I’ve come to realize over the years that one of the most powerful aspects of leadership is vision.

The power of vision makes or breaks leadership; or more accurately, the power of vision makes leadership, and the lack of vision breaks it.

For a leader, vision is fuel.

Over the next few days, I plan to post a three part mini-series on vision and how it works in the life of the leader.

This post is the first, How Vision Works In The Life Of The Leader.

Following this will be two more posts: Four Essential Steps To Communicating A Vision, and Casting Vision:  What’s The Payoff?

Like I said, vision is fuel for leaders. It provides the catalyst that a leader needs to begin building momentum in the direction of a fulfilled mission.

The most basic definition of a vision is a perceived picture of the future.

Anyone can do that.

What sets a leader apart is developing a perceived picture of the future that produces passion.

There are three parts to developing this type of vision.

A leader sees the vision.

A leader needs to see the vision.

I’ve met too many people who are content to simply float through life, with no regard for where they, or their organization, are going.

Effective leadership sees the vision. A leader needs to have a dream. He needs to anticipate the future. He needs to see what can be.

Without a vision, Proverbs says, we perish. Without a vision, what’s the point?

A leader feels the vision.

This is where passion comes into play. If a leader isn’t excited about the vision, then no one else will be excited either. If a leader isn’t excited about the vision, then it’s dead.

A leader’s passion is contagious. When the leader is passionate about the future and what the possibilities are, those following will sense that excitement. Most will jump on board. Most will join in the excitement.

A leader passionate about the vision is nearly unstoppable.

A leader owns the vision.

The leader who is passionate about seeing the vision become reality is the one who takes responsibility for the achievement of the vision.

Seeing the vision, or excitement and passion for the vision aren’t enough on their own. A leader must actively take steps to see the vision through to completion.

The leader may take several people along with him who will assist in that. But the ultimate responsibility must fall on his shoulders. He saw the vision; he created passion and excitement surrounding the vision; he is responsible for taking steps to make see the vision become reality.

But there is one more thing the leader must take into account.

Where does the vision come from?

You must yield totally to God’s plan for your vision. This is perhaps the most important aspect of developing a vision. It must come from God.

Forming our own plans and dreams without God’s involvement will only result in disaster. It’s an easy ticket to moving away from the direction God is moving.

The key to developing a vision that comes from God is to saturate the entire process in prayer. Seek his guidance in every step, every plan, every dream, every part of the vision.

Once you’ve developed a vision, the next step is to communicate it to those around you. And that will be the subject of the next post in this series.

Do you have a vision for your organization? Do you feel it? Do you own it? You can share your thoughts in the comment section below.