Welcome to the summer leadership series — Week Two! Each week we cover 1 of the 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders and include a “case study” that you can share with your team, organization, family, and peers to inspire highly successful leadership!
This week is principle #2: Lead With a Vision!
What is Leading With a Vision
Your personal vision is your life compass. It is your why. It offers guidance, resolve, and drive when faced with distractions. It keeps you focused and dedicated despite external pressures. It grounds you with purpose and drive, resisting external pull. Developing your personal vision is where leading a life by design, rather than by default, begins.
How to Develop Your Personal Vision (and Vision Board)
To develop your personal vision, list your life roles, and for each life role, write down a concise “vision statement”that captures where you are going, what you would like to accomplish, and your ideal self and life. Want to make it a vision board? For each role, find one or two pictures that capture the essence of your vision statement, and you have a vision board! Here’s an article with five tips for an effective vision.
Writing an organizational vision? Consider your values, your purpose, and your organizational why. Capture this in a concise, clear statement. You can turn this into a vision board as well with pictures that capture your values and purpose.
Seven Case Studies
Melanie Perkins: Melanie Perkins envisioned a world where design was accessible to everyone. She co-founded Canva with the vision of creating a user-friendly, online platform that simplified design for the masses. Because of her vision, anyone can create professional-quality graphics easily, regardless of their design skills or financial resources.
Steve Jobs: Steve Jobs envisioned intuitive, beautifully designed technology seamlessly integrated into daily life. His pursuit of simplicity and elegance in personal computers, music players, and smartphones revolutionized industries, profoundly impacting how we communicate and interact with technology.
Wangari Maathai: Wangari Maathai envisioned a greener, more equitable Kenya. She founded the Green Belt Movement with the powerful vision of planting trees, combating deforestation, and empowering women. This movement is now spreading across and changing all of Africa.
Mahatma Gandhi: Mahatma Gandhi envisioned an independent India achieved through nonviolent resistance, advocating for truth, justice, and self-reliance. His vision, extending to social and economic empowerment, inspired millions in India and continues to influence global movements for civil rights and peaceful social change.
Walt Disney: The visionary behind the magical world of Disney envisioned a place where families could escape reality and immerse themselves in joy and wonder. Walt Disney’s personal vision led to the creation of Disney, a place where dreams come true for millions of people worldwide.
Malala Yousafzai: Her personal vision was to advocate for girls’ education in Pakistan. Having acid thrown in her face for seeking an education fueled her resolve and commitment to effect change. Her courage and determination resulted in her being the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate, sparking a global movement for education equality.
Muhammad Yunus: Yunus envisioned a world without poverty by providing microcredit to the impoverished, who were traditionally excluded from financial services. He founded Grameen Bank on this principle, believing that small loans could empower individuals to become entrepreneurs. His vision pioneered the concept of microfinance, lifting millions out of poverty globally and influencing development economics.
So, Now What?
Now, your personal vision may not change the world, but it will absolutely change your world! So consider your life roles, and what you would like to accomplish, and where you’re going. Articulate a vision statement for each life role. This vision will be your compass and guide through the blinding storms and strong currents of life. That’s becoming your best!
“When the vision is clear, the results will appear. Always remember why you started.”— Germany Kent
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