The first thing most credible authors on leadership write about is one’s personal vision and values. Peter Senge in “The Fifth Discipline” calls it Personal Mastery. For Senge, personal mastery involves continually clarifying what is important to us and continually learning how to see current reality more clearly. Values and Vision.
Starting and growing a business that is intended to turn a profit while making a positive impact on the environment requires values and vision, first as it relates to the impact and then as it relates to making profit. Values, what they are and how we prioritize them, inform our choices on both large and small levels. For instance, if we value convenience (efficiency) more than the use of resources, we will think about our purchases differently than if they other way around.
Our vision is our desired future. If we can clearly paint a picture of what we want to see, we know how we fit into that picture. If we know how we fit in, then we know what we have to do. For example, if our vision is that our country is 100% dependent on energy from renewable sources, that prompts us to examine our values and our activities to be consistent and work to achieve that vision.
Notice that Senge uses the word continually in both parts of personal master. That means clarifying a vision and defining and living by values is a process. In actively participating in the process, the leader is well on the way to achieving effective and focused leadership in their lives and in their business.
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