In college I wanted to backpack through Europe and study in Oxford – a dream that seemed too far-fetched to become a reality, until a good friend invited me to join him on such a trip with a program through his university. Fulfilling my vision presented challenges I wasn’t initially equipped to handle.

This Week’s Edition

What is your vision for 2022?

Clarify Your Thinking

The leadership textbook says you must have a vision and communicate it clearly so that it inspires activity from your team. The results of this can create greater clarity and belief of what it is truly possible. This generates momentum that propels the team toward the vision.

For leaders this is a weighty responsibility which can cause some leadership thinking issues:

• How do I come up with the vision?

• If it’s too big or grand, will it be realistic to achieve?

• How do I get team buy-in?

• What if I think it’s too risky or don’t even believe we can achieve it?

• How do I communicate it effectively today and for the long-haul?

These are only a few of the questions leaders wrestle with related to vision. As a result, they either don’t define a vision, or author something so diluted it fails to inspire or motivate the necessary action to fulfill the vision.

This causes the leader to doubt themselves. As a result, the team may begin to doubt the leader and the organization’s future by asking, “can someone tell me what we are doing?  Where are we going? It’s like we don’t know who we want to be when we grow up.” 

For my Europe vision, I had to inspire my team (my parents) to allow me to go and determine some creative strategy to pay for the sizable cost.  I had my doubts.

Thoughts Lead to Actions

Vision is a clear picture of your future state you want to realize and are committed to achieving. Defining vision starts with the leader answering the question: 

Where do you want to be in the future?

For your organization for 2022, take the time to define your vision (or grow clearer about it) with these prompts:

Step 1: Describe your organization at the end of 2024: 

• Describe everything that has been accomplished by then.

• Describe everything that will be in place in your organization at that time.

Step 2: Think big. Resist the urge to go with what is probably going to happen. Shoot for what’s truly possible!

Step 3: For qualitative elements of your vision, describe them more concretely, and for quantitative vision elements, expand on the description with the why behind it. 

That summer in Europe was a vision realized. At first the idea seemed impossible but making sure the Oxford credits transferred, convinced my parents. And I started my own swim lesson business to generate the funds. 

Like most leaders who have ever accomplished a big-sized vision, I live with the memory that I did it once and the belief I can do it again. So can you! 

As a leader, setting your vision for 2022 is essential to create the followership you will need to make it a reality.

Boost Your Performance

As we emerge from the pandemic it is time to dream again. Spend the time necessary to craft an out-sized vision for the future. Let’s go! Let’s have fun.

What’s Your Opinion?

What is your vision for 2022? Share it with me at: robin.pou@robinpou.com.

Don’t let doubt count you out. Have a confident week!

Robin Pou, Chief Advisor and Strategist

If this was helpful, feel free to share it with another leader who needs to defeat doubt and complete their confidence.

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What is “The Confident Leader”?

During the Covid-19 Pandemic, I began a video series called “Panic or Plan?” It was designed to equip leaders to navigate the doubt they experienced and to rise in the confidence they needed to lead during turbulent times. It took off. I then started this newsletter to equip leaders in the same fashion each week for the doubt that crashes across the bow of their leaderSHIP.