The Visionary Management Style: Definition & Examples
Could the visionary management style be the best approach for your business? We explore examples and all the pros & cons you need to know here.
What is the visionary management style?
The visionary management style is incredibly effective at inspiring others and making decisions with a clear vision in mind1. With this leadership style, managers have a compelling idea for the future, assessing progress towards the goal and identifying problems that may prevent the goal from being reached. They communicate their point of view with employees to create a community of collaboration. These managers can be characterised as innovative and imaginative leaders who have a compelling vision of the future, where they can have a positive impact and, often, disrupt the status quo3.
Keep reading to discover examples of visionary management style, alongside pros and cons.
Pros of visionary management:
Ambitious in achieving goals
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Visionary leaders are ambitious and open-minded to new situations, ideas, and innovations, especially when it comes to considering alternate ways of achieving goals1.
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Having a leader who is inspired to strive for ambitious goals in the business can be motivating for employees, providing a role-model and inspiring more ambition within the team.
Inspiring employees
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Under effective visionary leadership, employees feel inspired to buy-in to the common goal their manager has communicated to them2.
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A leader that is willing to try new things will create an accepting environment for employees to think outside the box and take calculated risks. These leaders are receptive to feedback and suggestions making employees feel more comfortable having a say in projects.
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Coffee meetings can be the perfect setting for inspiring chats with employees, communicating goals and listening to feedback.
Persistent employees
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These leaders are idealistic individuals who know exactly what they’re pursuing and can plan how to achieve their goals1. They are very capable of overcoming obstacles and motivating themselves, regardless of the challenges they face.
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This will encourage employees to also be motivated, dedicated and persistent in their tasks, leading to increased workplace productivity.
Cons of visionary management
Inconsistencies
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Visionaries leaders adopting the visionary management style also risk becoming too easily swayed or inconsistent in their pursuit of the best approach.
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This could create a lack of trust between employees and the leader as there is a lack of consistency and employees could be thrown off by sudden changes based on the visionary leader’s mood.
Neglecting short-term priorities
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With visionaries being focused on long-term priorities and the vision of the business, they can neglect the short-term goals of the business1.
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When pursuing and achieving certain goals they may miss other opportunities, as they are so focused on their own vision they may not be able to see the goals others may have in the short-term.
Visionary managers are driven by their idea of an ideal future, which can have both positive and negative consequences. Some visionary management style examples include Henry Ford, who popularised the invention of the automobile; Oprah Winfrey, with her vision of television as a platform to change the world; and Steve Jobs, who disrupted the technology industry with his radical vision of Apple Macintosh computers3. While visionaries are inspiring, ambitious and persistent they can lack focus on the short-term priorities and be somewhat inconsistent in their approach if not careful.
If you want to find out more about other management styles, check out our guides on transformational management and laissez faire management.
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