“The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it. Vision will ignite the fire of passion that fuels our commitment to do whatever it takes to achieve excellence. Only vision allows us to transform dreams of greatness into the reality of achievement through human action. Vision has no boundaries and knows no limits. Our vision is what we become in life.”—Tony Dungy
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During my high school years, several of my friends encouraged me to pursue a position in our student council. Despite their enthusiastic backing, I chose not to accept their suggestion. Although I was recognized as an honor student, I did not view myself as a leader.
Reflecting on that time, I believed I lacked the essential qualities of effective leadership, such as charisma, discernment, commitment, initiative, passion, discipline, and a positive attitude. Most importantly, a successful leader must possess a clear vision. As Theodore Hesburgh remarked, “The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision.”
“A leader’s role is to raise people’s aspirations for what they can become and to release their energies so they will try to get there,” says David Gergen. Ralph Lauren adds, “A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done.”
A leader without vision is bound to fail. “Vision is everything for a leader,” points out John C. Maxwell, an American author and inspirational speaker. “It is utterly indispensable. Why? Because vision leads the leader. It paints the target. It sparks and fuels the fire within and draws him forward. It is also the fire lighter for others who follow the leader.”
Helen Keller agrees. “The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but has no vision,” she said. Jonathan Swift has the same contention: “Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.”
One of the best leaders the world has ever known is Jesus Christ. He walked up to the fishermen and told them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” They dropped their nets and followed him. He met a woman at a well and said, “Follow me, and you will never be thirsty again.” She dropped her bucket and ran to get all of her friends.
The Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). And Jesus Christ had a vision for His followers.
Research indicates that individuals tend to exert greater effort and dedication towards projects when they grasp the overall importance of their specific roles. An examination involving aircraft assembly workers supports this assertion.
The workers were split into two distinct groups. One group followed instructions without further context, while the other group was taken to the engineering lab, where they were shown how their individual components contributed to the creation of an exceptional jet, designed to achieve unprecedented heights and speeds. Remarkably, the productivity of the second group increased significantly, as they recognized the value of their contributions within the broader framework of the project.
“Give to us a clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for – because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything,” Peter Marshall reminded.
Or to quote the words of Nobel Peace Prize winner Woodrow Wilson, “No man that does not see visions will ever realize any high hope or undertake any high enterprise.”
Follow your dream, so they say. But dreaming alone will not get you there. Work, too.
From 1923 to 1955, Robert Woodruff held the position of president at Coca-Cola. During his tenure, he aimed to ensure that every American serviceman worldwide could enjoy the soft drink for just five cents, regardless of the cost to the company. This was indeed an ambitious goal.
However, this aspiration paled in comparison to the broader vision he envisioned. Throughout his life, he desired every individual globally to have experienced Coca-Cola. As John Sculley, the former CEO of Pepsi and Apple Computer, remarked, “The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious.”
No one should underestimate the influence of a compelling vision. Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s, envisioned his empire long before it materialized, and he understood the path to achieving it. He created the company motto — “Quality, service, cleanliness, and value” — and consistently reinforced it to his employees throughout his life.
According to American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. For instance, he said, “One should be able to see that things are hopeless and yet determined to make them otherwise.”
There was this story about Thomas Alva Edison talking with the governor of North Carolina. The governor complimented him on his inventive genius. Edison told him: “I am not a great inventor.” To which the governor said, “But you have over a thousand patents to your credit, haven’t you?”
“Yes, but the only invention I can really claim as absolutely original is the phonograph,” Edison admitted. “I guess, I’m an awfully good sponge. I absorb ideas from every source I can and put them to practical use. Then I improve them until they become of some value. The ideas which I use are mostly the ideas of other people who don’t develop them themselves.”
“Leadership,” Warren Bennis said, “is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”
