It is my belief that leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary vision and the ability to share their vision in a way that others make it their own. However, vision is not enough. It never has been nor shall it ever be. In order to maximize our effectiveness as leaders, we must develop an understanding and proficiency with moving beyond vision to action.
I have met people that I am convinced would be exceptional leaders if they were able to move beyond their vision and ideas into actually making something happen. Unfortunately, this is more common than we would like to imagine. Has this ever been a problem for you? I believe the thing that most often holds us back from moving forward is fear. It may be fear of failure, fear of ridicule, fear of risk or even fear of success (one of the most common fears, believe it or not). The type of fear is important only in analysis. Fear itself is what we must conquer.
"Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration." wrote Frank Herbert. No matter how important or world changing your ideas and vision are, if you allow fear to prevent you from moving forward, your ideas become nothing but ash blowing away in the winds of time.
Also important to realize that in avoiding that which you fear you frequently cause its very manifestation, transforming what begins as a nagging mental ghost into a paralyzing reality. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, "“A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a short cut to meet it.” How better then to face your fears and push through the hesitations, holding fast in the knowledge that what your fear are rarely based in reality, just a perception of what you imagine the result of action will be. Action on your ideas and vision create a circumstance in which fear, although never completely abandoning you, becomes an inconsequential bystander, more ineffective with each consecutive action toward the manifestation of your ideas and vision. “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Nelson Mandela knows about pushing through the fear by acting on your vision. Through this conviction, a new nation became real for millions.
It is up to each of us as leaders to believe in our extraordinary vision and act to make it a reality. If some fear builds inside your mind, sideline it by pushing forward and doing everything in your power to make a difference. Eleanor Roosevelt admonishes us to "do one thing everyday that scares you." It won't be long until you will be able to ignore the fears you feel and create something wonderful. Those you lead will be inspired by you to push through their fears too, and isn't that what leadership is?
Now, go. Act. Do good work!
