In flying, a “sight picture” is the relationship of the nose of the aircraft to the horizon. A good sight picture is essential to ensure the aircraft is heading the right direction, at the right speed, and the right altitude.
It takes all your training and all your senses to maintain a proper sight picture. Keep it true and you’ll get to where you need to go.
Let it drift and you’re off course.
In a similar way, your leadership sight picture keeps oriented to your purpose and headed toward your goals. To be true to your purpose you have to know yourself. To get on course you need to establish performance targets.
Let’s talk about each of these in turn.
KNOW YOURSELF. In my dealings with leaders at all levels, it constantly amazes me how few of them have actually take the time to know themselves. That is, what they need, what they value and their strengths, skills, and weaknesses. It’s also surprising how few leaders have a personal vision and mission.
Nothing is more foundational to leadership success than to know who you are, what you stand for, and what contribution you intend to make.
It’s critical to do the personal spade work to unearth this vital self-knowledge. Without it, you’ll always be off course.
Once my clients complete the Leadership Sight Picture process, they all tell me just how important—even life-changing—this discovery processes is for them, particularly when they develop a values-based, strengths-driven vision and mission.
PERFORMANCE TARGETS. Performance targets involve evaluating every area of your personal and professional life and developing clear, time-anchored goals. These include spiritual, intellectual, wellness, financial, relationship, and work-related components.
Performance targets also serve to integrate your entire life toward that which you know to be your true purpose as embodied in your vision and mission. The alignment of who you are and what you stand for with what you intend to contribute to your corner of the world unleashes rivers of positive energy—energy to achieve the goals you set for yourself.
In the meantime, I’m challenging you to begin work on yours!