Missed Opportunities Occur by Mislabeling Visionaries

It’s easy to identify the visionary in an organization once success has been achieved.
It’s even easier to miss that opportunity for success by mislabeling the capabilities of visionaries.

Why are these labels limiting? Well I am glad you asked. 😉

Dreamer 💭 - Despite the assumptions that they are in "lala land" or zoned out, the reality is that visionary leaders are incredibly tuned in to their frontal cortex and occipital lobe. Their neuroanatomy allows them to see things and imagine things in a way others brains don't. People with hyperphantasia, the ability to visualize vividly, have stronger connections between their visual brain network and decision-making networks. Those dreamers can see an opportunity where others quite literally can't.

Social🗣 - This is one of the most under appreciated and dismissed skills of a visionary. True visionary leaders aren't just chatting or wandering to avoid work. Conversations are how they work. Visionary leaders are often the ones that ask the questions no one else is asking. While they tend to get mocked for this, they are always aware of when the *people data* they receive is used to drive new initiatives or modify a scope of work.

Unicorn 🦄 - How do you burn out your biggest innovators? By seeing them as a unicorn. Visionary leaders have the ability to see opportunity where others don't and are often willing to do what it takes to make it happen. This creates one of the slipperiest slopes for them; they can and will take on tasks despite the tasks not aligning with their passion. The unicorns on your teams have that incredible ability to take on any need and handle it. But be cautious. Just because they can doesn't mean it is a best use of their skillset. This is where talent optimization is key in an organization. Know your people, their passions, and their goals. Don't trap them in a position just because they can do something and you're unwilling to find someone else that wants to. There will always be an integrator ready to support that visionary.

Part of creating an innovative organizational culture is understanding the talent within your organization. If you are the visionary CEO or leader, make sure to let your integrators know how valuable they have been in bringing that vision to life.

Pay attention to your people and take time to design a people strategy that brings out their - and your - best.

Innovation starts with awareness. ✨