Many Leadership authors identify “Creating a Compelling Vision” as an indispensable leadership skill.  Where most leaders get hung up is “How do you do that?”  Some leaders feel as if creating a compelling vision comes from a random moment of creativity and inspiration that either happens or doesn’t.  It is not that they can say, “Okay, for the next hour I will invent an entirely new approach to this business from which we will derive our strategic direction for the coming decade.”  It just doesn’t happen that way, and leaders know that.  So, when you tell them that creating a compelling vision is a skill they need to have, they are lost.

Let’s face it, people think in different ways.  Some people tend to think in terms of the future and possibilities, while others tend to be more focused on facts and data and what is in front of them now.  It does not mean that the latter group is incapable of thinking in future terms.  Equally important, though, is that while the former group may spend more time thinking about the future and possibilities, it does not mean that they are any good at it.

So, how does one create this compelling vision?

Well, first, I don’t see creating a compelling vision as being an indispensible skill.  I see it as an being indispensable outcome!  It is the result of strong process employed by the leader.

In the case of Creating a Compelling Vision there are a few elements that need to be satisfied:

- it needs to be created;

- it needs to be a state that does not currently exist;

- it needs to be inspiring or motivating to the people who care about it.

So, what will get you there?  What actions on the part of a leader will result in that outcome?

Think about it.  It needs to be inspiring or motivating to the people who care about it.  Most leaders think that they have to know all the answers…that they somehow must be omniscient by virtue of their appointment to an exalted position.  They feel, therefore, that THEY must come up with all the answers.  Asking opinions, involving others, listening to and using others’ opinions, would be sign that they are not qualified…that they are an “imposter”.  Unfortunately, the end result of that line of thinking is that, in fact, they do try to do it all themselves, they invariably do not accumulate all the input they need, consequently they achieve outcomes that are substandard, and they, therefore, actually become the imposter they feared.

I don’t see creating a compelling vision as being an indispensible skill.  I see it as an being indispensable outcome!  It is the result of strong process employed by the leader.

The process of creating a compelling vision requires understanding the combined visions of all those who care about the business…your constituents.  As the leader you must believe in that vision in order to draw your own highest level of commitment to it.  However, it does not mean that it has to be yours and yours alone.  The “other people who care about it” must also be committed to it.  It requires knowing who those people are. It requires listening to them, understanding what that preferred future looks like to them, and incorporating their interests.  It involves incorporating your own interests.  And, it requires synthesizing all those interests into a single direction which strikes the best balance between them.

The result is a vision that is owned by all the constituents and supported by them.  That ownership and support make it compelling.  That ownership and support generate the energy necessary to make the vision a reality.