“Where there is no vision, the people perish”, says the Book of Proverbs in the Bible. This quote comes in handy when you talk about leadership. But I tend to add a second line: ‘Where there is too much vision, people perish faster’. Leaders with absolute clear vision of the future and a perfect plan, scare me. I think they are dangerous. Give me a leader with uncertainty but determination to succeed, and I feel safe. Strong visionaries need opticians, not followers.
My best client leaders have willpower, resilience and contagious properties in their DNA. They speak the language of possibilities, not fixed destinations. They also like to be judged by their present deeds, now, not by history. They feel the need to serve and respond to their people, not to a Supreme Being, which, together with ‘history’ from a convenient, non-reachable duo, out of the scrutiny of fellow travellers. In short, politicians of the genre ‘History will judge me’, should be banned permanently from any office.
I know of a leader who had a very strong vision, a great Strategic Plan, absolute clarity of where to go, commanded great authority and trust, mastered people engagement, was determined, focused, driven, results oriented, and forward looking. Last time I checked, he died in a bunker in Berlin.
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