It’s safe to say that the vast majority of leaders spend a lot of time thinking about the future. They prefer to consider where they’re headed instead of where they’ve just been. The opportunities of tomorrow are more important than problems of the past which have been sufficiently considered so that the lesson has been learned. Not many professionals possess this ability to look forward, but those that do are recognized by the industry as visionaries. Here are 10 key qualities to help you become one at your organization.
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Likeability is not their top concern
Leaders who focus on being liked won’t have enough time and energy to follow their vision and inspire others to do it as well. As a result, their vision will fail. Visionaries aren’t interested in being liked by their colleagues. They’re far more interested in earning their respect through their accomplishments. It’s their skills, work ethic and integrity that do the job for them. Visionary leaders are able to put everything else aside and keep their concentration on the organization’s success, not necessarily their personal success.
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They’re inspired and inspire others
Visionary leaders are excited about the prospect of creating a future for themselves. Every single day, they get up and look forward to their day. Their make a continual effort because they realize that these little accomplishments pave the way to achieving something great in their lives. They’re inspired and their enthusiasm is easily spread across their team and the entire organization, motivating workers to join in and realize this vision.
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They’re balanced
Visionary leaders need the right balance in their lives. This kind of leadership requires a clear vision, but that’s not all. Leaders need to know how to empower others in their professional relationships. They drive innovation wherever they find themselves. Visionaries need to have their cognitive and emotional attributes balanced. They also boast a high level of integrity and strong principles. With one of these dimensions missing, developing a vision is simply impossible.
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They’re optimistic
Visionaries have a positive attitude towards life. Whatever happens, they’re able to spot opportunities – even in occurrences others would simply brush off as failures. They look for positivity in every situation and person. They always search for valuable lessons offered in every problem.
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They value integrity
And they strive for it themselves. They’re honest and always tell the truth. They’d never lie to their colleagues, or anyone else for that matter. They don’t need to do that because they realize that living in truth with themselves and others is what makes them engaged and creative. Integrity is a key value of any kind of leadership, but it helps visionaries to focus on what’s really important to realizing their vision.
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They have a sense of purpose in their lives
In practically every aspect in their lives, visionaries have their goals and plans. They like to have something to look forward to. They’re clear about where they’re going and know what to do in order to get there. Everything they do has a purpose behind it – they don’t like to allow fate to dictate their lives. That’s how they’re able to accomplish much more than an average person who just lives their life without any concern for what happens next.
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They build their vision over time
Is a visionary leader born visionary or is it something they acquire with time? We’ve all been fascinated by these leaders who seem to possess that little something special that allows them to build their vision and spread it across an organization. Most of the time, their ability is the fruit of hard work, not inborn talent. Visionaries know how to inspire others becuse they’ve been thinking and working very hard to formulate their vision. If you want to grow into a visionary leader, prepare for some really hard work ahead of you.
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They’re responsible
Visionaries take personal responsibility for mistakes. They never complain or make excuses. Instead, they strive to learn and progress towards their goal. They feel responsible for every single setback, but this knowledge doesn’t paralyze them. It instead motivates them to act, and fast. They don’t feel like victims of circumstances. They’re in control, so whatever happens – it’s their responsibility. That’s why they’d never blame anyone else for what went wrong, but focus on developing a solution to the problem.
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They constantly look for learning opportunities
What visionaries are always searching for are opportunities for growth. This is something they share with all professionals who want to continually learn new things and develop into better qualified workers. But they simply take the opportunities which present themselves in their career. Visionary leaders, on the other hand, are able to create learning opportunities for themselves and people around them. These occasions are motivating and inspire employee loyalty, consequently improving product quality.
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They’re action-oriented
Visionary leaders are always in motion. They like to try something and if it doesn’t work to their expectations, they try something else. They never give up and always keep looking for effective solutions. They like to take action instead of thinking endlessly about a host of different possibilities. They never allow themselves to be paralyzed by their own predictions for the future.
If you decide to follow the right example, you stand a chance at developing that quality of vision that characterizes all the business gurus we admire. Becoming a visionary leader is absolutely within your reach.