Visionary Leadership Defined

In its simplest form visionary leadership is about envisioning where an organization should be in
a reasonably long-term future, conveying this vision in various ways to others, motivating
individuals to share and commit to this vision, and aligning resources and processes to
accomplish it. Several experts or authors on leadership have defined visionary leadership and
three stand out and merit citing. These include Marshall Sashkin (1989), Burt Nanus (1992), and
Stephen Harper (2001).
Sashkin, for example, states:
My theory of effective executive leadership, or visionary leadership,
considers not only the leaders personal characteristics, not only the leaders
behavior, and not only the situation; it considers all three. Only by looking
at each of these factors as they relate to one another can we truly understand
visionary leadership. Visionary leaders share certain characteristics that are
different from personality traits on which early leadership focused. In
addition, they have a deep, basic awareness of key situational factors that
dictate what leadership approach and actions are required. Furthermore,
these leaders not only know what behaviors are required, they can also carry
out those behaviors. (Sashkin, Wren ed., 1995, p. 403).
Having premised his visionary leadership on a historical and theoretical basis, Sashkin proceeds
to describe the major aspects of his approach in greater detail. Summarizing this, he first states
that a visionary leader is one who establishes a vision or ideal image of the organization and its
culture. Second, a leader constructs a lucid and sound philosophy that concisely describes the
vision and then develops methods to attain this in practical terms considering the organizations
unique culture. Third, and finally, a leader engages on a one-to-one basis with others to initiate
and gain support for the vision. (p. 403).
Nanus, in his book Visionary Leadership: Creating a Compelling Sense of Direction for Your
Organization (1992), states that:
There is no more powerful engine driving an organization toward excellence
and long-range success than an attractive, worthwhile, and achievable vision
of the future, widely shared there is no mystery about this. Effective
leaders have agendas; they are totally result oriented. They adopt challenging
new visions of what is both possible and desirable, communicate their
visions, and persuade others to become so committed to these new directions
that they are eager to lend their resources and energies to make it happen. (pp.
3-4).
Thus, Nanus points out that the right vision of the future for an organization is a
compelling and acceptable idea, one in which a leader effectively communicates and
motivates people to act. The resulting action causes these people and their organization

to evolve and, by necessity, make progress (p. 16). In establishing this right vision,
Nanus cites four forces.
The right vision attracts commitment and energizes people. This is somewhat selfexplanatory. In short, individuals are naturally inclined to want and to desire things that
they can believe in and commit to, as Nanus describes it, a significant challenge that
befits ones best efforts. The right vision must link up, as a consequence, with a
persons consciousness, awareness and their needs. If the vision or image or idea of
organizational direction has appeal, promise, and benefits to be gained, a person is
highly likely to jump on board and to work enthusiastically to make the vision a reality.
The right vision creates meaning in workers lives. Individuals need a sense of
personal mission, importance and/or self-esteem associated with their work lives.
Leadership and management experts universally believe that people who take pride in
their work, what they are attempting to do or make, in terms of services and products,
are more successful, happier and productive. Therefore, finding meaningfulness on the
job, or within the context of ones work, is paramount to (Maslows) the concept or
feeling of self-actualization or self-worth.
The right vision establishes a standard of excellence. The right vision clearly
establishes where an organization is going in the future and also what an organization
stands for. In effect, this is the same as establishing a standard or norm for
organizational success. So in this sense the right vision can also be seen as, or
equivalent to, a touchstone of organizational distinction and quality.
The right vision bridges the present and the future. Many so-called leaders get so caught up
or involved with the day-to-day activities (problems and details) of an organization that they
spend little or virtually no time on forward-thinking. Hence, no vision and no progress. The right
vision must connect todays organization with tomorrows. A visionary leader must dedicate him
or herself to future customer needs, future organizational processes, future or long-range
organizational products and services. A right vision takes all of these important matters into
consideration and serves as a beacon and working framework for linking the present
organization and all of its components to the emerging future. (pp. 16-18).
Finally, Stephen Harper (2001) writes:
Crafting the companys [organizations] vision may be the most important
role breakthrough leaders can play in creating a forward-focused company.
Breakthrough leadership will only be possible if the company has a clearly
articulated vision. The vision serves three purposes. First, it serves as the
companys North Star. All decisions, plans, and activities should be directed
toward fulfilling the companys vision. Second, the vision must be
compelling. It should give each person in the company a reason to jump out
of bed in the morning. Third, the vision can serve as the glue that binds all
the companys components together. Carlo Burmat, dean of the Duxx
Graduate School of Business Leadership in Monterey, Mexico, noted that
the role of visioning plays in fostering a collaborative environment. He
stated, Each of us has a fragmented view of how the world works. The
leaders role is to put together and harmonize such views, because only by

associating minds in this way can you acquire a full and objective view of
the world. (pp. 30-31). (Note: bracketed word added).
Harpers use of the term breakthrough leader, is his expression for a leader with vision. His
book, The Forward-Focused Organization: Visionary Thinking and Breakthrough Leadership to
Create Your Companys Future (2001), is aimed mainly at corporate leadership and
organizational success. But his discussion is apropos clearly for public organizations as well.
Harper argues that a vision is crafted with the assistance of, and the keeping in mind of,
organizational (private and/or public) workers, stakeholders, customers, suppliers, etc. All of
these players are essential to the success of an organization and are therefore needed at varying
stages in the articulation and implementation of a vision. For Harper, there are many possible
futures, depending of course on the leaders discretion and the application of organizational
components, and pressures and priorities exerted from externalities. Leaders must, working with
those organizational resources available, try to narrow down what the vision is and encompasses.
While the vision must have a certain clarity about it, it should be broad enough and flexible to
allow for unforeseen situations and circumstances.
Once a vision is articulated, everyone necessarily involved in bringing about its realization
should see and understand the same vision and all of its probable intricacies and distinctions. The
leader has a responsibility to put this vision all together in a cohesive and understandable form or
image of the future. Through the power of persuasion, the leader keeps the vision alive and
interesting, something which unequivocally has merit and is worthy of effort. Harper states
further that visionary leaders must be courageous (bold, willing to take risks, and desirous of
letting go of the past), resilient (firm in some cases and flexible in others), and decisive (possess
a sense of urgency, be earnest and resolute). (pp. 31-34).
Visionary Leadership Roles
The preceding section presented an overview of three definitions of visionary leadership.
Visionary leadership is putting together a shared vision or image of an organization for the longterm future, energizing staff and other key stakeholders, achieving long-standing commitments,
and working together or collaboratively to bring the vision to completion. To further the meaning
of visionary leadership, Burt Nanus (1992) analyzes the roles of visionary leaders and distills
them down to four: 1) direction setter, 2) change agent, 3) spokesperson, and 4) coach. (See pp.
10-15).
Prior to discussing these four visionary leadership roles, however, Nanus predicates them on
possession and demonstration of key skills or abilities (pp. 11-12). First, Nanus believes a
visionary leader must be capable of effectively communicating with managers and other
employees within an organization. This requires the leader to provide guidance, encouragement,
and motivation. Next, or second, a visionary leader must comprehend the outside environment
and be capable of reacting appropriately to its threats and opportunities. This includes most
importantly being able to relate skillfully with key individuals external to an organization, but
nevertheless essential to it (investors, customers, etc.). Third, a visionary leader must be
instrumental in shaping and affecting organizational practices, procedures, products, and

services. A leader in this sense must be involved or rather engrossed in an organization to bring
about and sustain excellence while preparing and leading the way to the futurea successfully
achieved vision. And lastly, and a logical extension to the former leadership skill or ability, a
visionary leader must have or develop a niche for anticipating the future. This niche is an
imaginative, yet data-based ability to assess future customer needs, technologies, and so forth.
This includes the capability of aligning organizational resources in order to be prepared to meet
these emerging needs and changes.
With this background in mind, the first visionary leadership role Nanus (1992) discusses as
necessary to being effective is the direction setter. The direction setter role is one where a leader
presents a vision, a convincing image or target for an organization to achieve in the future, and
involves people from the get-go. This for many experts in the study and practice of leadership
is the essence of visionary leadership. As a direction setter, a leader presents a vision,
communicates it, motivates worker and colleagues, and convinces people that it is the right
direction to proceed and encourages participation on all levels and at all stages of progress
towards the vision. (p. 13).
Change agent is the appellation given to the second critical role a visionary leader must play. In
the context of change, the external environment is central. Economic, social, technological, and
political changes occur continuously, some dramatic and others subtle in nature. Indeed,
customer needs and preferences change as do those of other organizational stakeholders.
Effective leaders must be constantly attuned to these changes and think ahead to potential
changes and changeability. This ensures that the leader is prepared for any situations or
circumstances that may threaten organizational success for the present and, most importantly, for
the future. Finally, as stated earlier in this monograph, flexibility and calculated risk taking are
also important in a changing environment. (pp. 13-14).
The third indispensable role of a visionary leader is that of spokesperson. Getting the message
out, so to speak, is a significant part of envisioning the future of an organization. An effective
leader is also a person who knows and appreciates the many available forms of communication
available in explaining and building support for a vision of the future. The leader, as
spokesperson for the vision, must communicate a message that strikes the right chord with
everyone involved with or touched by the organizational visioninternally and externally. It
must be a message, as Nanus puts it, which is worthwhile, attractive, and exciting about the
future of the organization. (p. 14).
And last, or fourth, an effective visionary leader is tantamount to being a good coach. By this it
is meant that a leader must use teamwork to achieve the stated vision. A leader empowers his or
her players to work together, to coordinate their efforts or activities, toward winning or
achieving an organizational vision. The leader, as coach, keeps people focused on realizing the
vision by directing, encouraging, and building trust among the many players that are crucial to an
organization and its vision of the future. In some cases, it can be argued that the leader as coach,
might more appropriately be designated a player-coach. This would be a leader who, like the
legendary Boston Celtics Bill Russell, or perhaps a Michael Jordan, both played as well as
coached. Todays corporate examples or equivalents would include Microsofts Bill Gates,
Amazons Jeffery Bezo, or Apples Steve Jobs. A question one might ask, In public service,

what visionary leaders stand out that exhibit or embody this coach-player role style, or for even
that matter, simply coach style? (Note: For further discussion on visionary leader roles see
Hesselbein, Goldsmith, and Beckhard, eds., The Leader of the Future: New Visions, Strategies,
and Practices for the Next Era, 1997).
Visionary Leadership in Action
Visionary leadership is a concept that can be expounded upon and understood through literature
and theory. But of greater significance is the reality of visionary leadership carried out in a host
of concrete actions, proceedings, and events. In this section, visionary leadership will be looked
at in the active sense as it falls within the spheres of movement, change, and time. Obviously,
while doing visionary leadership is different from talking about or analyzing it, the medium used
here will be necessarily a written one. This is inescapable. In any case, the emphasis placed on
the following content and discussion should be seen strongly by the reader to be one that implies
or means acting as opposed to one that is merely theoretical or ideological.
Harper (2001) states that leaders are facing an era of rapid or accelerating change. Hence,
timing is critical to being an effective visionary leader. In order to cope satisfactorily
(competently) with this acceleration of change, associated principally with the external
environment, leaders exercise the distinct competencies of anticipation, speed, agility, and
perceptiveness. (pp. 61-78)
By anticipation, it is meant that visionary leaders must proactively examine the external
environment to discover changes that may positively or negatively impact the organization.
Leaders should also actively encourage workers to be cognizant of change factors outside the
organization and to keep the organizations leaders and managers aware of such changes. Being
perceptive, nimble and innovative in such endeavors will benefit the organization universally
(p. 62). Additionally, the practice of using what if type scenarios is beneficial to leaders and
their anticipatory capabilities. Regularly considering and discussing possible scenarios that may
occur in the future, keeps the visionary leader focused and prepared for a variety of
potentialities. The creation of contingency plans may be useful for some likely scenarios. (p. 63).
Besides Harper (2001), other leadership and management authors believe that speed is crucial to
staying competitive, responding quickly to customer needs, and saving money. (See Grant and
Gnyawali, May-June 1995; McKenna, September 1997; LeBoeuf, 1993; Reinhardt, December
1997; Carnevale, 1990). Experts agree that in todays world of commerce and trade, including
most public sector areas as well, being fast or prompt in meeting customer or constituent needs is
all-important. Those organizations that have a competitive edge, or focus on excellence or
benchmarks in their efforts and results, are normally considered successful and are those
consistently relied upon to provide needed services and products. Visionary leaders see speed as
a capability that must be mastered in order to satisfy customers who want or desire immediate
fulfillment (gratification). Fast, efficient, and friendly service is, for example, what people want
when dealing with governmental entities. Red-tape, long lines, rude civil servants, etc. should
and must be a thing of the past. The public expects and should receive the highest quality service
possible from public entities and, again, this means speed. Technology and Web-based systems

are, for example, new ways of achieving this new rapidity in product and service delivery. (pp.
64-68).
Agility is another term that is becoming increasingly associated with visionary leadership. The
National Baldrige Program defines it as a capacity for rapid change and flexibility (NIST, p.
2). Similarly, Harper (2001, p. 70) declares that agility is the ability to turn on a dime. Agility
is, therefore, the capacity for a leader to see ahead in terms of what lies ahead for an organization
(perceptiveness). It also includes the capacity for being prepared as well as flexible in order to
make timely changes or adjustments to thwart threats and take advantage of opportunities.
Agility has several integral components:
The ability to develop and make available new and desirable products and services.
The ability to enter new markets or connect with new constituencies.
The ability to adjust and respond to changing customer needs.
The ability to adjust swiftly from one organizational process or procedure to another.
The ability to compress time in the delivery of goods and services. (p. 70).
Perceptiveness is another fundamental capacity of the visionary leader in action. Leaders,
according to experts and practitioners alike, must discern the intricacies and changeability of the
external environment. This insightfulness or acuity must be constantly exercised and appropriate
responses must occur sooner rather than later. In those cases where opportunities are perceived,
then leaders must act. Lead-time is also important to organizational success; hence, visionary
leaders must have their radar screens up at all times. They must identify emerging or potential
opportunities, prepare strategies and marshal the resources needed, and get in and out (serve or
produce at opportune times) to maximize success or achievement. (pp. 75-76).
Visionary Criteria
A vision that a leader constructs is an image, an idea, or mental model of a future organization
its processes, its services or products, etc. This has been the thrust of the discussion in this
chapter. With this in mind, what is the criteria, or perhaps better stated, what is fundamental to a
vision as conceived and realized by a leader? The criteria of a vision can be somewhat
exhaustive, but such a discussion or analysis inevitably leads to ever-increasing complexities and
seemingly endless explanations. Thus, here, in this section, an attempt to succinctly express what
constitutes a vision, i.e., one constructed by a visionary leader, will be given. To do this, seven
criteria or special properties of a vision will be enumerated. (See Nanus, 1992, pp. 28-30).
1) Appropriateness. A vision for an organization must fit appropriately its history, culture,
and values. It must be a vision that takes into account the past and the current status of
the organization and, at the same time, be something suitable and realistic for the
organizations foreseeable future.
2) Idealistic. A vision must convey something which is hopeful and positive. A vision should
make a difference that is value-laden and reflects high ideas. It should be a vision that
is noteworthy and productive, perhaps even something that is momentous or
revolutionary.

3) Purposeful and Credible. A vision must also be purposeful or focused on achieving some
plausible aim. The vision should be clear and give followers and affected others a
meaningful sense of direction. Is the vision and the path to its realization a valid one?
Does it begat true focus and offer a better future?
4) Inspirational. A vision must motivate people to believe and join in, become part of the
making of a better tomorrow. The vision of a new organizational push should inspire
individuals and encourage them to be fully committed. People should be energized and
eager to bring about the vision.
5) Understandable. Is the vision clear and comprehensible? If it is ambiguous or sketchy, or
simply too difficult to understand, then it is a vision that is lost in its very beginnings and
is doomed to failure. Leaders must work particularly hard to communicate a vision that
can not only be grasped, but also embraced by others. A leader must therefore be
knowledgeable of every aspect related to the vision and capable of relaying this to others.
6) Unique. Every organization is distinctive in some way or fashion. An organization is
somehow exceptional in its history, traditions, activities, etc. A vision must unavoidably
reflect this uniqueness.
7) Ambitious. Visions overreach and are necessarily bold, resolute, and often sweeping in
nature. They require courage and steadfastness. Frequently, they require sacrifices and
emotional investment. (pp. 28-29).
The Vision Review
Nanus (1992) points out that all organizations, private or public, are moving forward in time or
as he states it every organization has its own momentum (p. 56). This momentum may be
slow- or fast-paced depending on an organizations purpose, processes, and outcomes.
Plotting organizational movement is essential to knowing its status at any given point in time.
This plotting of momentum, in other words, allows leaders to measure and comprehend where an
organization is and where it is likely to go. The future tense aspect of the plotting of
momentum is revealing in that it indicates where the organizational vision is, that is its status, but
equally important, what it indeed is to be. Hence, this charting or plotting of organizational
momentum is of great significance as it relates to leaders and their vision of an organization.
Asking four key questions are associated with this plotting (or gauging) of organizational
momentum as to where and what a vision is. These questions are what Nanus calls the vision
audit (pp. 56-57). They are:
1) Does the organization have a clear and distinct vision? In what way is this vision stated?
If there is a stated vision, then what exactly is it?
2) If the organization continues as is, or on its current path, where in fact will it be in the
next ten years? Concluding this, is this where the organization should be?
3) Are all stakeholders (workers, followers, etc.) connected with the organization aware of
and versed on the vision? Are these people in the organization on-board with the vision?
In other words, are they motivated and committed to it?
4) Per the direction of the organization, are the processes, systems, procedures, activities,
and other organizational components supportive of the vision?

In passing, it should be acknowledged that based on an extensive literature review, including

observations of public agencies and units, hard evidence for organizations possessing a clear and
distinct vision is small. And, with regard to the exercising of a vision review or audit, evidence
here is additionally limited to only a few organizations. One consistent problem observed among
public agencies is that often the mission statement of the agency is mistakenly called a vision
statement.