Will Your Vision Happen? Two Determining Factors For Leaders

What follows isn’t a true story, but a parable – a simple analogy that carries a powerful lesson for leaders.

A man once walked into a bank with a check. The teller explained the simple policy: “Sign your name, and I’ll give you the money.” The man resisted, anxious about committing before receiving. He left, tried another bank, then a third – where finally, after some persuasion, he signed and received his money.

This story mirrors how some leaders approach their visions. In business, we often ask: Will our vision truly happen?

Two determining factors make the difference…

1. The Law of Specificity

In leadership, vague ambitions like “I want my team to succeed” or “We need growth” sound inspiring, but they rarely produce measurable results.

Research on goal setting (Locke & Latham, 2002, Amen, 2024) shows that specific, well-defined goals dramatically improve performance. Neuroscience further demonstrates that vivid mental imagery activates the same brain circuits as real experience (Kosslyn et al., 2006), helping leaders and teams focus energy and attention.

Just as a builder cannot construct a house without a blueprint, leaders cannot execute a vision without clearly defining what success looks like.

Leadership application: Clarity reduces ambiguity, aligns teams, and channels resources toward tangible outcomes.

2. Signing Your Name – Commitment

Clarity alone is not enough. Leaders must fully commit their identity and actions to the vision.

Neuroscientist Daniel Siegel (2012) explains that coherence—the alignment of intention and behavior—creates the conditions for sustainable change. Research from the HeartMath Institute shows that emotional and physiological coherence (when heart and brain rhythms synchronize) increases resilience, focus, and decision-making capacity.

When leaders “sign their name” to a vision, they send a clear signal: This is who we are and where we are going. That commitment creates credibility, attracts the right stakeholders, and mobilizes energy across the organization.

Leadership application: Commitment transforms vision into strategy and strategy into action. Without it, visions remain abstract. With it, they become culture.

What vision are you pursuing? Are you willing to fully sign your name to it?

#NeuroLeadership#VisionaryLeadership #ResilientLeadership

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Photo Credit: Dilok Klaisataporn istockphoto.com