How does vision foster inspiration?

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Consider some prominent leaders and discuss how they inspired others to follow their vision?

Relate the Twelve Steps of Purposeful Action to the ways these leaders inspired others. Provide examples and references to support your comments.

This post was written by Brad Renter, who will lead the blog discussion for the week starting March 3.

54 thoughts on “How does vision foster inspiration?”

  1. Desmond Tutu is a good example of a prominent leader who inspired others to follow his vision. He is a true purposeful, serving leader. He put others needs ahead of his own and fought for others to have a better life. He has fought against apartheid in South Africa and continues to use his high profile to fight against AIDS, poverty and racism.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu

    • Yes Nikki, great example. I have a huge respect for Desmond Tutu, for what he believes in and what he does for society.

      During the interview…
      Q:”In 1998, you told the Archbishop of Canterbury that you were ashamed to be Anglican when the church failed to liberalize its attitudes toward gay clergy. Do you still feel that way?
      Tutu: “Yes. For me, there doesn’t seem to be a difference at all with how I felt when people were being clobbered for something about which they could do nothing — their race. I can’t believe that the Jesus Christ I worship would be on the side of those who persecute an already persecuted minority. That we should be tearing ourselves apart on this issue of human sexuality when the world faces such devastating problems as poverty, AIDS and conflict seems as if we are fiddling whilst our Rome is burning.”
      http://www.southafrica.to/people/Quotes/DesmondTutu/DesmondTutu.htm

  2. My first thoughts go to the gentlemen who drafted and established the Declaration of Independence for the United States. Thomas Jefferson was the front man for the document while John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston and Roger Sherman supported the effort. As a subgroup of the First Continental Congress, these gentlemen had a common vision for independence from the oppression and inadequate representation of the British Government. Freedom and just governmental representation was the vision, weather this be with the Britain or independent from the old government. This vision turned to a mission and then a plan for this independence. These men determined to declare independence form Britain after a year into the Revolutionary war. This was a turning point for the 13 colonies.
    Thomas Jefferson had a passion for human rights. He turned this into a vision and planned the action which resulted in the establishment of the United States of America of which we enjoy today.
    Believe me, dear Sir: there is not in the British empire a man who more cordially loves a union with Great Britain than I do. But, by the God that made me, I will cease to exist before I yield to a connection on such terms as the British Parliament propose; and in this, I think I speak the sentiments of America.
    —Thomas Jefferson, November 29, 1775
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Indepedence

    Another example would be the men who fought at the Alamo. Texas independence was their passion and vision. They purposed to fight against the Mexican government and William Travis believed the Alamo was a key position for the opposition of the Mexican Government. No doubt this must have been a tremendous task to convince or convict the small group at the Alamo to stand against unbeatable odds. Travis must have been of strong conviction.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamo

  3. Rev. Edgar J. Helms had a vision founded the Goodwill Industries in 1902. His vision has become a $3.2 billion nonprofit organization. He collected unwanted items from the wealthy side of town and trained and hired poor people to repair the items. The people could keep the items or resell them. Times have changed, but Helms’ vision remains constant. “We have courage and are unafraid. With the prayerful cooperation of millions of our bag contributors and of our workers, we will press on till the curse of poverty and exploitation is banished from mankind.”
    Rev. Helms saw a vision (Step 1) that self-sufficiency was the key for many to lead healthy and productive lives. By receiving items, and not money (Step 2), his mission of putting people to work caught on quickly (Step 3)
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootbearwdc/1509428239/
    http://www.goodwill.org/c/document_library/get_file?folderId=102102&name=First_100_Years_Timeline_(Text).pdf
    http://www.goodwill.org/page/guest/about/whatwedo/ourhistory

    • I really like this example – Here is yet another example of passion as well. I still say for a leader to drive his/her vision and to stay committed to it, there must be a passion to accomplish this. Rev. Helms not only had a vision, but he had passion as well.

    • mmentgen, the post was a good informative example of Rev. Edgar J. Helms and ChrisM i do agree that leader to drive his/her vision and to stay committed to it, there must be a passion to accomplish this.

  4. Leaders strive on inspiring others in ways others cannot. When a leader inspires someone, they motivate that individual to follow their vision. Leaders inspire others by example. When others can see the accomplishments of these leaders they are inspired to follow them. A good example of an inspiring leader was the well known South African leader Nelson Mandela for driving the efforts to stop apartheid in South Africa.

    http://www.moreorless.au.com/heroes/mandela.html

    As with any action the twelve steps of purposeful action can be applied to inspiring others to follow a common vision. Leaders develop their visions through introspection and follow through in sharing this vision with others of a common interest.

    http://www.philia.ca/cms_en/page1317.cfm

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