Vision - The Indispensable Quality of Leadership

Found the following in an e-mail today. The author of the concepts
is John Maxwell, a trainer of leaders who has sold millions of books
and trained International Leaders and Fortune 500 companies.

The information is brief and powerful and is something you can use right
away.

Vision - The Indispensable Quality of Leadership

All effective leaders have a vision of what they must accomplish. That
vision becomes the energy behind every effort and the force that pushes
through all the problems. With vision, a leader is on a mission. His or her
contagious spirit is felt among the crowd until others begin to rise along-
side.

One of the most common questions from people in leadership positions is,
"How do I get a vision for my organization?" That is a crucial question,
because until it is answered, a person will be a leader in name only.

Although I cannot give you a vision, I can share the process for finding
one:

Look Within You - What Do You Feel?

You can't borrow somebody else's vision. It must come from inside of you.
The thing that brings it out is passion.

Look Behind You - What Have You Learned?

Every leader's vision is based on his or her own personal experience. What
does your past tell you about your future?

Look Around You - What Is Happening to Others?

As a leader, you must always take into account other people. If others aren't
with you, you aren't leading.

Look Ahead of You - What Is the Big Picture?

Leaders don't get bogged down in the moment. They see everything from the
vantagepoint of the mountaintop. That's why their goals are called vision.

Look Beside You - What Resources Are Available to You?

Your vision must be bigger than you. The greater it is, the more resources it
will require. The best leaders bring all of the resources in their world into play
to accomplish something great.