You don’t have to be a CEO to be a visionary leader! Authors Ron Ashkenas and Brook Manville, through their HBR article of the same name (read it here), provide some very practical tips for people aspiring to be at the vision-casting table in their organisation.
The three opportunities that you need to grasp, no matter where you are in the organisational structure, are:
- Contributing to senior leader’s vision work
- Translating the company vision for your team
- Developing a new front-line vision that can be cascaded up through the company.
The article explains these in much better detail with great case studies, so this summary barely does it justice. However, it does conclude with a few tips for getting involved in the three opportunities listed above:
- Get clear on what vision is and why it matters
- Watch for different kinds of opportunities to contribute
- If you find a vision-building opportunity, don’t do all the deciding alone
- Learn by watching or studying other vision-building.
Visioning requires practice, so take the chance, at any level, to practice and learn.
Avondale Business School (ABS) can help you develop your vision, to find out how, contact Dr Warrick Long at [email protected]