How’s your vision?

I’m not talking about your eyes, but the eyes of your heart.  Are you a visionary?  How far can you see?

Every organization needs vision: they need to know where they are going, what they are capable of, what their potential is, what growth looks like.  If leadership is helping people be better, then vision is knowing what “better” looks like.  There are myriads definitions of “better” as varied as there are people, positions, processes, duties, deliverables, companies, communities, countries and the like.

Vision is really all about ‘who we can become’.  Vision involves hopes, dreams, plans, purposes and passion.

In Canada we believe vision is so important there is an ancient Biblical Proverb inscribed on the Peace Tower of our Parliament Buildings:

“Without a vision the people perish.”

Without vision, without hope, without dreams, without purpose and a passionate pursuit of who we can become we are lost.  We shift from really living to merely existing.

Companies are no different.  If you want your organization to really live, you need vision.  Without vision your organization will not simply shift from ‘living’ to ‘existing’ though, it can even cease to exist.  Vision is a powerful, profound and critical growth driver.

No vision, little or no growth.  Without vision you stagnate.

True visionaries see what is invisible to others.  And, as John Maxwell said,

“Good leaders must communicate vision clearly, creatively, and continually. However, the vision doesn’t come alive until the leader models it.”

Leaders need to be able to envision what is possible and then engage, equip and empower people to make that vision a reality.   Vision is the essence of leadership and is critically important for any organization to thrive.

Within every organization there are 3 kinds of people in regard to vision:

1. Vision Casters
2. Vision Catchers
3. Vision Killers

Vision Casters are those people we have been talking about.  They are the ones who see the possibilities, they see who “we” can become.  They are forward looking and rally people to become more that they realized they could be.  They initiate, create and launch vision.

Vision Casters need Vision Catchers.  Vision Catchers are those who can take hold of a vision and make it a reality.  Oftentimes visionary people do not necessarily have the ability to implement all that is necessary to make their vision a reality – they need the Vision Catchers to come alongside to bring reality into alignment with the vision.

Vision Catchers take hold of the vision being cast and can add to it, or flesh it out.  They put meat on the bones of the vision.  Vision Catchers are the ones who really do all the heavy lifting of implementation.  They bring the vision to fruition.

In reality, everyone within an organization needs to be a Vision Catcher.  Everyone on the team needs to be able to catch the vision.  Vision Casters need to be Vision Catchers as well.  If a Vision Caster can only follow their own vision, they have a problem.

The biggest problem within organizations are those I call Vision Killers.  They always have an excuse why something will not work.  Vision Casters and Catchers are ‘Can do!’ people, while Vision Killers are ‘Can’t do!’ people.  When Vision Casters and Catcher declare “Why not!”, Vision Killers ask, “Why?”.

A favourite phrase of the Vision Killer is, “Yes, but…”.  They might not even realize they are doing it, but whenever an idea is presented they will respond with, “Yes, but…” along with a reason why they think it won’t work or something that is wrong with the idea.  Vision Casters and Catchers train their people to say, “Yes, and…”.

Sure there are always issues that need to be considered in implementing an idea, “Yes, good idea, AND I think we need to make sure we take this into consideration…”.  “Yes, AND…”, not “Yes, BUT…”.

If a Vision Killer cannot be led to become a Vision Catcher then they need to go.  Don’t let your Vision Killers infect your Vision Catchers.  Everyone in the organization needs to be a Vision Catcher.

So what are you: Vision Caster, Vision Catcher or Vision Killer?