{"id":697,"date":"2018-12-03T16:33:30","date_gmt":"2018-12-03T16:33:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/governancesolutions.wordpress.com\/?p=697"},"modified":"2022-04-05T16:36:58","modified_gmt":"2022-04-05T16:36:58","slug":"tls-81-leaders-and-vision-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sunesishq.com\/notes\/tls-81-leaders-and-vision-2\/","title":{"rendered":"TLS 31 Leadership and Vision 2 – Etymology and Definition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to another week of Transformation Leadership Series. Last week we began a teaching on \u201cvision\u201d. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Etymology and Definition<\/span><\/p>\n

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The etymology of the word vision is as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cc. 1300, “something seen in the imagination<\/u> or in the supernatural<\/u>,” from Anglo-French visioun, Old French vision “presence, sight; view, look, appearance; dream, supernatural sight<\/u>” (12c.), from Latin visionem (nominative visio) “act of seeing, sight, thing seen,” noun of action from past participle stem of videre “to see,” from PIE root *weid- “to see.” The meaning “sense of sight” is first recorded late 15c. Meaning “statesman-like foresight, political sagacity<\/u>” is attested from 1926\u201d.[1]<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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A vision transcends natural sight. It involves seeing the things that be not as if they were. It involves what the etymology describes as supernatural sight-seeing with spirit eyes what is not yet perceptible to natural sight.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Stewart D. Friedman is the Practice Professor of Management at the Wharton School and he writes concerning vision in the Harvard Business Review, \u201cLeadership vision is an essential means for focusing attention on what matters most; what you want to accomplish in your life and what kind of leader you wish to be. A useful vision has to be rooted in your past, address the future, and deal with today\u2019s realities<\/u><\/strong>. It represents who you are and what you stand for. It inspires you, and the people whose commitment you need, to act to make constructive change towards a future you all want to see\u201d.[2]<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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In the book, The Servant as Leader by Robert K. Greenleaf, vision is spoken of thus, \u201cThe word goal is used here in the special sense of the overarching purpose, the big dream, the visionary concept<\/strong>, the ultimate consummation which one approaches but never really achieves. It is something presently out of reach; it is something to strive for<\/u>, to move toward<\/u>, or become<\/u>. It is so stated that it excites the imagination and challenges people to work for something they do not yet know how to do, something they can be proud of as they move toward it\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A vision captures the impact an organization intends to make. Vision statements are easily communicated, broad, often shared, ambitious and inspiring statements that describe the overarching ideal result an organization wants to achieve. Examples of vision statements are as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n

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