After this week’s inauguration, I’m feeling calmer. Less burdened and anxious. Hopeful.
Listening to the speeches, poems (!!!), and prayers at the inauguration ceremony this week, I was struck by the clear, optimistic, inspiring vision that I heard. We the people were being rallied, called to rise to the challenges around us.
As I reflected on the day, I kept coming back to the idea of “vision.”
Vision is a must-have component of effective leadership — a truth that was made clearer to me over the past four years.
If you’re trying to create change, or build a movement, or drive any kind of community forward, you need a vision for the future. You need to paint a clear picture of that future. And you need a rallying cry to inspire people to join you on the journey.
I’ve never written a political speech, but I can see the clear parallels to business leadership and marketing. “Thought leadership” is about defining a vision for the future and bringing people along with you. You can’t lead without vision.
The tagline of my website says that I work with “visionary” leaders and companies. And when I think back to the leaders I’ve most enjoyed working with, they’re the people who had a compelling vision — a future they were excited to build and explore.
On the other hand, the leaders who have struggled the most to find their voice? They were unsure about the future. They hadn’t defined their vision, or it was still a little blurry. If you want to convince, inspire, motivate, and lead, you need vision.
How can you use your words and your leadership to paint a vision for the people who look up to you? Where are you leading people? What’s the path you’re asking them to walk on? Do they know their destination?
I’m inspired to put vision at the core of my work this year. I hope you are, too.
