A vision statement distinguishes good leaders from plain bosses. What is an organizational vision? It’s a plan to success that can be reached in two to ten years. Effective leaders know it’s not wise to create a vision for success in isolation. Instead, they include team members to develop their company’s roadmap to success. Why? Because, employees have firsthand knowledge about the current state of their organization or industry and they can name needed resources.  Here are two articles that visit the notions of leadership and visioning.

In this first article, Mary Jo Asmus points out that a leader has to communicate the shared vision on a regular basis. Besides stating the vision to employees, leaders need to tell customers, suppliers and vendors. Then everyone will be on the same road map to success.

Inspiring others with what can be

When I was young the song “Que sera sera” (meaning, “what will be, will be”) was a popular and catchy tune that my mother sang to us as children.  It speaks of not worrying about the future and instead letting what happens, happen. As I’ve grown up and know the trials that leaders go through with ongoing organizational change, I’ve come to appreciate the power of “what can be” in envisioning a better future. See more…

This second article from Harvard Business Review reports that,  after honesty followers, or non-leaders, want progressive leaders.

To Lead, Create a Shared Vision

Being forward-looking—envisioning exciting possibilities and enlisting others in a shared view of the future—is the attribute that most distinguishes leaders from nonleaders. We know this because we asked followers. In an ongoing project surveying tens of thousands of working people around the world, we asked, “What do you look for and admire in a leader […] See more…

To sum up my post — employees want to work with leaders who are forward-looking and they want to contribute to creating a vision for their organizations.