Elements of Giving Life to Vision

Four elements that leaders should be employing while trying to give life to a vision are (Kouzes & Posner, 2002):

• Powerful Language
• Powerful Communication Style
• Non-verbal Expressiveness
• Positive Attitude

A positive attitude is extremely important to giving a life to a vision. In many ways, a positive attitude comes from really believing in the vision to the very core of your being. Many leaders try to lead people or inspire a vision without really believing in the vision. This is especially true when it comes to start-up companies. Instead, in which case, many so-called leaders just want to get rich quickly and are cynical about a pure vision. The vision in that respect is just a horse that is ridden for a while. A positive attitude is not just upbeat, but healthy and beneficial for the company and for society. A positive attitude toward the vision and how meaning can be created from it is important.

Another important element is breathing life into visions with a powerful language. Kouzes and Posner (2002) suggest that using all manner of figures of speech, metaphors, stories and quotations, etc., helps to communicate a shared identity to constituencies that mobilizes them toward pursuing the vision. A number clichés could also evoke the proper mental imagery necessary to bring the abstraction to the concrete form. Language is a powerful tool for driving home to employees what the company stands for. Professor Hart’s list of four categories of words used by leaders (Kouzes & Posner, 2002) provides some guidance to those would like to improve their ability to lead through language: (1) Words that convey realism; (2) Words that convey optimism; (3) Words that show motion; (4) Words that express certainty.

Related to possessing a positive attitude is the adoption of a positive communication style. Leaders need to communicate in an enthusiastic style that tells people they can and should participate to complete the goal. If followers do not get the impression that the leaders think it can be done, they will not believe it either. Followers need to see a high-energy, can-do attitude in everything we do at work.

Nonverbal expressiveness is a way of communicating without directly using words. Some followers might think of this personality trait of being simply charismatic. Certainly, charisma is part of nonverbal expressiveness in terms of having a strong, magnetic, and inspiring personality. Note that expressiveness is not aggressiveness per se but a strong display of warmth and friendship. One can certainly have an impact on people without explicitly saying what you want or need to have done in the organization. The answer to the following question extends the discussion of what human expressiveness is and how it relates to charisma.

Reference

Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z. (2002). The leadership challenge (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.