Develop Vision

"A visionary company doesn't simply balance between idealism and profitability: it seeks to be highly idealistic and highly profitable. A visionary company doesn't simply balance between preserving a tightly held core ideology and stimulating vigorous change and movement; it does both to an extreme."

--Jim Collins, author, Good to Great


According to the Proverbs: “Without vision, the people perish”. Likewise, without a clear vision, a business leader cannot effectively lead an organization in today’s highly competitive marketplace.

Very few people are born visionaries—most work hard at becoming so. By carefully following trends, studying all of the factors that affect your company, your industry, your line of work, and projecting ahead, you too, can achieve visionary status.

But it won’t be easy. First, you must develop a broad view of the world—well beyond the narrow interests of your company or your industry. Look at the world. Where does your organization fit? Where does it want to be? How will your company operate in today’s political and economic climate?

Next comes the need to project your vision broadly. How will your employees, customers and shareholders buy into your vision, and how will you communicate those things to them in a way that inspires confidence and action?

All challenges for you as the leader, but not insurmountable when you develop a clear vision of what is possible, what is likely and what can be avoided. Develop a vision and let it guide your actions.

(c) 2008 Adonis E. Hoffman