A visionary leader works in tandem with their employees to achieve the goal and vision of the organization. A visionary leader has the desire to see change come to the organization through new and ingenious ideas. Kotter (1996) describes the need for leaders to have vision and the ability to motivate and inspire others to follow their lead.
Hoyle (2007), outlines how complex leaders function and the need for them to reveal their weakness to their team. Displaying emotions is essential for leaders to connect, because teammates need to be able to relate with their leaders. Leadership does not come natural for everyone, and neither does showing compassion and empathy especially in the work place. However, these are necessary tools for success.
Organizations need a clear vision and strong leadership to succeed (Kotter, 1996). A strong visionary leader should look at the larger picture of the company to best accomplish the goals of the organization. Without a strong vision, employees often become disinterested and complacent (Kotter, 1996).
Leaders evaluate ideas based on the knowledge that they gain from all sides of the issues. They should not be eager to incorporate a quick fix into their scenario. They should recognize that the issues that created the problems are part of the equation and should know that a quick fix will not eradicate the problem. Visionary leaders are open to change and explore new methods of operations. They empower employees to have the desire to create new and innovative strategies. The key words for learning organizations are flexibility and open-mindedness.
Leaders have the desire to see change come to the organization through new and ingenious ideas. A strong learning organization should encourage the communication of ideas to flow in both directions between management and employees. These parties can work together and display their mutual respect for the goals and visions of the organization through collaboration. A visionary leader incorporates new ideas, wherever they may come from, and institute them in different ways within the organization. Therefore, management and employees are consistently learning and re-inventing themselves and the company to meet the ever-changing work environment.
References
Hoyle, J. R. (2007). Leadership and futuring. Making visions happen. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press