Photo by Anastasia Petrova on Unsplash
Every day we hear of new visionary ideas: travel to Mars, self-driving cars, new technological gadgets that will make our lives so much easier. The list goes on and on. Every leader knows it is his or her responsibility to come up with new ideas that will lead the organization into the future and surpass the competition. But not every leader is, by nature, a visionary. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The world needs visionaries, of course, but it also needs leaders who can choose among possible directions for their organizations, analyze the risks and potential benefits, and make informed choices that are not likely to bankrupt the company.
If you are insecure about your ability to envision opportunities, take heart. You wouldn’t have been hired in an executive position if you didn’t have at least some of these skills. Every skill can be learned and improved. And every organization has staff members who naturally excel in thinking up new ways into the future. Even if you don’t envision the opportunities yourself, your strength may lie in recognizing and promoting them when they come to your attention.
Leadership requires bold thinking. Not every innovation works out, of course, but failure to innovate creates stagnation, and stagnation leads to reduced market share and, ultimately, failure. It’s crucial that you support creative ideas and put them to work. Your enthusiasm for innovation encourages others to support your ideas and help you implement them.
If envisioning opportunities is not your strong suit, here are some tips to help you improve in this competency.
If you pay attention, you will notice that good ideas are everywhere. Effective leaders aren’t always exceptional innovators or legendary risk-takers on their own, but they recognize good ideas when they see them and support those skills in others. If you encourage visionary thinking in yourself and your team members, everyone will benefit.