An Innovative Tool for Enhancing Vision Skills

Throughout 25 years of leadership research, bestselling Leadership Challenge authors Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner have consistently found that Inspire a Shared Vision is the practice that differentiates leaders from other credible people. They've also found that, for most leaders, it is the toughest practice. Vision is one of those words that evokes ridicule and awe, cynicism and mystery, confusion and inspiration. It's one of the most misunderstood words in the leadership lexicon. In The Leadership Challenge, vision is defined as:

An IDEAL and UNIQUE IMAGE of the FUTURE for the COMMON GOOD

This hands-on workbook is designed to help you get more comfortable and stronger at Inspiring a Shared Vision. It will guide you through the process of developing a clearer picture of that ideal future, and then it will help you to communicate it more effectively to those who can help you implement it. In addition, the workbook contains sections that will enable you to make your team a more forward-thinking group and your organization a more visionary place. And because visions are co-created and shared, there is a section on how to build visionary skills in others. Following the step-by-step process outlined in the book you will be able to:

• Draft an effective vision statement

• Craft a persuasive vision presentation

• Test the presentation

• Create different versions of the presentation to suit the audience/situation

• Seek feedback from your audience and evaluate your vision effectiveness

Each section contains activities to help you focus on the skills needed to become more adept at looking ahead and creating the workplace and the world you would like to see.