Vision and Leadership
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Visioning for CEOs is a topic that I often address on this blog. I don’t do so in an attempt to torture you with redundant thought, but rather because I believe it is a message that is often taken far too lightly by chief executives. A CEO’s ability to perform effectively is so closely tied to their ability to form a clearly articulated vision, evangelize the vision and then to execute on their vision, that no real discussion on executive leadership should take place without an emphasis on vision. Put simply, I believe that leadership absent vision is a train-wreck waiting to happen. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that you simply cannot decouple the two without causing an organizational implosion. In today’s post I’m going to share a few brief thoughts on visioning for CEOs, as well as providing you with the thoughts of others on the importance of vision…
Examine any list of great leaders and you’ll find that to the one, they have a clarity and purpose of vision. The good news is that CEOs without vision will take care of themselves in short order, as they simply won’t survive for long. However worse than the CEO with no vision, is a CEO with the wrong vision. These CEOs can often go undiscovered for great lengths of time before their poorly constructed vision bubbles-up to the surface, by which time it is often too late to repair the damage. Many a good enterprise has been blown to pieces by a CEO with either no vision or the wrong vision.
It should be clear by now that I believe your vision or lack thereof will shape your destiny as a CEO. But hey…you hear that from me on a fairly consistent basis. So in today’s post I thought I’d share the thoughts of others on this topic so you can see that I’m not alone in placing great emphasis on the correlation between great vision and success as a leader…
“The empires of the future are empires of the mind.”
- Winston Churchill
“Destiny is not a matter of chance, but of choice. Not something to wish for, but to attain.”
- William Jennings Bryan
“To grasp and hold a vision, that is the very essence of successful leadership.”
- Ronald Reagan
“Dissatisfaction and discouragement are not caused by the absence of things but the absence of vision.”
- Anonymous
“The future belongs to those who see the possibilities before they become obvious.”
- John Scully
I can teach anybody how to get what they want out of life. The problem is that I can’t find anybody who can tell me what they want.”
- Mark Twain
“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours.”
- Henry David Thoreau
“After character, the ability to create, evangelize, and execute on your vision is what will make or break you as a leader.”
- Mike Myatt (couldn’t resist slipping one in)
“Create your future from your future, not your past.”
- Werner Erhard
“No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see the possibilities – always see them, or they’re always there.”
- Norman Vincent Peale
“Where there is no vision the people perish.”
- Proverbs 29:18
“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it,but that it is too low and we reach it.”
- Michelangelo
I hope these thoughts will inspire you to take stock of your vision, and focus on its attainment as a top priority in the execution of your duties as a leader. I would love to hear your thoughts and observations in the comments section below. Don’t be shy – jump right in…
Related Post: Vision vs. Mission
Thats a gud advice Mike and keep the good work up and empower you generation
Good post, Mike
Ah… the 'Vision' Thing
… the underpinning of great things to come. Jim Collins did a good job of addressing this as have you in prior posts.
Vision is often misunderstood. I find that it's rarely this bolt of lighting epiphany and rather a collective result of thinking systemically about solving a key problem. If the picutre of the solution is the right one, the key is then communicating it in a way that it excites others to make the vision their own.
Well done
M
Thanks for the comment and the kind words Orabile.
Great thoughts Mark – A leader who fails to transfer their vision has failed to understand the value of a vision. It is far more than an ethereal statement – it is a catalyst for creating a focused, impassioned and productive workforce. Vision is the core of culture, and without it organizations will never move beyond mediocrity – if they get that far. Thanks for sharing Mark.
I agree completely that vision is the underpinning of any successful venture, be it corporate or personal. In fact, I would go so far as to say that an executive needs to begin with his own personal vision (lead himself) in order to successfully navigate a corporate vision (lead others).
This is such a great reminder as to the necessity of getting back to the basics.
Another terrific post Mike!
Thanks for sharing Bridget. I always appreciate your insights and observations. On another note, check the Twitter time line and join in on my fill in the blank challenge. Thank Bridget..
Good post Mike. I'd add that a good vision isn't just the leader or the organization. It is seen my the followers ABOUT the followers.
Action without vision is like being blind. Vision without action is like dreaming through life. So essential to have both!
Hi David – great point…a vision that doesn't span the entirety of the organization to the extent that any group doesn't feel alignment with, or ownership of the vision, you have a failed vision. Thanks for sharing David.
Well said – they go hand in hand with neither one being as effective without the other. Thanks for adding to the conversation.