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If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and
become more, you are a leader. John Quincy Adams.

Visions don’t just somehow occur; dreams might, but significant visions
don’t. Visions come to those who have a well-informed and open mind,
one which is prepared by a lifetime of learning and experience. 237 A leader
doesn’t have to predict the future in order to develop a vision. However,
the more that someone is strongly aware of emerging trends and
developments that impact a community and its organizations, the more
likely that individual will have a reasonable understanding of the range

and nature of possible future scenarios. Leaders have both the ability and
responsibility to read trends and to look at what’s happening at the current
time, and then to discern not only where the organization has been but also
where it is headed. 238 This puts the leader and his or her organization in a
much better position to build flexibility and a quick response capability

into what is envisioned for the organization. 239 As the noted author on
leadership, John Maxwell, has stated, leaders have vision for getting to their
destination, they understand what it will take to get there, they know who they’ll
need on the team to be successful, and they recognize the obstacles long before they
appear on the horizon. 240

Deciding what is worthwhile or desirable in a vision is also a function of

the values of the leader. Core values go a long way in determining what
really matters to an individual or to an organization. One’s values
influence the questions that are asked about the possible directions that
should be pursued. They guide the choice of information being sought to
answer these questions and how the information is evaluated. All of this

guides the decision as to what vision to pursue among the various
possibilities. 241

237 Bert Nanus. Visionary Leadership. San Francisco CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1992, p. 34.
238
John C. Maxwell. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007. p. 93..
239 Bert Nanus. Visionary Leadership. San Francisco CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1992, p. 81.
240
John C. Maxwell. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Nashville TN: Thomas Nelson, 2007. p. 38.
241 Bert Nanus. Visionary Leadership. San Francisco CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1992, p. 35.

David Kolzow 242