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1. The Leadership Excellence Series The Visionary Leader 311

2. What Is a Vision? A vision is a mental picture of what an organization aspires to become. 1

3. Purpose of a Vision Statement • Provides a general direction • Provides context for decision making • Affects an organization’s structure • Affects working relationships A vision statement: 2

4. Characteristics of a Vision Statement • Clear • Challenging • General Vision statements are: • People-oriented • Inspiring • Easily communicated 3

5. Crafting a Vision Statement • What does the organization do well? • What is the most important thing the organization wants to do? • What makes the organization unique or special? • What does the team expect from the organization? • What makes the team feel good about the organization? 4

6. Crafting a Vision Statement • Willingness to achieve the vision • Control their own futures • Fosters cooperation and collaboration Involve Team Members 5

7. Communicating a Vision Help the Team Embrace the Vision • Talk about the vision all the time • Explain how it will benefit them • Be enthusiastic • Show that you mean it 6

8. Conclusion If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 7