Is your organization run with visionary leadership?
Let me be clear: I’m not talking about visionary leaders who started businesses based on novel concepts that positively impacted society. We need inventive thinkers with lofty ideas. I’m talking about pure visionaries interested only in conceptualizing business ideas, not involving themselves in the execution stages.
You see, visionary leaders typically have many ideas racing through their mind at the same time, each in a different stage of completion (or incompletion). One idea may progress to a certain point, only to be superseded by another. Sure, some ideas will be abandoned after a few primary thoughts, but others will morph into concrete descriptions for your staff to pursue.
For such visionary leaders the present isn’t as interesting as the future unless there’s room for improvement. They love to think outside the box and push the envelope of what’s considered feasible. These business mavericks find their optimism and hope in the next chapter, and they see their role as enhancing lives by creating new possibilities.
Visionaries enjoy thinking about what might be and how companies can improve. I’m intrigued by how Dr. Beatrice Chestnut describes visionary leaders’ idealistic tendencies in The 9 Types of Leadership: Mastering the Art of People in the 21st Century Workplace(Post Hill Press, 2017). They’re excited by new ideas—primarily those that come from their own mind so they can maintain control.
Cup-Half-Full
Visionary leaders view circumstances through a cup-half-full filter, where negative thoughts are avoided and only positive outlooks are permitted. This helps feed their creative juices and blocks negative emotions that hinder them. Negativity deters the creativity visionaries need to feel purposeful and happy.
If you recognize some of these tendencies in yourself, you may be a visionary leader. And while you may greatly benefit your organization, your focus on future possibilities may distract you from critical responsibilities. As a coach, I see how this jeopardizes operations and makes life harder for staff when visionary leaders neglect the tactical aspects of business. When discussing this with clients, we assess visionary tendencies and work toward a more balanced, healthy leadership style. The goal is not to quash a visionary approach, but to bring it into balance with other responsibilities.
What do you think? Is your organization run with visionary leadership? I’d love to hear from you. You can call me at 561-582-6060, let’s talk. And as always, I can be reached here, or on LinkedIn.
This Post Has 2 Comments
Amen!
I am a visionary leader and I fully agree with everything you just said. Its a constant battle to look to the future but live in the present. I have to surround myself with people who can help me execute and complete ideas before moving forward to my next shiny distraction.
Jeramiah, thanks for the comments. A leader’s job is to keep a strong view of the present and then take the time to look at the future because if you don’t know where you are right now, you won’t get to the future. It is very, very rare to find employees who have the ability to look future. they are by nature in this industry- doers.
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