“If we cannot envision greatness – it will not happen”

It is surreal when everything connects; when the organization has the kind of forward momentum that just cannot be stopped (or at least it feels that way); when everyone is happy, everyone is growing, and when we can maintain “greatness” for an extended period of time. When we are not feeling this way, we rummage through all ideas and strategies, and are run wide open attempting to capture greatness once again. Some of us have had many great moments in our leadership roles, while some are still searching for our first. Regardless if it is the first, or next moment of greatness, positive thinking is key.

The first step is to cultivate the imagination. If we cannot envision what it would be like to be great, how will we be able to start putting together the infrastructure to get there? What motivation will we have without having a vision of what being great would look and feel like? There are so many reasons to be pessimistic and to focus on the bad more than the good, but leaders simply cannot think this way. Others look to us for guidance, vision, and in many cases their future. We cannot let them down. Start with tomorrow and guess what – it can be a GREAT day, just all depends on how you are thinking about it today and when you wake up. Think about the overall organization. What are the current problems, goals, and opportunities? What would great look and feel like? What needs to happen to get there? Imagine, embrace, act.

The only constant to greatness is that it is not constant. An organization can experience greatness for an extended period of time and then lose it because of internal complacency and/or because of outside factors. And at the point in time when things do not feel so great, Leadership is needed most. We must envision what the next “Great” version of the orgnanization looks like, gather feedback and buy-in, and then move the organization forward. Just remember that perception is powerful and others are counting on us to have our own perception and vision in check.