Second, the vision statement must be offered within a context of appreciation for past accomplishments and present-day contributions. All too often the visionary leader (especially if new to this role) will ignore or offer a critical perspective on past achievements rather than honoring these achievements and seeking to learn from them. We must always remember that someday in the near future, we will be the relics of the past and may be overlooked by the next generation. We will be the visionary leader who holds a vision that is now out-of-date and whose accomplishments on behalf of this vision are no longer fully appreciated.
Third, the statement of vision must be coupled with a statement of mission. Whenever a vision of the future is generated, it must be coupled with a clear commitment to something that is not about the future, or even exclusively about the present. It must be coupled with an enduring sense of mission. Expertise that operates independent of mission is rarely either heard or engaged over an extended period of time. When not aligning their expertise with mission, the “expert” is likely to hear something like the following: “nice to know but not really relevant to what we are working on today.”
The expert should pause before offering their insights and advice in order to ask themselves the following: “What do we do as a family, clan, organization, or social system that remains fundamental and unchanged, and what do I have to offer that aligns with that which is fundamental and unchanging?” At an even deeper level, we might ask as an expert: “What do I have to offer that is key to our survival?” From an appreciative perspective, we must always look toward the future through the lens of foundations and continuity. What is our “business” and how does our vision for the future relate to this business? This might seem to contradict what we suggested earlier regarding a focus on the future; however, this is not the case. The focus should remain on the future, but the lens through which we view the future should be aligned with our mission and fundamental reasons for being present in our world. We attend from our mission to our future.
The fourth criterion concerns the relationship between vision and values. How does our vision of the future relate to the fundamental values of this family, clan, organization or social system? What will and what won’t we do in order to realize our dream for the future? Martin Luther King not only offered us a dream—he also insisted that this dream be realized through a set of values based on nonviolence. Similarly, Lincoln’s statement of gratitude for the sacrifice made at Gettysburg is based on his firm commitment to preservation of the union. The “ends” (vision) never justify the use of inappropriate or unethical “means” (values). Expertise might be directed toward the means, but it should always be offered on behalf of some valued outcome that is shared by all involved in the collaborative venture–otherwise the expert is vulnerable to the lure of personal power (as a replacement for collaborative support).
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