The Difference Between A Dream And A Vision Is A Plan To Get There
Effective decision making is one of the key traits of a strong leader. On one end of the scale, there are leaders who always look for one more piece of data or evidence before making a decision and often end up in analysis paralysis. On the other hand, there are those leaders who make impulsive decisions, with no input from others or facts to support their position. There is never a decision that can be made with 100% guarantee of the desired outcome. Effective leaders find the balance between analysis / input and pulling the trigger.
This critical balance ends up being the difference between a leader having a vision or a dream. You see, anyone can have a dream. A vision requires a plan and action to make it happen. When a leader is reluctant to make a decision he/she can end up procrastinating and always putting off action until another day, when he/she has more data or more input.
People may become enamored with a dream at first and become engaged around reaching that dream. But the luster quickly fades away when there is not a plan to achieve it. In order to engage and inspire people around a common vision, there must be a clear plan as to how that vision is going to be attained. From this plan, people begin to understand how their day-to-day contributions support that vision. Only then can you create a culture of high engagement in which everyone not only believes in the vision, but commits to helping achieve it.