There is a saying: “If you don’t know where you have been or where you are, how the hell can you know where you want to go?” A leader must have a full grasp of the narrative that he wishes to build upon and a perfect understanding of the story that has to be sold to the followers. Confidence in the story is a guarantee for invoking inspiration to pursue the objectives.

A leader must continually reflect upon the journey, for only that is the assured nourishment that will keep feeding an organisation’s future. Leaders must have a solid vision. In the development of vision, there is no such thing as gazing into a crystal ball or having some falsely imagined ability to peer into the future. It goes far beyond this mundane view of envisioning how things will pan out. Vision is about insight, instinct, and intuition. A combination of these traits in a single individual constitutes the qualities needed to lead a group of followers.

Enlightened leaders bide their time to undertake projects. They are normally driven by a continuous combustion of the fire of ambition within. The word “amit” is a Greek term connoting wingspan—the space between the two ends of a bird’s wings. Ambition inspires spreading these wings to fly and gather altitude; no bird can lift off the ground if it cannot open and stretch its wings.

Relating to a bigger purpose is the job of a leader. J.F. Kennedy was on a visit to NASA to cheer up and inspire staff to reach beyond the frontiers of planet Earth. In conversation with the washroom cleaner, he asked: “What do you do here?” The cleaner proudly replied: “Mr President, I am helping put a man on the Moon.” A compellingly powerful vision is the greatest tool for inspiring effort.

A vision must be a shared vision—that is to say, the leader and the follower must willingly subscribe to it; there is no place for shoving it down throats through coercion or intimidation. Vision is internally driven, while mission is more external. Vision without mission is like a cut of meat that has had its nutrients boiled out or drained. Vision, only when capped with detailed action, will yield a mission.

In establishing the distinction between vision and mission, much semantics comes into play in the available management literature. Vision, in the simplest language, is what an institution or a country’s ultimate aspiration is for the future; mission is where you are and where you want to be. It is the single most vital navigation tool available to the leader pursuing a vision. The vision statement has to be meaningful and must give a purpose for pursuit. The mission statement, defining the present moment, must be motivational towards achieving goals and objectives. Vision and mission are essential elements of corporate culture; the concept is equally applicable to nations and countries.

In his book Inspirational Leadership, Richard Oliver quotes a colleague, who in turn received the following from a client:

“In seeing the potential purpose hidden in the chaos of the moment, but which could bring to birth new possibilities for a person, a company, or a nation. Vision is seeing what life could be like while dealing with life as it is. Vision deals with those deep human intangibles that alone give ultimate purpose to life.”

In the end, vision must always deal with life’s qualities, not its quantities.

As leaders and followers, it is essential to keep the distinction clear between inspiration and manipulation. Agreement with the vision will inspire performance, while disagreement will most likely lead the leader to manipulate followership. The common-good factor must be visible as a commitment of the leader; only then will followers not feel manipulated.

To become a visionary is not an accident of nature. A visionary becomes one only through recognising that, like any other skill, visioning is a skill that has to be learnt and practised over time. A visionary ought to be a good strategist too, with a clear understanding of the organisation’s strategy and objectives. Failing this, there can only be confusion, misalignment, and a general lack of commitment.

Leadership bereft of intellectual capacity to determine the future course of either a company or a country will invariably be lost for direction—rudderless, aimless, and destined to lead the masses into the wilderness. No vision means no hope.

Sirajuddin Aziz
The writer is a Senior Banker & Freelance Columnist.

© The Nation