One characteristic I have noticed throughout history is that leaders are often visionaries. Examples are many and varied and below are just a few examples pulled out of the hat that have inspired generations.
Steve Jobs was very much a visionary. His ‘vision’ of products inspired other people to be innovative and driven. He saw how the Apple computer operating system should be ‘open’, and later the look of Apple Mac user interface, and in our present day the capabilities of the iphone. He was able to ‘see’ where technology needed to go, to meet the future needs of the user.
Sir Winston Churchill from a young age, around 12, had a vision that he was going to lead Britain. In the 1930s he ‘saw’ the rise of Nazism in Germany and spoke against it and predicted another world war and the need to prepare. Amazingly he rose to top leadership after a few failures in politics and from a low success rate in academia.
Florence Nightingale had a vision to help care for injured soldiers within hospitals, who at the time lay in the fields of battle to die of their wounds. This vision was the foundation of modern nursing.
Moses from the Bible was given ‘vision’ from heaven to lead the Hebrew people out of slavery in Egypt, to a new land of their own, living in freedom. The nation of Israel was born out of this vision and remains to this day.
Queen Elizabeth I – inherited the reign of a bankrupt, religiously divided, and vulnerable nation in 1558. Her vision for peace and stability for England was realised along with prosperity and strength of position within Europe.
Martin Luther King Jr. had a vision for ‘Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness’ for black and white people alike. Following peaceful protests and rallies, society was changed. This vision even today is rolling out across America and the world.
We all have spheres of influence and leadership at one level or another.
This blog begs the question, ‘What is my vision? What do I want to usher in?’
Hope you have a good month
All the best
Mike
Quotations:
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Sir Winston Churchill
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