Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 46 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Are you living your vision?
— From The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow by John C. Maxwell
One of the most creative and inspired dreamers of the 20th century was Walt Disney. “Any person who could create the first sound cartoon, first all-color cartoon, and first animated feature-length motion picture is definitely someone with vision,” says leadership guru John C. Maxwell in his insightful book The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader. He continues, “But Disney’s greatest masterpieces of vision were Disneyland and Walt Disney World. And the spark for that vision came from an unexpected place.”
The story that follows is wonderful. When Disney’s two daughters were young, he would take them to an amusement park where the girls and he would have a blast. The carousel, apparently, captivated Disney, “a blur of bright images racing around to the tune of energetic calliope music.” Yet upon a closer look, especially when the carousel stopped, he realized he had been fooled because the horses were shabby and had cracked and chipped paint, and the only ones that moved up and down were the ones on the outer row.
That disappointment is what gave him the grand vision of Disneyland, “an amusement park where the illusion didn’t evaporate, where children and adults could enjoy a carnival atmosphere without the seedy side that accompanies some circuses or traveling carnivals… [and specifically where there’s] no chipped paint [and where] all the horses jump.”
Vision is indispensable for a leader, says Maxwell. “Vision leads the leader. It paints the target. It sparks and fuels the fire within, and draws him forward. It is also the fire lighter for others who follow that leader.” And to improve your vision, he suggests the following actions:
Measure yourself. If you have previously thought and shared your vision for your life or business, measure how well you are carrying it out by talking to key people. If your significant other, friends and colleagues can tell you with certainty what your vision is, very likely it means that you are living it.
Write it down. If your vision has stayed in your mind all this time, it’s time to get it out in writing. “Writing clarifies your thinking. Once you’ve written it, evaluate whether it’s worthy of your life’s best. And then pursue it with all you’ve got.”
Do a gut check. “If you haven’t done a lot of work on vision, spend the next several weeks or months thinking about it. Consider what really impacts you at a gut level.
What makes you cry?
What makes you dream?
What gives you energy?
Lastly, Maxwell says, think about what you’d like to see change in the world around you. I’ll leave you with this question as food for thought: “What do you see that isn’t—but could be?” Remember that you can seize only what you can see.
ACTION
TODAY: Take a moment to review your vision. Measure yourself as per the exercise above. Are you living/embodying your vision? If yes, SUPERCONGRATS!! If not, what changes do you need to make to start living it?
FUTURE: When embarking on any new plan or project, always keep your vision in mind. Ask yourself if what you are about to start gets you closer to fulfilling that vision.
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