Over the last few weeks I’ve been avidly watching Olympic athletes from around the world compete. While I listened to the interviews and heard about the tens of thousands of hours they invested in their goal, one thing became clear: They all had a vision of victory. Warren Bennis said, “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” The reality achieved is based on the vision conveyed, and leaders are the conveyors of vision within organizations.
Without a leader consistently sharing a hopeful vision, individuals may lose their way and begin to focus more on the blood, sweat, and tears, ultimately questioning if the effort is worth it. In one of the most heartfelt Olympic moments, we saw Aly Raisman embrace her coach, Marta Karolyi, after winning her medal and exclaim, “I did it!” to which Marta replied, “You finally did it because you finally believed you could.”
According to Simon Sinek, “Working hard for something we don't care about is called stress; working hard for something we love is called passion.” Vision is what allows us to tap into passion. It increases the engagement, morale, and courage needed to embrace the risk that comes with rapid change.
Vision is indispensable to the success of an organization. “Good leaders must communicate vision clearly, creatively, and continually. However, the vision doesn't come alive until the leader models it,” says John C. Maxwell.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) equips a leader to convey a hopeful and inspiring vision. There are a number of emotional intelligence models available today, but two skills are common to most of them.
Embody Your Vision
Words matter, but actions matter as much if not more. A vision will have a short shelf-life if it’s fueled by lip service. Self-regard generates confidence in our words, and self-actualization drives our pursuit of what’s most meaningful. Aligning these two EQ skills allows the vision to come to life as the leader models it.
Build Relationships and Stay Positive
Interpersonal relationships grow trust. When high levels of trust are present, there are significantly less assumptions of negative intent. Healthy interpersonal relationships bring stability in times of rapid change, allowing a continued focus on the vision. Positivity originates in the EQ skill of optimism. Resilience is fueled by positivity, so we can remain focused on the vision and not distracted by anger.
Leaders who coveys these skills will be well equipped to keep the organization vision in focus and translate vision into reality.
