SUMMARY

Developing, casting, and protecting an organization’s vision is one of the most critical functions of a leader. In this episode, GLN VP of Marketing Whitney Putnam asks President and CEO David Ashcraft to share what he’s learned about vision from his decades of leading. As always, you’ll find David’s insights to be practical, concise, and very clear. We hope you enjoy these tips on how to effectively share vision with your team.

IN THIS EPISODE

0:00 Intro

02:30 How did David learn the importance of constantly casting vision?

04:00 The importance of keeping vision simple.

05:00 How would David coach someone to simplify their vision?

07:00 How do you balance clarity on your vision and being open to input from others?

08:30 What does David do personally to get clarity on the vision?

13:30 Outro

LISTEN

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STANDOUTS AND TAKEAWAYS

• Vision just means that you know where you are going and how you will get there.

• If you can’t clearly understand or explain something yourself, you can’t expect other people to be able to communicate it either.

• People will lose interest in hearing your vision if it is longer than 3 or 4 sentences.

• Though the vision can be developed with others, it is the leader’s primary job to protect the vision.

• Having a clear vision actually frees people up to do good work.

• When crafting a vision, in addition to saying, “Here’s where we are going,” the leader also needs to be clear on, “and here’s how we are going to get there.” (Meaning our values and behaviors.)

• For a leader, repeating the vision constantly may feel old, but it is necessary for the organization.

LINKS MENTIONED

• Podcast: Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Hospitality with Horst Schulze (Global Leadership Podcast, Episode 153)

• Website: Team365

• Website: Global Leadership Summit 2025

• Website: Global Leadership Network