11 traits of a visionary person that really matter

Everyone has ideas. But how you put them into practice will make you stand out. Do you want to be known as a visionary person?

You can reach this status, but it will not be easy. It takes more steps than getting out of bed and sitting at the computer.

Keep reading to find the 12 characteristics of a visionary person that really matter. 

How to become a visionary person?

To be known as a visionary person you must follow some basic principles:

You have to act, not just talk. Everyone has ideas. Ideas are cheap. Talking is even cheaper. We all listen to what the great thinkers tell us, because their ideas have been successfully validated.

A visionary person without a platform is like a tree that falls in the forest, without making any noise.

When you prove that your vision is valid, gaining recognition for visionary thinking becomes much easier to accomplish.

If everyone agrees with what you have to say, it’s like preaching to empty seats. Most of us follow some basic business principles.

If you have a business and want to promote it, CrystalKnows is an online platform that integrates personality insights into all organisational processes.

The way we apply these principles may be different because we are all distinct personalities.

But to be a  visionary person, we must take a different path, which means that the world will not agree with us until it is proven that we were right. 

Look at obstacles as a sign that you are on the right track. But also prepare your heavy artillery for when you will be attacked.

You have to start smart. Paving a platform is hard to do.

The Wall Street Journal probably won’t answer your phone, but smaller publications and influential bloggers will listen to you if you have something interesting to say.

Be humble and address all who listen to you. If you want to start from the top, you will never start.

For a while, no one will listen to you. And that’s good. Viewers not only have great ideas but also communicate them effectively.

You have to know how to write and speak very well. Here lies another reason to start from the bottom: refine your message and practice your writing and speaking skills.

And the most important…

You have to be absolutely sure that it is worth it. If you are a consultant or author, recognition as a visionary is very helpful.

Increased credibility and visibility can create more opportunities, attract a higher fee and increase revenue.

But in many cases, the most significant increase will be in the case of one’s ego. 

Building a platform and an audience for your own ideas is a really difficult thing. You will invest countless hours writing, speaking, promoting and relating, without tangible results, sometimes.

Take a good look at the palpable benefits you expect to see. If you can’t quantify the gain, invest your time in other activities.

If everything refers to your own ego, you will never succeed and probably shouldn’t, because great thinkers put all their emphasis on their ideas, not on themselves.

12 characteristics of a visionary person that really matter

• A dreamer –  The dreamer is the person who, in this case, takes the time to think about what the future will look like. The questions he asks are: “how can I improve things” and “what would I like to change in the current situation“.

Of course, this does not mean that the visionary person is constantly with his head in the clouds, but that, from time to time, he looks up, looks into the distance and sees where he is going.

A visionary person lives, feels, smells, tastes the future.

•  The leader – Many leaders fail because their dreams and aspirations are not anchored in reality, which means that the changes they propose do not resonate with the public.

For a visionary person to become a leader, he must have followers. In order to have followers, the leader must serve others around him and defend their interests.

The official listens, listens again, and then thinks, “How can I better help these people or how can I best handle the situation?“

•  The seller – Once they have established their vision, a person will try to present it to their followers as the best possible solution. Those who manage to do this and convince those around them have the same skills as salespeople.

The salesperson has excellent communication skills, is confident and knows how to tell stories.

•  The mule – Any visionary person who wants to make changes will face a group of resistance fighters. If there are no people to resist him, it means he does not have a bright vision.

That means he needs a degree of stubbornness to keep up with that of a mule.

He makes sure that the idea is a good one and does not give it up until he has the desired success.

But it is very important that this stubbornness is not just his.

He must learn to listen to those around him and to convince as many people as possible that he wants their good, not just his own.

• The thinker – This feature adds substance to the visionary person. He combines creativity, strange thoughts with expertise, research and perspective. The thinker has visibility, wisdom and the ability to create a hypothetical future.

•  The questioner – The visionary person has nothing to object to when he has to ask for expert opinions. The team around him must be made up of people who have the best understanding in a certain field and who are involved in the project. 

In addition, when those people are involved, they put more passion into what they do and unconditionally support their leader.

• Relentless – Seeking to make a difference, a visionary person like Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson, known for their revolutionary ideas, were dedicated and tireless. He works hard to turn his dreams into reality.

Such successful leaders are dedicated people, who know that potential is worthless if it does not materialize at the right time.

• The original – Visionary people are not imitators! They challenge the status quo by violating conventions and encouraging different thinking. In today’s competitive markets, being unique and different is essential in order to gain a strategic advantage over the competition. 

Being original in your business model will help you gain a long-term advantage that will set you apart from the rest. 

• The well-defined purpose – A visionary person is aware that they are a source of inspiration for those around them. They are not only aware of themselves, but also of the emotions and needs of others. 

Their personality includes a well-defined mixture of intrinsic curiosity and extrinsic concentration.

With a sense of supreme purpose, they understand the importance of serving other people above themselves.

And to be a true visionary, your goal should be to inspire, serve, help, and improve the lives of others.

•  The intelligent – Those who were able to find the best solutions either had extraordinary expertise themselves or collaborated with people who had such expertise.

 If we think of Steve Jobs, for example, he had a colossal vision of how he could improve the customer experience, but he still needed the engineering talent of his teammate, Steve Wozniak, to turn the idea into reality.

True visionaries build their ideas quickly and in the long run. They rely on themselves to catalyze other opportunities in the future.

• The intrepid – Our fast-paced business world is causing constant market changes, fluctuations in sales and very tight profit margins. The result is that by being aware of the life cycle of the product or service offered and the point at which it is at any given time, a business is able to find a strategy in a timely manner and implement the necessary changes in such a way as to ensure continued sales and profit.

Moreover, due to the dynamism of the market, a product or service that is relevant today may lose that relevance tomorrow.

Market awareness of what is sought and what is no longer required and, of course, who the new players are, is vital to ensuring that you provide your customers with what is required and relevant.

 Facing challenges with commitment and enthusiasm helps organizations grow and overcome.

• Empathy – Being empathetic brings important and concrete benefits. This helps maintain good relationships in the long run. Empathy increases your understanding of others’ sensitive points and how you can help them, but it helps you find solutions to problems. 

Conclusions

In this blog post, we wrote about 12 characteristics of a visionary person that really matter. We also wrote on how one can become a visionary person.

Perhaps, the most important thing to remember is to really believe in what you are doing. Building a platform and an audience for your own ideas is a really difficult thing.

You will invest countless hours writing, speaking, promoting and relating, without tangible results, sometimes.

Take a good look at the palpable benefits you expect to see. If you can’t quantify the gain, invest your time in other activities.

To remind you, the 12 characteristics of a visionary person are: he is a dreamer, leader, a seller, a mule, a thinker,  a questioner, he is also relentless, original, intelligent, intrepid, has a well-defined purpose and he is also empathetic. 

If you have questions, comments or your own characteristics of a visionary person, please let us know in the comments section below!

FAQ about a visionary person

References

Hugo M. Kehr, Matthias Strasser, Andrea Paulus, Motivation and Volition in the Workplace, Motivation and Action

Ferdinand Denzinger, Veronika Brandstätter, Stability of and Changes in Implicit Motives. A Narrative Review of Empirical Studies, Frontiers in Psychology,

Indeed.com

Inc.com