This month in Professional Women’s group we focused on the 7 Steps for Living Your Best Life Right Now. Seven is the number of completion. As I reflected on these steps, I realized all seven steps deal with vision. The first step is to enlarge your vision.
I thought this fits nicely with what I am learning about leadership. Vision is an essential characteristic for leaders. Some successful women leaders who used vision are Joan of Arc, Mother Theresa, and Harriet Tubman.
1. Vision Starts Within- According to John Maxwell’s book ,The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader (Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow), If you lack vision look inside yourself. Draw on your natural gifts and desires. Look to your calling if you have one.
Joan of Arc’s calling caused her go to France and then be persistent until she was able to get a meeting with Charles, the Duke of Orleans. It was Harriet Tubman’s vision of freedom that lead her to escape slavery and help others escape. Mother Theresa’s Calling was to serve God, and while serving Him she was lead to help the poor in Calcutta.
2. Vision draws on your history/ herstory-Maxwell explains, ” Vision grows from a leader’s past and the history of the people around him/her.
While Mother Theresa was teaching children at a private school she noticed the children around her in poverty and her concern for them lead to her establishing Missionaries of Charity. It was Harriet Tubman’s past as slave, who was mistreated by her master that motived her to seek freedom. It was Joan of Arc experience growing up in poverty under foreign control and her relationship with God that prepared to inspire and motivate the troops.
3. Vision Meets Others Needs- Maxwell describes, ” True vision as far- reaching. It goes beyond what one individual can accomplish. And if it has real value, it does more than just include others: it adds value to them. If you have a vision that doesn’t serve others, it’s probably too small.
Harriet Tubman made 19 trips back South as a conductor for the underground railroad after she escaped slavery. Mother Theresa’s vision was to help the poor in Calcutta and enable to them to have a better quality of life. Joan of Arc wanted freedom for all of France. Kathy Lambert, co director of Connections to Success wanted to serve those who needed help by breaking the cycle of poverty one family at a time.
4. Vision helps you gather Resources- One of the most valuable benefits of vision is that it acts like a magnet- attracting, challenging, and uniting people. It also rallies finances and other resources.
Harriet Tubman had others to assist her with the underground railroad, people provided money, shelter, clothes, and food for fugitive slaves, because they believed in her vision of freedom for all people. Mother Theresa was able to get support for her Missionaries of Charity, work. She even won a Nobel prize in 1979.
After Kathy Lambert shared her vision with others she was encouraged to start Dress for success, Midwest. Her husband and co-workers and church family helped her set up the first boutique.
