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- Honest
- Build relationships
- Driven
- Innovate
- Progressive
- Create  a vision
- Open-minded
- Collaborative
- Persistent
- Creative
- Emotional intelligent
- Competent

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In business, visionary leaders are effective at leading a team toward achieving a common goal. These leaders promote organized learning, creativity, and the development of strong relationships within the team. Visionary leadership is useful for organizations that are focused on the future and possess an entrepreneurial spirit. While every visionary leader manages differently, many of these leaders share a few common characteristics.

Vision

As the name implies, visionary leaders are successful in creating a positive and inspirational vision of the future and conveying that vision in an engaging manner that attracts committed followers. A visionary leader understands the need for meaning and purpose in followers, and uses that need to inspire followers to achieve more and to build better futures. Followers feel motivated by the vision and often feel a sense of solidarity within the group because of the common cause.

Organized Learning

Visionary leaders understand that learning encourages the development of personal skills and the ability to make effective decisions. A visionary leader finds learning highly motivating, and instills that same eagerness to learn in his employees by creating various learning opportunities with the day-to-day complexities in the workplace. This results in highly skilled and knowledgeable employees contributing to the success of the organization.

Innovation

Innovation is vital to a business, because to remain successful a business must continually grow, improve, and find new ways to achieve goals. Visionary leaders thrive on innovation and change. These leaders encourage creative thinking and problem-solving skills in employees. A visionary leader embraces change and views the use of new ideas and processes as progress. He strives to find better and faster ways to achieve success.

Building Relationships

Building respectful and empowering relationships with employees is a characteristic of a visionary leader. These leaders often possess above-average communication skills, and use those skills to cultivate a partnership approach with employees. A visionary leader encourages respect, team spirit, team learning, and a type of family atmosphere in the group. Such a leader uses conflict management skills to unite team members, and leads in a receptive style, rather than a domineering style.

Pioneering

Visionary leaders encourages followers to develop a pioneer spirit, doing what others have never done and going where others would never go. This pioneer spirit manifests both in attitude and in action for a visionary leader and his followers. He is able to think bigger than himself and bigger than the now. Visionary leaders also are instrumental in developing new leaders to play an important role in the future of the company.

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In business, visionary leaders are effective at leading a team toward achieving a common goal. These leaders promote organized learning, creativity, and the development of strong relationships within the team. Visionary leadership is useful for organizations that are focused on the future and possess an entrepreneurial spirit.

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Visionary leadership is a of leading others.

There are other styles , but this one is arguably the most vital for today's business leaders looking to create thriving organizations that achieve long-term success.

The late Steve Jobs is the poster child for this style. Surely, Jobs demonstrated most of the qualities we will highlight below.

What is Visionary Leadership?

Visionary leaders have a compelling vision for their business. They can see beyond the ambiguity and challenges of today to an empowering picture of tomorrow.

Visionary leaders impregnate their team and the organization itself with this vision.

Fueled by inspirations, the organization charts its course to this new future.

Visionary leaders aren't authoritarian or dictatorial; they don't seek control over their employees.

Instead, they provide freedom to employees to determine the best path to actualizing this vision.

It's a discipline to hold the end picture in mind. It takes commitment to work towards this vision each day.

Why Visionary Leadership is So Important

Endless information inundates all of us. We live in a world of endless distractions.

How challenging is it to focus on a given task for a mere hour?

Now consider the inherent challenges of holding a long-term picture in mind over a period of years.

Effective collaboration is necessary for any group of people looking to create something, bring it to market, and grow in a competitive arena.

Visionary leaders have a way of inspiring their organization to rally around a shared vision. This alignment gives the team a competitive advantage.

10 Qualities of Visionary Leadership

Here are ten hallmark traits of visionary leaders:

Inspirational

What does inspirational really mean? It means that visionary leaders tap into our emotions.

They ignite our passions. They drive our emotions in the right direction to bring out the best in us.

Emotionally Intelligent

To inspire with consistency, a leader must be aware of his emotions and empathic (aware of the feelings of others).

Only through empathy can a leader connect with the hearts of their team and inspire them to realize their greatness.

Open Minded

Although visionaries hold a big picture in mind, they are flexible on how they get there.

They are receptive to new information and can hold multiple perspectives. This open-mindedness allows them to navigate difficult situations with a flexible mind, pulling from many resources and sometimes unrelated industries to arrive at creative solutions.

Imaginative

Visionary leaders have a childlike playfulness. They value their imagination and allow themselves to dream, exercising their mental mind's eye to see beyond what's in the physical world at the moment.

They encourage others to dream big too.

Resolute

Social pressures influence visionary leaders less than most others. Their high conviction holds in the face of adversity.

Setbacks aren't a sign of failure to them; they are mere stopping points on the way to realizing their vision. As such, they are willing to take calculated risks and endure uncertainty. They give assurance and clarity to others when facing uncertainty.

Persistent

Obstacles are constant. Realizing the vision will not be easy. With inner resolve, visionary leaders push through difficulties and setbacks. They remain agile enough to pivot and make course corrections, but they always persist.

This resolve is one of author Andy Andrews's seven decisions for personal success: I will persist without exception.

Collaborative

You can't bring a vision to life alone. It takes a talented team that can work together. Visionary leaders inspire others to harness their unique gifts and strengths to innovate and find creative solutions.

They create an open environment where people learn to trust each other. And that trust starts with the leader.

Bold

There's no place for timidity in visionary leadership. These leaders are courageous and daring, willing to take calculated risks.

They don't fear failure as much as they fear not going for it. Visionary leaders foster innovative organizations because their people can fail quickly, learn, adapt, and grow.

Magnetic

Visionary leaders are inclusive, inviting others to make the vision their own. They attract talented people who are passionate about what they do, who are inspired by the company's vision.

They create thriving, innovative cultures where individuals have the freedom to create their best work and take pride in their efforts. Visionary leaders bring out the best in their people.

Optimistic

Visionary leaders hold a positive outlook for the future. They are hopeful they will achieve success. They don't view problems as personal, permanent, or pervasive. Instead, they are impersonal, temporary, and relate only to the present situation.

These leaders are driven to create more value but are content where they are now. Their optimism is infectious throughout the organization. It's a powerful anchor when setbacks occur.

Are You a Visionary Leader?

Although this visionary leadership style may come more naturally to some, it's still just a style of leading. That is, it's a set pattern of behavior encoded within each of our minds.

This means that everyone can access this powerful style of leadership.

How can you access more of this style of leadership right now?

1. Start by reviewing the ten qualities listed above.

2. Reflect on any one of them for a minute or two.

3. Let your mind find ways to bring this quality to life in your behavior and mindset right now.

4. Visualize yourself embodying this visionary leadership trait.

5. Notice how it feels within yourself. In your mind's eye, see how those around you respond to you.

6. Hold this feeling and gently smile. Acknowledge the presence of this attribute within yourself.

Now, create. Lead. Act as if you are a visionary. Make it a reality right now. Repeat this process often.

(And be sure you have a compelling vision you intend to bring to life.)

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10 Attributes of Visionary Leadership (and How to Embody Them)

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Visionary leadership is a of leading others. There are other styles , but this one is arguably the most vital for today's business leaders looking to create thriving organizations that achieve long-term success. The late Steve Jobs is the poster child for this style. Surely, Jobs demonstrated most of the qualities we will highlight below.

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Visionary Leadership

You've probably heard a term like "visionary leadership" used in reference to a site leader. But what does that mean? How do you know if a leader is a visionary? A visionary leader is clear about what he or she believes and knows is best for children -- for their academic, social, and emotional learning. The leader's individual beliefs have developed in collaboration with other stakeholders and articulated into some kind of vision or mission statement. You might ask the site leader as well as staff, students, and parents, "What's really important at this school?" Or "What are you striving to create here?" That's where you'll hear elements of a vision. Also important element is that the experiences of students and outcomes are at the center of this vision. You'll know if you hear a vision if it makes you feel something good: inspired, motivated, excited, and so on.

A visionary leader talks and walks the school's vision. Her actions consistently align with it. Furthermore, she has a plan for how to implement this vision and every day takes actions towards leading all stakeholders towards this vision. The vision is consistently acted up, all initiatives align to it, and the principal is its primary champion.

Community Builder

A head of school who is a community builder knows that he cannot implement the school's vision alone. He knows that high-functioning teams are essential; he knows that a healthy community (for children and staff) will contribute to stability, retention, and investment. He knows that human beings crave connection and deep bonds with other human beings. And he knows how to create these connections and bonds.

You'll know if you're entering a healthy community by the way you are greeted as you arrive on campus -- by security guards, office staff, children and parents. Just register how many smiling faces you see. That'll give you a big insight into the health of communities at the school. Ask teachers and administrators: How is community intentionally built here? What happens when relationships break down? How well (personally and professionally) does the staff know each other? Are there cliques of teachers here? How are relationships across differences (race, age, background, etc.) built? And ask the school leader: What is your vision for community at this site?

Find yourself a healthy community and you'll see your happiness increase, your health improve, and your professional practice reach new levels of excellence.

Emotional Intelligence

The third quality of a great leader is one who is emotionally intelligent. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions and recognize, understand and manage the emotions of others. An emotionally intelligent leader is usually calm and grounded, empathetic, and is able to deal with conflict between people. Another important quality of an emotionally intelligent leader is the ability to take care of herself -- to manage her stress, health, relationships, and so on.

You'll recognize an emotionally intelligent leader if you feel listened to and understood. He won't be distracted, seemingly impatient, or offering what might feel like rote responses to your questions. You can also ask a leader questions such as: How do you care for yourself? How do you manage stress? How do you respond to your staff's stress? And you can ask staff about their leader: How does the principal show his frustration or anger? Do you feel that your principal listens well and cares about you? How does your principal deal with conflict amongst staff? How does your principal demonstrate appreciation for you?

Emotional intelligence in a leader has been found to be the number one predictor of an organization's ability to be successful. Although leaders with high EQ are less common, they are out there.

In Memory of Tom Little

It is with great sadness that I write this blog because perhaps the most amazing school leader I have ever known passed away in early May. Tom Little was the Head of School at Park Day School in Oakland, CA, where my son is a student. Tom had been at Park Day School as a teacher and leader for 38 years and the evidence of his impact is apparent to me every time I walk on campus. He fully embodied the three qualities I've suggested make a great leader; he was a visionary leader, a community builder, and a highly emotionally intelligent person.

One moment stands out that exemplifies these qualities. My son transferred to Park Day at the beginning of third grade. We'd moved him from a school where communities were weak, a vision was non-existent, and where I regularly observed the principal screaming at kids. At Park Day's orientation for new students, Tom Little greeted the group of children with these words, "Hello. My name is Tom and I'm your friend." As my eyes welled with tears -- I was so moved by his kindness and humility, by his awareness of how the new students might be feeling -- I whispered to my son, "That's your principal!," because I knew that otherwise he wouldn't connect this gentleman with a site leader. "He's your friend," I repeated, stunned that such simple words could have such a profound impact on me.

My son is thriving at this school. He is cared for and known and feels connected to children and staff. My son will benefit for the rest of his life because of his schooling at Park. I also know that I am a stronger coach, educator, and leader because of knowing Tom and witnessing what he helped to create at Park Day School. I have more hope, more inspiration, and more ideas for transforming schools. I will be forever grateful to Tom Little.

What makes for a great school leader? Please share your thoughts and stories in the comments section below.

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You've probably heard a term like "visionary leadership" used in reference to a site leader. But what does that mean? How do you know if a leader is a visionary? A visionary leader is clear about what he or she believes and knows is best for children -- for their academic, social, and emotional learning.

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Most Important Characteristics of a Visionary Leader

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Most Important Characteristics of a Visionary Leader

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Creative
- I believe that being creative is both innate and learned. For example, some people are more creative than others but someone can develop their creative sense over time. Creativity can be strengthened through ongoing development. For example, someone's creativity can be improved by increasing the amount and complexity creativity needed in someone's life.

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Most Important Characteristic of a Visionary Leader

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Most Important Characteristic of a Visionary Leader

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Progressive
- I believe that being progressive is a learned characteristic that can be strengthened through coaching and support through challenging conversations.