Leadership Means Inspiring Others to Share a Vision and Leading Change

Being in a position of leadership can sometimes be lonely, but you can't lead alone. You need to do more than cultivate your leadership skills, refine your vision of success, and consistently, honestly assess your individual progress.

Leadership means cultivating a connection with others, inspiring them, and sharing your vision to lead them towards a positive change. However, in a world that doesn't always seem to change in a way that aligns with your vision, focusing on what's important can be a challenge.

Leading Change in Changing Times

Some people say the only constant in life is change. I think that, for great leaders, there's another constant — the need to move towards a vision of success.

That vision is bound to change over the course of your career. What won't change is your desire to pursue it.

Taking Responsibility and Owning Your Vision

That desire — that need to keep acting in a way that furthers your vision — is what truly defines you as a leader. In a way, I think it's similar to golf.

What makes a casual golfer different than a professional? It's not just the level of skill or amount of time to golf, it's also the type of vision the two players have.

A casual golfer's true vision of success might not really have anything to do with golf. Maybe the vision would only be tangentially related, such as being able to set up a level of organizational success that allows for more time out of the office to play golf.

A pro golfer is likely to conceptualize success as being world domination of the sport. A pro is driven to break records, win world tournaments, and achieve awards.

In leadership, like in golf, you're personally responsible for all the actions you take — make sure they're all aligned to advance your vision of success.  

Communicating and Sharing To Inspire

Some leaders love to deliver speeches. Others prefer to lead by example. Regardless of what you prefer, all great leaders have a variety of communication and interpersonal skills that allow them to share their vision in any situation and across all levels of an organization.

You might think of this as charisma or natural leadership, but it's really a set of skills. Because each element of successful sharing and communication is a skill, you can practice and develop it.

Working Towards Inspiration

Just like golf, inspiring others is challenging — but it's something anyone can do with dedication. You have to learn how and when to use each of the clubs in your bag, just like you have to learn when to make a speech and when to have a private conference.

You will focus your vision as you follow it. Your ability to connect with and inspire people will improve with practice. It takes work, but the opportunity to lead an entire organization to success is worth it. 

What's the vision that truly drives you? How will you decide to pursue it?