Implementing the Vision

Senior vs Lower Level Leaders

Senior vs Lower-Level

While senior leadership has the authority and responsibility to change the system as a whole, leaders at lower levels direct supervisors and subordinates to seek and perform tasks more appropriate to the challenges of the new age.

Leader Responsibilities

Leader Vision Responsibilities

To do this, leaders must:

Communicate the vision
Bolster Airmen's courage and understanding
Solicit ideas and suggestions

Maxwell Quote

*"A great leader's courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position."* — John C. Maxwell, *The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership*

Enduring Vision Required

Enduring Vision

Every leader needs to establish an enduring vision.

Vision and Style Must Evolve

Vision Must Evolve

As technology and our environment continue to evolve, our vision and leadership style must keep pace.

Continual Re-Vision

A vision that meets the organization's needs at the time of implementation, over time is likely to require re-vision, therefore the vision forming process should be continual.

Don't Modify Arbitrarily

On the other hand, the vision should NOT be arbitrarily modified.

Affirm Working Vision

If the vision works and is aligned with environmental and technological developments, the vision should be affirmed and supported.

Mental Imaging

Human Brain Feature

The ability to form mental images of a possible outcome and translate these images into a reality through leadership and action is a unique feature of the human brain.

Anticipate Future Influences

Anticipate Influences

A leader should constantly anticipate the influences, trends, and demands that affect the vision over the next month, year, and even decade.

Vision Standards

To be of realistic value, the vision must be:

Logical
Deductive
Plausible

Specific Yet Unbounded

Vision must be:

Specific enough to provide real guidance to people
Unbounded enough to encourage initiative
Demonstrate relevancy to a variety of conditions

Refuse Complacency

Leaders with vision are compelled to:

Overcome complacency
Refuse to accept the norm of doing things as they have always been done

Implementing the Vision