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Do you have your own unique Leadership Vision?

That’s the question I ask professionals who want to get on the next rung of the corporate ladder and position themselves as leaders.

Their answer is revealing. It offers them insights on what they need to work on before raising their visibility and going after the desired role or promotion.

You already know that a vision is a goal, something that you want to strive for and makes you want to do your best.

As a leader, it’s important to have a leadership vision that makes you want to try your hardest every day.

The truth is, you’re a leader even if your team comprises just you.

And if you are leading a team, then the success of that team depends upon your ability and skills to

• Equip your team with the tools, time and training to do the very best job possible.
• Focus the team on the game plan and the standards of performance that you expect.
• Provide real-time, evidence-based feedback on where they are absolutely nailing and also on what they can improve.

Here’s an even bigger truth.

You are Always Leading- On and Off Duty

Being a leader isn’t something you take on and off like a coat or a scarf. You can’t be a leader in a silo.

Leadership skills and operating from a leadership perspective is something leaders do on and off duty.

That’s because the skill sets that make a great leader also make great

• Spouses
• Parents
• Community partners
• Volunteers

AND

• Mentors

Great leaders don’t go to work and put on their leadership hats only to take them off when they leave. Great leaders lead in all that they do.

They lead by how they

• Solve problems
• Approach conflict
• Prioritize their schedule
• Treat people in their lives

AND

• Much more!

Great leaders succeed in their leadership because their leadership skills are engrained in their everyday life. How you see them when they lead is also how you’ll see them when they’re behind closed doors.

The team leader who bullies and pressurizes their team members most probably metes the same treatment to his or her family and friends.

On the other hand, the team leader who encourages team members applying emotional intelligence during conflict resolution uses that same skill in their off-duty interactions.

In the truest sense, everyone is a leader one way or another. Your title might not officially place you in a leadership role, but you are leading.

Whether it’s leading your family, friends, or a small group of people volunteering in the community, you are leading.

Taking on a leadership mindset on and off duty helps you to be more effective. The kind of leader people follow willingly and enthusiastically.

It’s important to realize that people are always watching, and in doing so they are evaluating one another’s leadership skills and getting behind the people who are leading the way.

People feel comfortable with others who are confident, considerate, and consistent in their behavior and their attitude.

Situational Leadership is a normal part of everyday life

Not all leaders desire to lead. Some people are placed in situations where they are required to lead despite their preference to blend into the crowd. Crisis situations often reveal true leaders calmly handle the situation and find the best situational solution available.

Leadership is important though and having the courage to lead…even when you don’t want to…is important too.

Sometimes you’ve got to take the reins and do what’s best for the situation.

Whether you plan to lead or find yourself leading unexpectedly, you are going to lead at some point. Everyone is leading somehow and making things better for others in the process.

Be aware of the importance of leadership and having a leadership mindset whether you are at work, at home, or in the community.

Especially of your impact on others and be sure that your leadership style is motivating and encouraging so you aren’t overrunning others or making them feel inadequate.

The best leaders consistently make those they lead feel empowered and capable of whatever tasks need to be done.

What this boils down to is that whether you’re a designated leader or become a situational leader, you need to have your own personal Leadership Vision.

What’s a Leadership Vision?

A leadership vision is a declaration of what kind of leader you want to be. It holds your values and beliefs as a leader and the goals you want to accomplish, whether they are company goals or personal ones.

This vision is important if you want to be an influential leader.

3 Reasons You Need to Develop Your Leadership Vision

When you develop your leadership vision, you now have something to continuously work towards and strive for.

This gives you the motivation to complete those goals that you have wanted to accomplish for yourself or your company.

When you need the push to be better, you can look towards your leadership vision (or think back to it) and be inspired.

Adhering to specific values and goals is a structured way of pushing yourself to complete them.

Leadership Visions Gives You a Path

Sometimes, a leader can feel lost in what they are supposed to be doing. If you have a leadership vision, you don’t have to worry about feeling lost. You can turn to your leadership vision and see the path that you want to be on and you can hop back onto that path.

Leadership Visions Give You a Focus

It’s harder to get distracted when you have a specific path that you are supposed to be following. Your goals that are in your leadership vision can provide focus when you aren’t sure of what to do.

Just like how you are supposed to be providing focus towards your team and your employees, a leadership vision provides that focus for you.

Leadership Visions Give Purpose

It is a wonderful feeling when you finally get to accomplish something in your leadership vision. With everything on your leadership vision being tied to your values and beliefs, being able to accomplish something related to that is a great feeling for any leader to have.

You have to work to strive for the vision that you have in your head. If you follow the path that you have set for yourself, you’ll eventually get there. When you do, you can know that you have accomplished something that makes you a better leader.

To be clear, a leadership vision is a declaration of what kind of leader you want to be. It holds your values and beliefs as a leader, and it holds goals of what you want to accomplish. These goals can be your company goals and they can be personal goals.

How good is your leadership? Do you have a Leadership Vision?