The zen of vision. As with zen spirituality it is a force of the possible, of creativity. But it flows from “what is”, grounded in a reality that is more than perceived but experienced. The visionary is not outside of the world but fully within it and the great ideas, visions that others may celebrate, come to the visionary because they have fully given themselves up to what is. Out of that they see what could be. Getting into one’s own head and falling in love with your ideas without knowing the limitations of the situation and of people involved is a non-starter.
The tao of relationship. “Leaders inspire others to engage with their vision.” Well, not really. First a leader will act on and affect the people they lead. Then, and only then, a leader will nurture engagement with their vision. NOT! Let’s turn this on its head. First the Leader engages with her/his colleagues, and as colleague with a complete respect for where they are and who they are. Their potential is the ground of the vision. Their potential is understanding what is possible from who they are.
Without the tao of relationship there is no action in the vision. The engagement of the Leader generates the vision because it creates it within the individuals “being led”. It is reciprocal. Like some sort of quantum theory, the led lead and the leader is led. Inspiring comes from the inspiration of the possible in other and engagement comes from surrendering to engagement in the other. Leaders truly care about others. Every discussion I have ever (and I mean EVER) heard about managerial leadership has always left out the little thing about, if in the end, you do not really care about the employee first, as a person and where they are, it is luck if they care to engage in your vision!
Creative action. Is this all bullshit? I think not, though I may not have it articulated well. It is not bullshit because in the end it has to be based on reality and action within relationship. Inertia is acted upon, moved, accelerated and redirected. The Leader acts on vision by living it first. There is no vision without living in the reality of obstacles and limitations and experiencing that which IS so that the possible becomes part of living. The vision becomes real in the relationship with others based on the reality of who they are. One cannot be real in relationship unless one is open to caring about the person who will live and become the vision.
The paradoxes now become: Vision exists within relationship and action. Action finds meaning in relationship and vision. Relationship is grounded in the action of vision.
Vision is possibility and so creative action on vision must include finding the possibility in others and having their vision of themselves feed the vision. So all employees are part of the vision. One does not know what they are capable of unless they are freed or “empowered” to become part of the vision and in relationship contribute to your own engagement in the vision. Leadership is not only about others being engaged. It is about the leader being engaged with others.
On the Beach At Night Alone 