Risk & Business Magazine Cain Insurance Fall 2016 | Page 28

ARE YOU A VISIONARY BUSINESS LEADER?

Are You A Visionary
Business Leader?
BY: GARY BELDING, BELDING
BUSINESS FINANCING
SOLUTIONS

Looking Towards The Future

W

hile most visionaries
are leaders, not all
leaders are visionaries.
Anyone can think of
one good idea, but
visionaries have big ideas, again and again.
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary offers three
definitions for “visionary”:
•

having or showing clear ideas about
what should happen or be done in the
future

•

having or showing a powerful
imagination

•

of or relating to something that is
seen or imagined in a dream or vision

The characteristics of visionary leaders are
having the ability to plan and implement
an idea or vision, being a good listener
and empowering others in the decisionmaking process. Visionaries focus on the
future and not what is happening now.
To be effective, their visions must be
attainable, have a specific timeline and be
measurable. Visionaries are ahead of their
time, are always thinking and are creative
by nature. A visionary will know his or her
strengths and weaknesses.
The McDonald brothers who founded
the McDonald’s restaurant business may

have been good businessmen, but they
were not visionaries. The brothers were
satisfied with their business and became
complacent, despite wishing to expand.
Ray Kroc, who bought the restaurant
business in 1961 from the McDonald
brothers, was a visionary. He had the
vision and took the business to new
heights.

including their employees. The employees
in any organizations are the most
underutilized resource available.

Another great example of a visionary
was Henry Ford. The general consensus
from most business owners is listen to
your customers and find out what they
want. Henry Ford expanded on the idea
of listening to your customers and said, “if
I had asked people what they wanted,
they would have said, ‘faster horses.’” He
believed that you need to anticipate where
the market is going, not where the market
is now. Always look at the big picture and
focus on the target.

Change your routine. Begin by looking
at everything in a new way. Even your
day-to-day routine can be revised,
and you can learn to step outside your
comfort zone. Practice looking past the
first, obvious answer. This will start you
thinking differently. Ignore self-doubt and
stop sabotaging your own ideas. Begin
brainstorming without filtering anything.
Think through the best ideas, and then
focus in order to find a way to make them
happen. Apply this new way of thinking to
everything in your business.

Steve Jobs is probably the greatest example
of a visionary. By changing how we
communicate and by changing the scope
of how we use technology today, Steve Jobs
is the definition of an innovator and is
considered one of the most creative minds
the world has seen.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE
A VISIONARY?
Although some business visionaries may
have a natural gift, there are concepts and
approaches that can be developed.

Never allow the lack of money to stop you.
This will begin your creative new
process. +

Visionaries do not work in isolation.
Visionaries will use their resources,

Gary Belding has worked in both the private and public sectors
for in excess of forty years and understands the world of
financing. Gary has the experience, knowledge, and ability to
navigate through the financial landscape and now operates
his own business, Belding Business Financing Solutions (www.
beldingsolutions.com).
28

|

FALL 2016