Can You Taste It?

In America, our founding fathers built and shared a great vision that people could govern themselves.  The vision was very complex as was the government that they established. Their great vision marked-out their greatness both individually and as a group.

Do you have a great vision?

If you're a leader, you probably do.  Even if you're not currently "in the lead," the existence of a vision provides some evidence of your ability to lead.

Youth Inspired Dreams

When you were young, you were not afraid to talk about your dreams and your ideas about the future. "I'm going to be president of the United States." Or "I will pilot a space ship to the moon."  Over time, culture starts to laugh at our dreams and visions so we pull back.  We begin to filter our dreams and quiet our passions to something more achievable.

But as Bruce Wilkinson said in The Dream Giver, I believe we all have dreams.  That's why they're so attractive to us.  We are drawn to dreamers, especially those that can help us feel or “taste” the benefits of the vision.  Think for a moment about a lemon.  Imagine slicing that lemon and then sinking your teeth into it.  Can you see the juice?  Do you feel it spray your hand as you cut it?  See some of the juice run down the side onto the counter?

Did your saliva increase?  If you're like most people it did.  Just like the lemon, your dreams can make your heart pound faster and your saliva glands become active.  Your body will react to your imagination as you imagine the reality of dream.

Share the Vision

Share the appreciation for your vision.  Take the time to appreciate the vision, taste it's result and help your team, stakeholders, partners and leaders taste your vision.  As a people, we're excited when someone else can taste their dream. If you can help us taste it, we'll all help you achieve it.  So, make the taste real for us and get us going! That's the job of being a leader.

What dream will you give yourself for in 2010? Can you describe it in a way that the readers of this blog might help?  Give it a shot. Someone reading this may be ready to join you. But before they will, they need to be able to taste it first.   Go for it!