future. Some of her visions would be good, others not so good. Nonetheless, she would do everything in her power to not mess up the good visions that she saw, but she would try to prevent the bad ones from happening. Although this show is fictional, I believe that it coincides with the message I'm giving you all today. A leader with a vision is someone who will potentially have setbacks, but because of the vision that they have, they will do everything possible to recover from it. 

Having a clear vision allows leaders to guide their company/team in a forward-moving direction. Like Raven Baxter, when we see the good visions we don't want anything to mess them up, but like Baxter, there are obstacles that may come along the way, but having a clear plan for a vision allows leaders to come up with internal communication plans to help prevent or be prepared for problems that may or may not happen. 

I read an article by Chantel Bechervaise, 5 Reasons Why Vision Is Important. The 5 reasons why she believes vision is important are:

1. Vision shows us where we are headed
2. Vision provides motivation and inspires us to keep going
3. Vision helps to keep us moving forward and move through obstacles
4. Vision provides focus
5. Vision gives us meaning and purpose to what we do

Vision shows us where we are headed: 

• Having a clear vision allows leaders to see where the company is headed. It allows for them to plan for and around different types of issues that may come up. The vision helps you prepare for the future and based on the article a lot of companies lack a business plan.

Vision provides motivation and inspires us to keep going

• The reward or end result of the vision is what keeps leaders going. It's the fire that makes them keep pushing and it helps them motivate their employees to keep going until they reach their ultimate goal. Like, in That's So Raven,  her visions are what kept her going and she motivated her friends to help her prevent or execute the vision at hand. 

Vision helps to keep us moving forward and move through obstacles

• We have all faced challenges in our life, I never let my challenges define my character. A leader's vision of what they see in the future helps them push through all obstacles they may face. I believe that obstacles define character and having a plan/vision is what helps leaders combat their challenges. 

Vision provides focus

• "As a leader, acting on your vision will provide you with the focus needed to accomplish your goals. Vision helps leaders work on what is important to achieve the end results and not get caught up in the mundane stuff. Having a vision allows leaders to remember whats important and remember to do all that is possible to accomplish the vision. It helps leaders to focus on the 20% that is important instead of the remaining 80% that can be delegated and handled by others." (Bechervaise, 2013). Raven Baxter faced many obstacles while trying to reach her vision but she didn't let small details get into her way. She stayed focus until she was able to accomplish her goals.

Vision gives us meaning and purpose to what we do

• Having a vision reassures and reminds leaders on why what they're doing is essential. There are a lot of things that go on behind the scenes with leaders that others cannot see. They face challenges that no one knows about but small wins and their visions is what reassures them that their work isn't going unnoticed. Raven Baxter sometimes would doubt herself and wonder why she was given the power to have visions but whenever her visions positively impacted herself or those around her, nothing else mattered. 

Like Raven Baxter, true leaders have visions and plans for themselves and their companies. Their vision is their shining light at the end of the tunnel. Their vision motivates them which helps them motivate those around them to achieve their goals. Visionaries motivate, energize and inspire others to work toward the same goal. The next time you have a leadership role and someone asks if you have a vision I want you to be like Raven Baxter and Say: