The Vision Gap Most Leaders Miss
- Geraldine Ree
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
It’s a tale as old as time. The charismatic leader captures the hearts and minds of everyone in the room. Whether it’s at a small intimate gathering, in the boardroom, or on the world stage, there is something about visionary leaders that sets them apart. Consider the top 10 influencers in the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano) – 668 million followers
Lionel Messi (@leomessi) – 510 million followers .
Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) – 417 million followers
Kylie Jenner (@kyliejenner) – 392 million followers
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (@therock) – 391 million followers
Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) – 372 million followers
Kim Kardashian (@kimkardashian) – 354 million followers
Beyoncé (@beyonce) – 308 million followers
Khloé Kardashian (@khloekardashian) – 306 million followers
Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) – 294 million followers
Each of these famous “leaders” has one thing in common. They have a unique gift, communicated in a way that makes them both inspiring and relatable. According to researchers in applied psychology, the three reasons people follow influencers are:
They stand for something.
Communicate it clearly.
Show up consistently.
That covers part one of the Vision lesson for leaders. What do you stand for, how are you communicating it, and how do you show up every day, every week, and every month?
However, the thing that most travel leaders miss is that visioning is a bottom-up exercise. To create a vision that not only shows the way, but is steeped in buy-in, you must gather direct input from those you most depend on to succeed. You simply cannot achieve your vision without the contribution of your team.
As important as it is to have a rally cry and a unifying message for your team, it is far more important that you understand what the individuals on your team stand for, and whether they are willing to show up and do the work consistently.
One of my most admired travel leaders shared a lesson I will never forget:“My team let me know the work I have cut out for me. I get each of them to submit their goals and action plans. I compare it to my goal, and whatever I am short, I know I need to make up through recruitment.”
Take a moment to reflect: here are you with Visioning in two parts. Part One – your own vision, and Part Two – as a bottom-up exercise?
Over the past two years I have surveyed hundreds of business owners with teams. Despite all the evidence that a written vision is essential for creating a pathway for your team and customers to follow, less than 50% document and share their vision consistently.
Even more significant is that less than 10% take time to do Team Goal setting, and even fewer integrate it consistently into coaching.
When you lead a team of travel entrepreneurs, you cannot afford to skip this step.
Knowing the vision of your advisors – not just their sales goal, but their service promise and the impact they want to have in their role, is the linchpin to leading engagement.
The Vision Gap is closed when you have your vision, combined with that of your team. That becomes the foundation for everything you stand for. It becomes the voice of the team, communicated clearly and consistently, putting you on a much bigger stage for your customers to find you.