b'DEVELOPMENTS poiler Alert: Its time for your company to moveExamples of Visionary forwardand it will take a visionary leader to make it happen. LeadershipCompany culture brings three key words to mind: mis- Henry FordFord Motor Companysion, values, and vision. Mission, sometimes called a purpose statement, describes why a company exists;Henry Ford had a vision that inspired thousands: to values describe how people interact within a com- build and market a simple, strong, reliable, and afford-pany, and vision describes where a company will beable car for the masses. He viewed the world as it in the future. could be by committing not only to building the cars In talking with many company executives, vision isbut by making his commitment to the masses as well. at the top of their minds right now. Where will theirAs a matter of fact, his vision was so inspiring that he company be in the future, and whats the path to getsuccessfully used it to gain investment from others.there? Do they bring everyone back into the office full- Ford identified and attracted outstanding people time, continue hybrid roles, or allow people to workthrough his ability to see potential where others fully remotely? How do they structure their teams?couldnt. He then harnessed his vision and turned it Whats the most effective way to continue growinginto action through his teammates and employees. clients and super-serving them in the future? Ford summed it up well when he said, Whether you You may be asking yourself some of the same ques- think you can, or you think you cant, youre right.tions right now. The answer to all of these questions boils down to your vision or your future where. WillReed Hastings - Netflixyou continue to move forward, or is it better to revertHastings founded Netflix in 1997 with an initial vision: back to who you used to be? Save consumers time and money by shipping movies You already know what we think. directly to their houses. He was initially successful with Your vision is critical to your company culture, and youNetflixs first business model. But, as with many vision-need a visionary leader to bring it to life. ary leaders, the key to Reed Hastings success was his transformational vision. He is known for saying, Dont What is a Visionary Leader? be afraid to change the model.Visionary is defined as thinking about the future usingHastings wasnt done innovating after his first taste of imagination and wisdom. Its viewing the world assuccess. His vision evolvedwhat if consumers could it could be, not just as it has been, and identifyingstream movies directly to their TVs and avoid the mail-potential where others cannot. If you have a little onebox entirely? Hastings saw the future as it could be at home, you may be thinking of them right now and painted the picture for his team. Streaming didnt overloaded with imagination and what-ifs! Childreneven exist at the time! Of course, we all know how the consistently see potential where others cant and usestory ends. But keep in mindif Netflix had remained their imaginations to design what could be. Although,a DVD rental business, it would have followed Block-the wisdom portion of visionary probably hasnt yetbusters path.come to fruition.Nick Woodman - GoProSure - you, too, can be a visionary, but simply being a visionary doesnt make you a visionary leader. ToNick Woodmans name may not be as familiar to you. be a visionary leader is to turn your vision into actionWoodman started GoPro, a company thats made him through your people. You must identify your vision,one of the worlds youngest self-made billionaires. His clearly articulate it, and stoke the fire within your teamvision was born from surfing: he wanted to have the to get them on board. Visionary leadership is challeng- ability to take videos and photos while he was out in ing! But, its a challenge that some of the most suc- the water. Woodmans vision then evolved the include cessful entrepreneurs have embraced with open arms. the masses.An Executives Guide to Visionary Leadership103'