Inspire your team to greatness
The great George Washington, wasn’t as qualified as his contemporaries, Ben Franklin, or Thomas Jefferson. However, according to a study, by the very esteemed University of Virginia, the first president’s persona, was an eclectic mix of characteristics that made his role as president, go down in the pages of American history.
Cultivate these characteristics, today, and inspire your team, to greatness. Here is how.
- Effective Communication Skills
Good communication skills are vital to a visionary leader. You must know how to articulate your thoughts and verbalize your dreams, in order to explain it to your team. For the leader, communication is a two way street. Along with sharing your thoughts, learn to become an active listener. As more people, learn to ‘catch your vision’ , they learn to incorporate them, in a larger scheme of things. Visionaries involve others in reaching their milestones and help the team members meet their personal goals.
- Discipline
Actions speak volumes, especially when you’re a leader. To this end, a visionary leader, must be disciplined, to ensure his actions are portrayed properly and affect people positively. For instance, for analogy’s sake, imagine a visionary leader, to be a computer. While character is the CPU, Charisma is the output, it is Self discipline that is the main input here. What your character shows on the outside as charisma is the outcome of the level of discipline you use to tune the output. Always, remember, lack of discipline has a direct and adverse effect on your character.
- Intelligent Risk Taker
Visionary leaders, like Washington, are notable risk-takers. These leaders are willing to bet on something they believe in, but the bet is often a well calculated one. Visionaries are creative people that make a mix of initiative with the appropriate action. Visionaries take intelligent risks that capitalize on their existing conditions. This kind of leader starts small by taking measured steps than later bigger risks.
- Stubbornness
Resistance is one of the prime emotions you may face as a visionary leader. Your interest in creating change, can invite resistance. If there wasn’t a resistance, the change would have happened already! And if you aren’t facing enough resistance, you probably aren’t being visionary enough!
That means a healthy amount of resistance, or stubbornness is an essential quality of a visionary. The stubbornness to keep going. To push through resistance and to remain unfazed, irrespective of the doubting, or criticism. Examples of such visionaries are Steve Jobs, and the great Mahatma Gandhi. A fair warning though, don’t be a stubborn mule, as leaders don’t grow in isolation. That makes you arrogant. Great visionaries know when to listen and serve and when to stop listening and plough through.
5. The Best sales Person
Once you settle on your vision, you need to engulf others around your ideas. Those visionaries who succeed in spreading their vision have an unique ability to make it exciting, relevant and urgent to others. They make us want to ‘buy’ their idea, like the very best sales people.
This requires great communication skills, storytelling and the confidence to say, ‘Here’s my idea. I’m excited about it. And I want you to be excited about it too.’
So, do you want to be a more authentic visionary leader?