Last week, picking up my five-year-old from school, he said: “My dream is that all people stop throwing trash in the ocean and use a trash can instead.”It was Martin Luther King Day and they had heard the famous “I have a dream …” speech (which stirs my heart no matter how many times I hear it and can be found on YouTube if you need some inspiration).Then each child was asked for their own “dream” of what they would like to see happen to make this world a better place. I love this project (and am so curious to hear what they all came up with) because already, at age five, not only are they developing a sense of social and environment consciousness but most importantly, they are learning the importance of having vision.Vision, in this sense, is the capability to see beyond the current reality, to imagine and create what does not now exist and what we are not yet. It is more than a dream, it is a reality waiting to happen if we choose it. Vision is not so much the cornerstone of change and progress, it is the springboard and it is the tool of successful leaders throughout history.Whether it is a personal vision, or corporate, societal, or even global, visioning serves a wide purpose, working in a multitude of ways to generate action and change through inspiration, motivation and prediction.An inspiring vision:* acts as a catalyst to impel us (or an organisation) to focus on and move towards that dream;* facilitates goal setting and planning, and is in itself, as I read somewhere, “a goal of the highest order”;* identifies direction and purpose for effective and coherent decision making;* captures the unique contribution of the person/group to society, embodying their core beliefs and values which offers guidance for tough decisions and a reason for being which is helpful in times of crisis;* provides continuity;* breaks us out of boundary thinking and opens ourselves up to creative and unique solutions;* aligns people in action across the organisation (read here: family, group, team, government etc);* builds loyalty and commitment to those contributing to and aligning with the vision;* alerts stakeholders to needed change;* results in productivity and progress.So whether an individual or group leader of some kind, if you haven’t got a strong vision to work from, or it’s been a while since you updated it, it may be worth trying this exercise.There are no hard and fast rules for visioning, no vision formula as such, because the requirements and results are unique to each circumstance. But here are several tips and suggestions for how to approach generating a vision and getting the most out of the process that can be equally applied whether in the board room or your living room.* Before you start, know who and where you are: What’s not working well or is unacceptable in the current reality?* Know what is important to you/the company (otherwise you might end up just creating a good idea for someone else).* Begin to imagine: what is our preferred future?* Let the dreaming, brainstorming, images and ideas flood in.* Describe how you want it to be, as if you were seeing it around you, in as much detail as possible. Write it all down (or record it, draw it, mind-map it etc).* Be open to dramatic modifications to your current situation (for a group or company, be open to big changes in the organisation, methodology, teaching techniques, facilities, and framework for operating).* Focus on the things that provide purpose and meaning and that are, at their core, in tune with the fundamental;* The number one rule is: vision big the only limits we have are the ones we place on ourselves. Look to the example of Nelson Mandela, after 20 years behind bars he went from prisoner to president, a leader of exceptional vision and determination.So as you imagine your preferred future, questions to ask include:Who is in it? What’s going on? What makes it so ideal? What are people saying? What are they doing?Where am I/my organisation going and what am I/we trying to achieve?What do I/we each spend time doing and concentrating on?How will things be different as a result of my/the organisation’s activities?How do I/my organisation want to be seen by others?What have I/we done to prepare for this future?What makes me proud in this picture?Further questions for corporate or group visioning:How has the job market changed?How are our meetings structured?Consider aspects such as marketing, customers, what we offer, revenues, costs, resources … what do these look like?Allow your vision to run a spectrum, incorporating the emotional, physical, philosophical/spiritual and intellectual etc. Cultivate the passion around the ideas you come up with. Tapping into that motivational core that will see you through challenges and adversity. Walking my dog in the Botanical Gardens the other morning, I saw a jogger pushing to get to the top of one of the steep hills. Breathlessly, she said to me, “What am I doing this for? I’m going around in circles!” I laughed with her and felt her pain. The answer was, of course, her vision … that ideal of what she wants to be, be able to do, look like, say about herself etc. That’s what keeps her putting one foot in front of the other when it gets tough. The same applies for all our endeavours.Things to avoid that can destroy a vision or stop it ever forming include:* Short-term thinking* Fear of ridicule or breaking with tradition* Stereotypes of people, conditions, roles, organisations many of us can hold these about ourselves* Complacency of stakeholders or fatigued leaders* Negative attitudes with unwillingness to changeFinally, when you have your vision, share it with everyone who has a stake in it.Continual presence of your vision will help motivate against those forces of resistance (doubt, failure, hardships). I’ve heard it said that there was a floor-to-ceiling picture of the moon on a wall in NASA during the space race, as a reminder of their target. I’ve also heard of film companies using huge idea boards for developing projects so that anyone passing can be inspired and add sticky notes to contribute to the vision. Vision boards are a popular idea and many internet resources detail how to create them for yourself. What can you do to keep your vision present?It’s important to note that a great vision, while at its core is fixed with values and beliefs, is a fluid thing which itself progresses and so needs to be reviewed, refreshed and updated regularly … at least once a year. And visions, while they are the start, they are just the first step for change. Vision is ultimately a tool to spur targeted goal setting, strategy and action.What is your dream? What difference will you make?Julia Pitt is a trained success coach and certified NLP practitioner. For further information telephone 705-7488 or visit www.juliapittcoaching.com.