Great leaders create a deeply compelling vision – one which resonates at a deeper level with the team and with those who come into contact with it. It provides purpose to everything they do, it guides their decisions and it energises the team.

A vision is also a necessary courtesy of leadership. If you want your team to follow you, then you really need to tell them where you’re going if you want them on your bus.

Did you know the word ‘compelling’ comes from the Latin: put in a different section/make separate. ‘Com’ which means ‘together’, ‘Pellere’ which means ‘to drive’, so literally, ‘compellere’ means ‘to drive together’, and that is exactly what a vision should do; it should mobilise and inspire your team to drive towards your vision together. A vision is a bit like a banner to march behind – it states where you are going and why.

As leaders, we’re often frustrated that people have not bought into our vision, but the problem often unknowingly starts with us because so many visions are not clear enough to let people decide if they want to come on the journey.