Great point here from Simon Sinek : we are not all visionaries, however anyone can find and contribute to someone else’s vision.

You can be a visionary, but maybe not in all aspects of life. For example, I can have a vision for a particular initiative at work, but find someone else’s vision for another quite compelling, and buy into it. When looking at strong teams under the microscope, this is one of the elements that we would find: team members open to different ways of thinking.

Sometimes the team will accept and go ahead with something that you believe in. You contribute to the best of your abilities in order to help the whole achieve its objectives. But what happens when you don’t agree with a vision that the team wants to go forward with ? How do you react ?

Everyone can be a leader, and diversity if often a key element in keeping a team culture healthy and thriving. Same goes for your personal growth.

So you don’t necessarily agree with what has been put forward. Or, you’re not sure how to move forward regarding an initiative or a challenge. Now what ? Do you remove yourself from the equation ? A chain can’t be strong if there is a missing link. Here are a few ideas that can help you keep an open mind, and maybe even buy into someone else’s vision.

Ask Questions

We don’t know what we don’t know. Many an opportunity has been missed because we didn’t inquire about it. If you are unsure about how to move forward, or don’t understand or agree with someone else’s vision, then ask questions. Find out important details like WHY ? WHO ? HOW ? to make sure you understand. By asking questions, we are not closing ourselves off from different ideas, or growth opportunities. Let’s not forget that growth usually happens outside our confort zone. Here are a some sample questions that could be used in such a situation:

“I’m not sure about moving forward with this project. Can you tell me more about it ? I want to make sure I have all the information.”

“I think this is a great idea, and would need more information about it. Can you explain to me WHY we are going to do it this way again, and WHAT my role would be ?”

Notice how words such as “but”, “don’t”, “can’t” were not used. Try to avoid words that could potentially shut the door before even getting started.

Put On A Different Pair Of Glasses

Sometimes it can be difficult to try to see things from a different perspective. Most of the time, people tend to think that their idea is the best idea. I’ve often caught myself thinking just that ! Considering someone else’s point of view or deciding to buy into someone else’s vision doesn’t mean that your idea was not good. In fact, it can actually compliment your idea. So go ahead, put on the other person’s glasses and try to see things the way they do. You might be pleasantly surprised !

Have Faith

Another element that gives teams the strength it needs is faith in each other. In order to be successful and to move forward, we have to have faith in one and other. That’s how the chain stays strong. Even though I might not agree with a team decision, I know that I can trust the judgement of my colleagues, and that we have each other’s back. Knowing this makes taking risks that much easier. Have faith in your team members, especially when your vision isn’t quite the same.

As Simon Sinek said in the above video, we can’t all be visionaries, much less all the time. We don’t have to have a vision either. But when we don’t, in order for others to keep their faith in us, we need to have faith in them, and find a vision that compels us.