As a leader, you must have a vision. If you have been elected or appointed a leader, create a vision that would move your constituents forward. We can define vision in two ways – First, a vision defines what you see. What do you physically see with your eyes? When you look around you from your vantage point as a leader, what do you see? Do you see squalor? Do you see poverty? Or do you see potential? I saw a photo online once. The couple pictured were dressed in the green and white of the Nigerian flag. The man sat at a well-laid table drinking wine and the lady stood regally, wine glass in hand, nose in the air. They looked like snobbish, class-obsessed aristocrats but they were in the middle of a refuse dump. All around them were paper, plastic, rotten food, and all manner of trash. They stood amidst squalor, but they did not see it.

Another definition of vision is insight. What do you see with your mind’s eye? What do you think? A leader must see – what has gone before, what is currently occurring, and what is possible for the future. A leader must be able to say, “Something is wrong here. We must change the situation.” Insight requires an ability to think critically in order to plan the future. Without a vision, a leader delivers nothing. People may rally, “Oh great leader! You’re the greatest! Without a vision, there is no direction, just noise. Thus, a leader must have a vision.

How do you craft a vision?
1. Review what has gone before. Former leaders have enacted certain policies or started specific programs. What is the current status of those programs? In what state do you find the people you are called to lead? Are they oppressed or liberated? Poor or well off? Regressive or progressive? Understanding what has gone before provides you a platform for take-off.
2. Identify what matters most to the people you serve. Start where it means the most. There is no point casting a vision that people cannot see nor buy into. For example, if you tell a land-bound people that you see them building a world-class navy, you are wasting your insight.
3. Write down what you see happening in the future to the people you serve. What is the bigger picture? Children are often asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” A vision is similar. Where do you see this organization in the future? Where do you see yourself taking this organization, community, or nation? Project 5, 10, 50 years into the future. What greatness do you see? Make your vision positive, inclusive, and shared. It is easier to sell good news than bad.
4. Tell your people what you see. The Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29: 18). Share your vision with the people you serve. When you share, you will get buy-in from people who will execute that vision.

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