{"id":46053,"date":"2020-03-09T01:04:55","date_gmt":"2020-03-09T06:04:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=46053"},"modified":"2020-03-09T01:04:55","modified_gmt":"2020-03-09T06:04:55","slug":"why-leaders-cant-ignore-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/why-leaders-cant-ignore-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Leaders Can\u2019t Ignore Vision"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vision is a critical component of leadership. Yet, surprisingly, many leaders downplay the need for it. Here\u2019s an example. When George H. W. Bush ran for president in 1987, he knew he needed a way to connect with voters. So he asked a colleague to identify some issues that would resonate. <\/span><\/p>\n\n

Not so fast, said the friend. According to <\/span>TIME<\/span><\/i>, instead of providing a litany of winning issues, he \u201csuggested that Bush go alone to Camp David for a few days to figure out where he wanted to take the country.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d responded Bush, unimpressed by the idea, \u201cthe vision thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bush possessed many positive qualities but saw taking time to craft a vision as either pointless, uninteresting, or too difficult. And that cost him. Bush managed to win the election, but many saw him more as a manager than a leader. That perception ultimately undermined his 1992 reelection bid.<\/p>\n

In my experience, far too many business leaders also don\u2019t understand \u201cthe vision thing.\u201d They\u2019re often dismissive of, confused about, and ill-equipped to create compelling visions for their organizations. Here\u2019s why no leader can afford to ignore vision.<\/p>\n

People Are Hungry for Visionary Leadership<\/h3>\n

According to one study of 466 companies, respondents identified the following as one of the top-felt corporate deficiencies: \u201cLeaders who can create a compelling vision and engage others around it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our teams are hungry for something that requires their best effort, which depends on innovation in their thinking, and that inspires their imagination. And it\u2019s up to us to ask ourselves, \u201cDoes what we\u2019re trying to do as an organization provide that kind of inspiration?\u201d<\/p>\n

Some leaders have a clear mission statement or an effective strategy. But neither is a substitute for vision. Vision is an act of seeing what the future could be, then articulating that potential in an inspiring, clear, practical, and attractive way\u2014what I call a Vision Script.<\/p>\n

Vision Must Come from the Leader<\/h3>\n

I once worked for a CEO who wouldn\u2019t make time for vision. He didn\u2019t think it was his strength or even his responsibility. Instead, he appointed a committee, put me in charge of it, and said, \u201cYou guys do the vision thing. Come up with a vision for where we\u2019re going, and then let me know what you\u2019ve decided.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vision creation is not a project to be delegated to the team. The leader must generate the vision.<\/p>\n

Your first step in developing a compelling vision is to own the responsibility for it. That doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t involve others. For example, instead of sending us off on our own, my boss could have joined us at the table. If he had, his executives could have asked him the kind of probing questions necessary to arrive at a vision he could endorse. Be a leader who makes vision a priority.<\/p>\n\t\t