We have already come to the end of the first month of the year 2016. I cannot believe how swiftly this year is progressing. Many of you made resolutions. Did you write them down? They are just ideas until you write them down. They only become real goals when you write them and commit them to paper.

May of you have a vision in your head about how 2016 would look by the time that 2017 would be knocking on the door. Having a clear vision of what or where you want to be is vitally important from a leadership perspective. But let me ask you this:

How will you make your vision a reality?

You see, here is the reality of the situation. A visionary is someone who “sees” where we need to go. However, they may not have the skills necessary to actually lead us there. Visionaries are a little like Indian scouts. They may know how to read the signs and pick up clues that no one else picks up, but they have no clue how to get to the destination.

Providing vision is a skill that is often touted as being one of the key skills for leaders today to possess. I casual review of the current literature aimed at leaders indicates that this is a highly prized skill. But the ability to see where to go without the ability to get us there is a little bit like having a GPS or an old fashioned road map – but no car. Without a vehicle, the best the GPS can do is to tell us where we are. It does nothing to propel us toward our destination.

Let’s go back to me question a few moments ago. How will you make your vision a reality?
What resources do you need? Do you need someone to come alongside you and help you? Do you need money (capital)? Do you need an extended amount of time to achieve the goal of the vision?
These are questions that you need to be asking yourself.

I remain convinced that there is a BIG difference between being a visionary and being a leader.
What about you? Are you able to see where to go? Or are you able to actually lead us to our destination? Being a visionary is not a bad thing. On the contrary, it is a very valuable skill. But, if I had to choose between the two, I would choose to be a leader over being a visionary.