Create the vision

Key Idea
Effective leaders create a vision that others will support with their hearts and minds. Simply stated, a vision is a description of an altered and improved future. Your vision need not be grand or necessarily innovative. However, it does need to be sensible, and to motivate people to achieve it.
A vision has three important purposes:

• First, it clarifies the general direction for the future: since people are often confused or disagree on the paths their group, unit, or organization should take, they can become mired in indecision. By establishing a clear direction, a vision helps people make decisions and move forward more confidently.
• Second, a vision motivates people to take action in the right direction, even if it is personally difficult: the alterations required to support a vision are often not easy. Often, people are asked to learn new skills quickly or work with constrained resources for a length of time. An effective vision helps to overcome people's reluctance to do what is necessary by providing hope and inspiration for the future.
• And finally, a vision helps coordinate the actions of different people efficiently: if you establish a clear vision, the people around you can often figure out what to do by themselves. Without a well-articulated vision to guide them, people spend valuable time constantly checking with others for direction.

An effective vision is crucial for leading and motivating your team. What objectives should you keep in mind as you craft your vision?