Leadership Tip: Look before you Lead

How to See like a Leader

“Vision” goes with leadership like “hot” goes with summer; but how do you develop a vision that is sufficiently inspiring, realistically achievable, and – most importantly – gets people where they need to go? You’ve got to learn to see like a leader.

Effective leaders keep two things in constant focus: What is and What could be. Seeing and managing that gap – in a person, in a project, in a firm - is at the core of what leadership is all about. Leaders must look to the future without losing sight of the present.

Who or what are you struggling with today? Are you too focused on your goals to clearly see what’s happening right now? Or are you so caught up in daily tasks that you’ve lost sight of what you’re really trying to accomplish? If so, sounds like a vision problem.

Try taking a few moments to see like a leader. First, look at What is: be honest, objective, and ruthless about the current situation. Next, look at What could be: be bold, creative, and wild about possible solutions. Finally, invite others into the process: give them freedom to tell you the truth about the present and to dream big about the future.

You need a clear picture of What is and What could be in order to provide practical and inspiring leadership that closes the gap. So when you’re faced with a challenge, take the time to look before you lead.

- Geoff


[ This tip originally appeared in Graceworks News. Sign up here for the newsletter. ]