This chapter describes the new visionary leadership that is emerging around the globe to address complex problems and create a sustainable future for humanity and all of life. Visionary leadership is based on values, vision and vitality. Visionary leaders have a commitment to core spiritual values. Their leadership is based on an inspirational and practical vision of the future that invites others to participate as partners. They radiate a sense of vitality, energy and optimism that motivates others. And they are innovative, whole systems thinkers who go beyond the limits of conventional thought in their efforts to truly serve the common good.

INTRODUCTION

As we look around us today, it's clear that there is plenty of leadership--but we are sadly lacking in visionary leadership—leadership with a clear picture of a future that works for everyone and for all of life on this planet. There are few leaders who can see the big picture and who have a long term, whole-systems perspective.

But it's equally disappointing to realize that many of those with vision--those who have a holistic view of the future--also seem to lack leadership skills. They lack the fiery initiative and courage, as well as the practical skills, to make their visions a reality.

There is a growing recognition that without vision--and leaders of vision -- "the people perish." We think we would recognize a visionary leader when we see one, and we constantly complain about the quality of our leaders. Yet how often do we acknowledge that the attributes, qualities and abilities we collectively are willing to recognize and support in our leaders determines the kinds of leaders who can emerge? If we want visionary leaders, we have to be able to perceive them and support them.

This is being confirmed by what physicists call the "participative nature of the universe"--the fact that the act of looking for certain information evokes the information we are looking for. What we see is what we get.

But most importantly, we each need to challenge ourselves to develop greater leadership skills --and to develop a clearer vision. Effective leaders inspire people with a vision, but they also take charge and make things happen. They are courageous in presenting the big picture, but also in providing a sense of meaning for others. They express passion, commitment, and responsibility.

What are the qualities, abilities and powers of true visionary leaders? What is the mysterious inner process within leaders that enables them to work their magic and radiate the charisma that mobilizes others for a higher purpose? We can look for true visionary leadership in four major

A commitment to core spiritual values is an outstanding characteristic of all visionary leaders. More self-aware and reflective than others, they follow an inner sense of direction, and lead from the inside out, as Mahatma Gandhi did. Gandhi said, "I must first be the change I want to see in my world." He was a prime example of a commitment to values, as he freed India by appealing to the moral conscience of Britain and using "satyagraha" or non-violent action to reveal the immorality of the British Empire. Great leaders, rather than being corrupted by power, are elevated by power and exercise moral leadership, as best-selling author Stephen Covey notes.

Many successful leaders in business, such as J.C. Penny, have also demonstrated the power of living their values. Tom Chappell, CEO of Tom's of Maine, knew that he could "do well by doing good" in business. Living his values has contributed to his company's profits. Tom's uses all natural ingredients in their products to protect consumers and the environment, and it has been hugely successful-- both financially and in terms of social responsibility. This success has inspired other companies to follow their lead.

Aaron Feurenstein, CEO of Malden Mills in Lawrence, MA, producer of polartec fabrics, values his people as his greatest asset. He says a company has an equal responsibility to its community as to itself. Since his town has high unemployment, he kept all 3,000 employees on the payroll after a major fire destroyed 3 out of 4 of his factories. His loyalty to them repaid itself when the company rebuilt in record time and is now more profitable than ever

Visionary leaders have the ability to see higher spiritual forces at work behind the scenes of events, and they align with these supporting and redemptive forces. Both George Washington and Winston Churchill spoke about the help they received from a "guiding hand." Churchill said, "...we have a guardian because we serve a great cause, and we shall have that guardian as long as we serve that cause faithfully." Sojourner Truth, a former slave, was guided by an inner spiritual experience to preach the emancipation of slaves and women's rights all over the country during the Civil War. President Anwar Sadat of Egypt had a vision of Mohammed who told him to create peace in the Middle East. This is the hidden story behind the Camp David accords.

Visionary leaders embody a sense of personal integrity, and radiate a sense of energy, vitality and will. Will is standing in a spiritual state of being. Will is a spiritual attribute, which allows a leader to stand for something, and allows them to embody their principles. Qualities of intelligence and will are balanced in visionary leaders by a compassionate heart, as Marion Wright Edelman has demonstrated in her work over the years for the Children's Defense Fund. The Dalai Lama of Tibet has been an inspiration to people around the world in his compassion for his enemies, the Chinese who killed his people and destroyed Tibetan culture.

The best visionary leaders move energy to a higher level and inspire people to be better than they already are. They help them identify with what Lincoln called "the angels of their better nature"--as Martin Luther King did with his "I have a dream" speech. Like King, these leaders have the ability to sense the deeper spiritual needs of followers and link their current demands to these deeper, often unspoken, needs. They embody a spirit of service to the greater good, and inspire service in others, even asking followers to sacrifice something for the greater good as Eleanor

Roosevelt did in her work for the poor. John F. Kennedy inspired a whole generation in the '60s with his words, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." The creative power of lighted, inspired words can sound a certain inner note that people recognize and respond to. This can cause dramatic social change.

Visionaries who are successful at manifesting their visions base their leadership on an inspirational, positive picture of the future, as well as a clear sense of direction as to how to get there. Vision is a field that brings energy into form, and effective leaders broadcast a coherent message by themselves embodying their vision and their values, as physicist Margaret Wheatley notes in Leadership and the New Science. They keep communicating their vision to create a strong field which then brings their vision into physical reality. Nelson Mandela clearly held a positive vision of a racially harmonious South Africa for over 20 years while he was in jail, and then helped bring it into reality peacefully-- to the amazement of the world.

Compelling visions come from the heart and evoke enthusiasm and commitment from others. They link the current needs of people to their deeper needs. Visionary leaders transmit energy to people, giving them a new sense of hope and confidence in achieving the vision. President Roosevelt radiated a vitality that lifted people out of the fear and pessimism of the Great Depression, saying "We have nothing to fear but fear itself."

Visionary leaders often annunciate great values and principles that become guideposts for humanity, as Jefferson did with the Declaration of Independence. They intuitively draw on the eternal wisdom and present it in a new synthesis to meet the particular need of the times. In recent

years, Gro Brundtland of Norway helped articulate the principle of sustainable development that is needed to protect our environment for future generations.

Visionary leaders are especially noted for transforming old mental maps or paradigms, and thinking "outside the box" of conventional thought. They embody a balance of left brain (rational) and right brain (intuitive) functions. These leaders think broadly and systemically, seeing the big picture, the whole system, and "the pattern that connects," as Gregory Bateson said. Environmental economist and futurist Hazel Henderson is an outstanding example today of an innovative thinker who sees the big picture.

Visionary trainer Peter Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline, has helped thousands of business managers see patterns of interrelationship in their companies and the interconnection of things. They have learned to shift their perception from seeing structures and linear cause/effect chains to seeing processes, and have thus transformed how they do business.

Visionary thinking is long term, rather than short term, and it explores the deeper causes of problems to find workable solutions. This is what Anita Roddick, creator of the hugely successful and innovative business, The Body Shop, has done by addressing with health and environmental problems, as well as poverty in the Third World, through her business. Visionary leaders anticipate change and are proactive, rather than reactive, to events. Their focus is on opportunities, not on problems, and they tend to emphasize win/win approaches, rather than adversarial win/lose approaches.

In contrast to the old style of leadership which tells people what to do, and pushes or dominates them, the new visionary leaders embody a receptive, as well as a dynamic energy. They know how to listen and learn from other points of view, asking questions as much as stating their own opinions and knowledge. The importance of good relationships in manifesting a vision is clearly understood. These leaders promote a partnership approach and create a shared sense of vision and meaning with others. This shared vision is more than an idea-- it is "a force in people's hearts," as Peter Senge notes. They exhibit a greater respect for others and carefully develop team spirit and team learning. Building this sense of shared vision and partnership has also been key to the effectiveness of many feminists such as Gloria Steinem.

The most effective visionary leaders are responsive to the real needs of people and they develop participative strategies to include people in designing their own futures. This approach has been very successful for Robert Haas, the CEO of Levi Strauss. Rather than confront or avoid conflict, the new visionary leaders have learned how to transform conflict into usable energy. They work to unite--rather than divide-- people.

All these different spiritual abilities describe the powers of the soul. When we see a truly visionary leader accomplishing great things, s/he is drawing on the resources of the soul and its remarkable capabilities. An effective visionary leader is someone who has experienced a certain degree of this higher soul infusion.

Today, as we approach the Third Millenium, thousands of new visionary leaders are emerging in all fields of human endeavor around the world, leading a quiet revolution energized by the power of the soul and their spiritual connection to a higher power. It's time we understand the deeper dimensions of these soul-inspired leaders and support them in helping create a more sustainable, just, and compassionate world for all of life. In the participatory universe in which we live, it is time we looked for these visionary leaders among us and supported them and humanity’s evolution.

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Corinne McLaughlin and Gordon Davidson are co-authors of Spiritual Politics and Builders of the Dawn. They are co-founders of The Center for Visionary Leadership in Washington, D.C. and co-founders of Sirius, an ecological village and educational community in Massachusetts. Corinne coordinated a national task force for President Clinton's Council on Sustainable Development and taught politics at American University. Gordon was formerly the Executive Director of the Social Investment Forum and of The Center for Environmentally Responsible Economies, and was broker principal for Ally Capital' s Environmental Fund. They can be reached at: The Center for Visionary Leadership, 3408 Wisconsin Ave. N.W., Suite 200, Washington, DC 20016; (202) 237-2800; email: cvldc@visionarylead.org; website: www.visionarylead.org.