It’s been said that vision is the image of a preferred future.
Today I stumbled on this article by Tony Mayo on HBR, on the importance of vision.
In it he said,
Leaders… shape the parameters for success through a vision for a future.
I appreciated the way he said it because it reminded me that the leader needs to be both artist and engineer.
Artist in his ability to see and paint the picture of the future or tell it’s story, and engineer in his ability to help create systems and processes that will move the organization incrementally towards the goals.
In that short statement I was reminded to articulate the vision of the end, define metrics or milestones for the journey, and create systems, not just that will deliver the organization to its destination, but will not violate the ethics or values that define success.
You see, I think success is about more than just execution. There is a soul to success that must be nurtured and developed.
The soul of success asks questions of sustainability and responsibility and character and morality.
One great teacher once asked,
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
That’s why I think a great vision for an organization must include not just the destination but the parameters through which the success of the journey will be measured.
How do you measure the success of your organization or within your own life?
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