How Leaders Can Inspire the Future

Arriving at a milestone on any quest is not the end of a journey. Each milestone is a stepping stone towards opening new vistas of opportunity and understanding. Seeing beyond the visible is a preeminent quality required in a leader. The end of one journey should always be the beginning of the next journey.

The seeds for developing an active imagination are often sown at a very young age. This ability can only be acquired through hard work and extensive reading. Parents and leaders who remain attentive to this aspect eventually produce visionaries who become professionals, in the form of doctors, scientists, lawyers, economists, professors and politicians.

To improve the performance of his employees, an enlightened leader/manager must strive to equip his teammates with new knowledge on a continuous basis, which will encourage them to think beyond their respective missions. The leader must be endowed with great imagination, as much as possible. Only such an attitude leads to innovation and creativity.

In addition to reading and learning about business and corporate history or even the life stories of great business leaders, it is imperative for the manager to surround himself with people/colleagues who will offer him “good advice and opinions”.

History tells us that Queen Mary’s advisors were trying to convince her to execute her sister, Elizabeth I, so that England could regain stability. During this time, Elizabeth promised her subjects that she would not act alone, but would rely heavily on the advice of her advisors. Later, when she became Queen of England, Elizabeth I reigned the longest, by “listening” to her subjects. She was a diligent student, always ready to broaden her horizons of understanding by seeking advice from others. She adhered to a common vision. Moderation in all aspects of power and governance was the hallmark of her long reign.

Business leaders must also understand how essential it is to have a network of followers who must serve effectively by demonstrating courage and offering new and original perspectives on the management and growth of the organization. Team members who choose to remain on the defensive and try to gauge and measure which way the wind is blowing are essentially cowards whose only ambition in life is to please others. They have no opinion of their own. They lack the expertise in any area to be able to give sound advice.

A team composed of such members can never keep pace with the times, because they fail to satisfy themselves and their superiors. Leaders must have a vision that can offer a lot of thoughts, ideas and actions. They must necessarily force their people to see beyond the visible, which is possible only when teams are blessed with leaders who can inspire.

Moses’ disciples included people who were worried when they came to the shore of the Red Sea because they could not see any land beyond the horizon. They could not see what Moses had seen because of his faith in the unseen. It was not until he walked in the waters that they all understood that his faith was leading them safely from one shore to the other. He saw beyond the horizon.

Like politicians, business leaders are judged by the vision they have for their institutions. This does not mean that they must all come up with a vision that is at once pompous, glorious and grandiose. A less spectacular vision is also beneficial for organizations. The only requirement, and perhaps the fundamental one, is to ensure that it is achievable and achievable. It must also produce positive benefits for all employees. The ability to see beyond the horizon must be bold but simple – novel but not in conflict with moral or cultural nuances.

The courage and boldness of the leader must provide his/her colleagues with the assurance that the objectives are achievable and not too far away. An active leader/manager will be able to navigate the varied and difficult terrain of the market with agility and confidence. To gain the support of team members, managers must articulate their vision with absolute clarity.

To face all the uncertainties of the future, a leader must develop a vision for his institution that gives it the confidence to survive the tumult and turbulence of market forces. Leaders must have a vision beyond visible horizons.

The author is a senior banker and independent columnist.