Realizing Your Vision

Realizing Your Vision

by Cheryl Croall and Henry Evans

Leadership and learning are indispensable to one another.
~ John F. Kennedy

We believe that leadership is a lifelong journey and that real progress requires commitment and vision.   As you plan for the new year, imagine yourself at this time next year and think, “what would I be proud to have accomplished”?  Think beyond the bottom line, and picture what else would make you happy?  What kinds of people are around?  What is your work culture like?  How have you balanced work and family?

The ideas that ignite a fire within are the ones on which you should focus your efforts.   We’re all familiar with good-hearted ideas that fade after a few weeks and sit on the proverbial shelf.  That’s because we’re more likely to act towards something we are passionate about, instead of something that we ‘should do’.

To realize your vision, develop your leadership and cultivate learning, we offer three steps.

Get Real

Be open to exploring new ideas and considering feedback, and ‘check-in’ with others to see if your perceptions are on target.  To ‘get real,’ ask 3 people close to you the following 2 questions:

• “If there was 1 thing you would change about me, what would it be and why?”
• “What is a strength of mine you’d like to see me exhibit more often and where would you like me to apply that strength next year?”

Resist the Status Quo

It’s easy to let a busy schedule dictate what you have time to complete.  Without consciously making a decision to cultivate your life – weeks, months and years can seem to fly by.  As leaders, it’s our job to resist settling-in to inertia.  Adapting and enabling personal growth instills a culture of lifelong learning and development.

• Commit to your vision by making appointments with yourself to reflect on you and your intentions.  Treat the appointment with yourself as if it were with another person; keep the appointment and don’t be late!

Live Your Vision

To see your vision come to fruition, set realistic goals that:

• Focus on your strengths
• ‘Fit’ into your lifestyle
• Keep you feeling motivated

Achieving a specific vision doesn’t happen by accident.  Vince Lombardi states, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen endeavor.”

Our challenge to you: Be an active leader in realizing your vision and creating the future.  We hope this year exceeds your expectations.

For more information on how to Realize Your Vision, click here.

As always, we welcome your comments. Join us on facebook to share your experiences or email us at [email protected].