visionaryhow to be a

leaderby jenny munford

THE TERM“VISIONARY” ISECHOED A LOTWHEN WE TALKABOUT SOME OFTHE COUNTRY’SMOST PROMINENTFIGURES INBUSINESS.

Maybe you’re an entrepreneur or executivewho is chasing your own vision and trying toget your team to follow your lead, but youhaven’t yet landed on a formula for success.You might be missing some key aspects ofvisionary leadership.

The first two characteristics of visionaryleadership: Imagination and Big-PictureThinking.

DO YOU DREAM OFBEING A VISIONARY?

It’s unfortunate that we only seem toencourage imaginative thinking with children,telling them that they’re awesome when theydraw a picture of the sun and the sky andthey color the sun purple or the clouds green.

This kind of change-the-way-it-supposed-to-be imagination is just as necessary to a 5-year-old kindergartner as it is to a grown-upbusinessperson.

IMAGINATION

Not only can visionary leaders “imaginefuture possibilities,” but they are also able toacutely discern those out-there possibilitiesthat they see in their mind’s eye, and “thenexplain what they have imagined clearly.”

After all, from a business perspective, aleader’s visionary imagination is nothingwithout the ability to translate the vision.

IMAGINATION (CON'T)

Big-picture thinking is the business practiceof non-attachment. You’ve heard non-attachment mentioned in terms ofmindfulness and mediation.

To be clear, non-attachment is not being coldor devoid of emotion. But the true meaning ofnon-attachment means there’s a lot less toget stressed out about because you can seethe ever-evolving big picture of things.

BIG-PICTURETHINKING

If you want to be a visionary leader, you mustmake sure your mind's eye is surveying theentire journey without constantly gettingbogged down in all the small steps.

BIG-PICTURETHINKING (CON'T)

V I S I TJ E N N Y M U N F O R D . O R G

F O R M O R E L E A D E R S H I PA D V I C E