Overcoming Clouded Vision
Smoke from wild fires in neighboring states has caused an unprecedented amount of haze in the Mile High City, where I live. Our usual beautiful views of the Rocky Mountains have been replaced with smoky grey skies. In fact, it’s gotten so bad that our air quality is currently rated among the worst in the world. The limited sight distance got me thinking about how important it is for leaders to have a clear vision.
Leaders must have a vision for the future, while remaining in the present and they need to have the ability to communicate that vision in a way in which others want to follow. That vision is the common goal in which team members can develop purpose, passion and camaraderie.
In business and in life, the destination is not always in sight. Even when we are clear about where we are going, we are constantly facing curve balls and challenges, and we don’t always see them coming (Covid anyone?). When our vision is impaired, or we are not clear on where to go, it’s not always possible to pull over to the side of the road and wait it out. Great leaders find ways to continue moving forward despite the obstacles in the way. During these times, there are a few things we can do to forge ahead and navigate through the fog.
Slow down. We live our lives at full speed ahead, moving from one thing to the next. When the road ahead gets fuzzy, we need to take a moment to slow down and be aware of our surroundings. Is it time to make a change? Are there new risks to the environment? Evaluating the landscape helps us move forward in a thoughtful way.
Refer to your compass. When things aren’t clear, we need to trust our values - which should be used as a guide to help make decisions. Although the end goal may shift, the overall direction we are going in shouldn’t change. A small step in line with who we are as individuals or companies can get us closer to where we want to be and create momentum for that next step.
Lean on those around you. When we lose one of our senses, we must utilize other resources and our greatest resource as leaders is our fellow team members. This is not a time to go at it alone, it’s a time to lean into each other. We have to use the strengths of each person to be stronger as a whole and overcome what comes our way. Using those strengths also helps to clear the haze and reestablish a clear line of sight to the places we want to go.
A clear vision is critical for leaders, yet that clarity can often be challenged by life’s events. There are ways to see through the haze, though, and we must do that in order to give our team’s hope and confidence to continue on our respective journeys. Journey’s that will hopefully lead to continuous improvement and new levels of potential for our team members and our companies.