Written by: Noel Powers, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
"Without Vision, the people perish." Proverbs 29:18
As a new president, John F. Kennedy (JFK) was energetically dedicated to furthering the great causes of the American legacy, but he saw what rightfully concerned him about doing so based on the state of the union, an anxious nation with no clear direction. A people of great capacity, of unparalleled drive, innovation, and industry that suffered from no collective goal to which they could apply that capacity for unity and achievement.
He was in a position all leaders find themselves. He saw a lack of direction and felt the weight of responsibility to decisively lead others to their best future, securing stability, welfare, and success through a defined purpose. The people were without vision and had begun to perish, and the evidence was the products of uncertainty, doubt, tension, and unease, a process of slow decay where the disengaged became the disenchanted.
Kennedy's Vision for America
Kennedy understood that to lead effectively. He must posit a vision that was worthy of the people it affected. To provide a new horizon. A destination that made people look “Up.” One that required them to reach and stretch and grow. He chose the moon.
Key experts, politicians, researchers, and agency heads warned him this mission was impossible, that they simply lacked the resources, the science, the talent, the ability to connect the disparate organizations that it would dispirit the people proposing the attainment of such a great accomplishment that could not be realized given present circumstances.
The first step he took was stepping out of the shadow of his own doubt into the light of inspiration and then invited others to do the same.
In his words, "We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."
What his vision accomplished:
Americans looked up at a promising achievement, not around at conditions that led nowhere.
They understood that fulfilling the vision was impossible without their individual contribution.
They understood implicitly that it was a vote of confidence for Kennedy to choose the most demanding and rewarding goal- and it brought out the best in people because they were reaching for greatness and
It proved that when you commit to a goal that is impossible now, the potential to achieve it flies back in time, unlocking peoples' desire and capacity to achieve it.
In the end, it wasn't science, technology, or mathematics that closed the distance of 238,900 miles from the Earth to the moon- it was the vision.
What stops you from pursuing your vision?
As a leader, your greatest accomplishment is providing a vision for others, choosing an elevated destination and a blueprint, select ideals, goals with fantastic tangible and intangible benefits that trigger engagement from people to invest in your "what is possible" to develop and contribute based on their unique, and growing aptitudes.
Too often, people assume leadership positions, become entrepreneurs, CEOs, and other roles because they are inspired to make a positive impact on other people's lives. They are driven by human elements of inspiration, collaboration, optimism, and the excitement of growing to the size of the next challenge. Then after initial success start to resemble the nay-sayers of the Kennedy era. They are removed from their source of personal inspiration and the nexus of traits that accompany it that make accomplishment possible, creating goals based on present resources and circumstances as the sole decider of aspiration.
You can pick the status quo or excellence.
Are you driving the curve or merely trying to catch up?
Most leaders eventually embrace the status quo over excellence and exceptionalism. Vision and inspiration slowly leave them, and another version of them emerges, someone that is limited in their thinking, personally removed, who asks for inspired actions from others without providing any as the lead role model. This trend relegates them from inspiring and aspiring leaders to average, complacent, dated authorities who wonder why their company follows suit, struggling for meaning, fading in relevance, a slow march of decline after a sprint of success.
They remove an all-encompassing vision, the source of human engagement, and wonder why people suffer, why uncertainty creeps in, promoting doubt, tension, and unease. Making a once exceptional team part of the general low-trust business culture that never looks beyond numbers on a ledger, a disharmonious blend of people with no reason to lead and no reason to follow.
Take the first step to lead with vision.
If you lead with vision, the people will flourish.
Decide today what inspired destination will be your company's chief aim. Look inside yourself for the most meaningful enterprise to plug into the operation of a business. Follow the example of great visionaries like President Kennedy, never heed what the experts deem realistic only to trail perpetually behind others, reaping average returns but instead step out of the shadow of your own doubt and share a vision with others that let them know the “extra” they give is a personal contribution to greatness to a cause worthy of their best efforts.
Be bold, focus on your ideals, find a solution for some problem, engaging the higher energies and aspirations of the teams you gather. Let the possibilities unlock with their potential as you push and drive others forward to gather increasing support and reward on the new trail you blaze.
When you teach others to look “Up,” you will always lead the next best trend, your company reaping the profit, prestige, and preeminence based on your legacy of excellence benefitting those you love to serve most.
Noel Powers is a Business Vision Coach, speaker, and writer of 20 years and a 2021 Brainz CREA Award nominee. If you are inspired to provide a Vision for your company to maximize engagement and profit, book a free 15-minute discovery call to uncover your best leadership capacity today! Download the free PDF Vision to Profit and receive weekly keys that unlock your power as an entrepreneur. Npoweredlife.com
Follow Noel on Facebook, Linkedin and subscribe to her Youtube Channel for more information.
Noel Powers, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Her lifelong passion for helping entrepreneurs unlock their potential by discovering their vision and leadership style inspired her to create NFactor Coaching, combining the best practices from her 20 years of training and teaching in some of the world's largest business training circuits, including BNI and Peak Potentials.
Noel takes clients through a unique Vision-to-Profit process, identical to the thinking and habits that led many of the leaders of today's top companies (like Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and Sarah Blakely) from inspired start-ups to industry dominance. Noel facilitates this process, teaching Entrepreneurs and CEOs the unique traits (she has coined "E" traits) that UNLOCK their power to instantly lead and grow their companies with Vision with a convenient, online Trademarked 12-Week Shakedown.
This interview with Coach Noel will share powerful tips that help you employ the human elements of Visionary Leadership to build a brand people want to buy so that you can transform your company's vision into profit.
