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Washington was chosen for these leadership roles because of his character and also because of his being a genius in the area of leadership.
A visionary leader is a person who attracts others to follow him/her in seeking attainment of the vision. More than that, this charismatic person is able to instill ideas, beliefs and values of the vision in others so that they become empowered to move beyond the leader’s and their own expectations.
1. The visionary leader has crystal clear and far-reaching vision in regard to the cause or organization involved.
This vision has goals and ideas that remain constant regardless of time or obstacles the leader encounters along the way.
The leader never allows any of the means or actions along the way to violate or invalidate this vision and its constituent values.
Washington walked the talk: he served as commander of the Continental Army without pay and was nearly bankrupt by the time he returned home to Mount Vernon after serving as the country’s first president.
On one occasion when his soldiers wanted to overthrow the wartime government and set up Washington to lead the country, he made it clear that the thought of overthrowing the colonial American government was repulsive and he'd never consider it!
2. Washington was confident, yet humble. His humility was reflected in the way he gave people a voice by seeking and considering their opinions and ideas. Washington lived and worked with brilliant philosophers, thinkers, writers, orators and organizers, such as Franklin, Mason, John and Sam Adams, Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Hamilton, Madison, Dickinson, the Randolphs and the Lees, almost all of whom were far better educated than he.
Historians have noted that during the Constitutional Convention over which Washington presided, he rarely said a word other than to intervene and make decisions to break a logjam in the deliberations.
3. The visionary leader is skillful in designing and creating an organizational culture which will make the attainment of the leader’s vision and ideas possible. Creating this organizational culture may be the most lasting contribution of the leader because it'll consist of the enduring values, vision and beliefs shared by members of the organization.
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