It’s been said before: leaders must have vision. But, how do we fine-tune our vision so that it progresses from simple black & white, moves to color, advances to Technicolor, and eventually expands to provide the clarity of 3D/HDTV?

As a leader, an unfocused, unclear, or ill-defined vision, or one that is lackluster, dull, or without dimension, will create an uninspired reaction from your team, and will prevent the goal from being attained. To move towards that coveted 3D-HDTV vision, here are 4 ways to create a vibrant, focused, multi-dimensional picture of your leadership goals:

1. WRITE IT. Nothing helps bring a fuzzy, incomplete, or underdeveloped picture into focus better than writing it out. By putting your vision into words, you’ll be better able gauge where any holes or inconsistencies exist. In addition, crafting your vision into a plan will give it life and substance that will take it from black & white to color.
2. SHARE IT. Verbalize your vision with your team. If your ideas remain locked in your head, or stay fixed to the paper you put them on, the vision ends there. To move forward, you must share it, explain it, and build on it with the help and involvement of your team. Once the group is on board, and can reiterate and even expand upon your ideas, you have moved your vision from color to Technicolor.
3. REPEAT IT. Don’t let your vision die or fade into the background. Keep repeating and reinforcing the goal, so your team and others involved will stay on track. Repeating your ideas over and over, until you think you’ve become a broken record, is essential to keeping the vision alive. To keep the momentum going, use words that excite and re-energize the team. Through the constant repetition and reinforcement that breathes new life into your plans, your Technicolor vision enters the realm of High Definition.
4.  DO IT. Making the vision tactile may be the hardest step of all. In some cases, the goal is intangible, and cannot be quantified easily in a concrete way. However, making the vision a reality, getting out there and doing it, is bringing the vision full circle.

Keep reading…tomorrow I’ll further discuss how to make that final move from High Def to 3D/HDTV vision.

–Sheri Staak