Growing a Vision by Klemmer

Leaders develop the vision of the organization, others, and themselves

I had lunch one day with a woman named Ann Low. Her eight-year-old daughter Landry was trying to cope with the 9-11 World Trade Center disaster. Those 3,000 people dying was such a large number for her to comprehend.

After sympathizing, Ann decided to leverage the moment in terms of instruction. She asked her daughter how many children under the age of five died every day?

Landry guessed 400.

Ann encouraged her daughter to think bigger, because this was the whole world. Landry guessed a thousand.

Ann then told her that 15,000 children under the age of five die every day. Astounded, eight-year-old Landry, committed to feeding 1,000 children.

She sat in her principal's office five days in a row before getting an appointment. When she finally got to see him, she convinced the principal to let her announce daily for eight days over the PA system that all the children in school could change the world with their spare change.

After eight days, Landry had collected a wheelbarrow full of money. It was enough to feed over 4,000 children.

If an eight-year-old can do that, what can you do in your business? Can you ignore rejection and call someone five times like Landry did as she sat in the principal's office waiting to see him for five days? Can you commit to a goal that others think is unrealistic or, based on your past, is unrealistic?

Remember that realism is for those that lack imagination. Vision is the ability to see with your imagination the potential that the physical eye cannot see. The physical eye sees facts, such as an apple seed sitting in the palm of my hand. Vision sees the potential of the tree it will become and the fruit of that tree, which has seeds and the trees of those seeds, etc.

Where in your life do you feel overwhelmed? What piece are you willing to commit to solving? Sure, 4,000 starving children being fed may not solve the whole problem, but it begins a movement of hope.

A graduate of our seminars and top marketing professional, Mark Lance, wisely states, "Take someone as far as they can see and then they can see further."

Take 10 minutes today and make a list of your goals that are outside of accumulation and in the realm of contribution or making a difference.

TAKEAWAY! Large visions grow out of little visions. Never underestimate your ability to make a difference.

Action Step #1

Take one of your business partners and have a conversation like Ann had with her daughter. Remember, it started with something huge–3,000 people dying in one incident. It moved to something even bigger–15,000 children under the age of five dying every day. It then moved to a commitment the daughter thought she could take on– feeding 1,000 children.

With your team, that might sound like the difference a leader in your business makes in a community project or charitable cause. What if 1,000 successful people were involved? Ask yourself what you can do right now. You don't have to swallow the whole elephant right now, you just have to take one bite and start chewing.

An Example

More than 20 years ago, I interviewed Wally Amos, an international speaker and the creator of "Famous Amos" Cookies. I interviewed him because I found out he had lost the entire business of "Famous Amos" Cookies and yet, within 30 days, he had another company up, running, and making a profit. I wanted to know all about that.

During our meeting I asked him if he started with a vision of an international cookie company. Quite the contrary! His vision in the beginning was simply to have the best cookie store in Los Angeles. From that the vision grew and grew.

Action Step #2

List the biggest difference you think you make in your lifetime. Then have someone close to you give an honest evaluation if they see it the same way.

Now fantasize about what a difference that difference made in all the people touched by that person and so on. Know that you have impacted thousands. Look at all the people touched by the story of Ann and Landry.

Now, write a page in your journal on how you might make twice that difference, or, even more.

An Example 

I know that this can be a difficult exercise for some people. To get you started, recall the classic holiday movie starring Jimmy Stewart, "It's a Wonderful Life." The character Stewart plays George Bailey, who is thinking of suicide and gets the chance to see what life would have been like if he had never been born. From that perspective, take a fresh look at all the differences you've made in your life.

"The purpose of life is a life of purpose"–Robert Byrne