8 Visionary Leadership Examples

With all the leadership styles, the visionary quality is said to be something that every leader should have. After all, when there is no vision for a country or a team, then setting a cohesive goal that everyone can work on would not be possible. Basically, each leader should have a passion about a certain vision, the skill set to recognize it and the capability to interpret daily requirements and tasks towards it. A vision should also be achieved through efficiencies, innovation and consistent support from team members. Visionary leaders should have the ability to look forward into the future farther than others and have an unwavering focus on an end goal that is even believed by others to be impossible. Here are some of the greatest examples of visionary leadership style:

1. Nelson Mandela Leadership

Aside from being the first democratically elected President of South Africa, Mandela was once the face and leader of the Anti-Apartheid movement, relentlessly fighting against racial discrimination all through his life. His actions even brought him to prison, though this did not deter him. His tremendous focus, determination, focus and will, even after serving 30 years in jail, urge him to continue his campaigns, making him come out as a hero and lead his country into having an equal and free future.

2. Henry Ford Leadership

Ford became famous for pioneering the automobile assembly line and having to successfully mass produce automobiles. Amazingly, he started Ford Motor Co. with virtually none of his own money, proceeding to cleverly negotiate deals with suppliers that allowed him to purchase parts on credit. After years of diligently reinvesting his profits back into his business, the company then became an industrial giant, with him being immortalized as a business legend.

3. Fidel Castro Leadership

Castro is one of the two faces of the Cuban Revolution in 1953 and went on to become the country’s president and prime minister. He devised the revolution during a time when he was facing many crises and an attempt of assassination against his life. proving to be a great leader and commander, his vision has gotten Cuba where it stands today.

Fighting alongside Castro was Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, who was an Argentine revolutionary who was the main man of the Cuban Revolution. His charisma and love for doing good for other people attracted so many people towards him, making him today a symbol of rebellion, which is a right that he deserves.

4. John Rockefeller Leadership

Rockefeller is the business tycoon behind Standard Oil, who became a dominant force in the industry in the 1870s after buying his first oil refinery in 1862, almost single-handedly revolutionizing the mass market for oil. He offered discounts to railroads carrying oil across the US, selling it to consumers at low prices, which helped establish his legacy as one of the country’s earliest business heroes.

5. Andrew Carnegie Leadership

Regarded as the “King of Steel”, Carnegie worked in founding and operating U.S. Steel, as well as leading the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century, earning him the reputation as the 2nd wealthiest man in history. Long before he achieved his success, he worked as a lowly telegrapher in the 1850s, and by the 1860s, his investments in bridges, railroads and oil facilities propelled him to build his company into an enduring empire. After his much-deserved retirement, Carnegie was filled with generous philanthropy and charitable efforts.

6. Warren Buffett Leadership

Along with Bill Gates, Buffett is one of only 2 living individuals who can truthfully boast of the largest fortunes in the world. In fact, these two men are collaborating to set up the largest charitable giving project in history. Buffet generated his larger-than-life net worth by becoming one of Wall Street’s most successful investors, and his secret is to stay close to his capital. This means that he would not invest unless he personally meets with the top executives, completely buying into their business strategy. His leadership philosophy has served him well, propelling him to unimaginable heights of wealth creation.

7. Michael Milken Leadership

Milken was regarded as the first corporate raider in history, making his name during the financial boom of the 1980s by creating a junk bonds market. At first, he bought junk bonds when they were cheap, knowing that the government would bail out large corporations and allowing him to reap large amounts of profits when this happened.

8. Alexander the Great Leadership

Known as the “Man Who Conquered the World”, Alexander the Great is regarded by the world today as the greatest military leader of all time. Born in 356 BC, he created the largest empire in history by the age of 33, which stretched from Greece to India. As the king of the Kingdom of Macedonia, he was perhaps the greatest military commander to have ever lived. During his reign, he did a lot of noble deeds, including one that unified the many Greek city states. While he was undefeated in battle, he unfortunately succumbed to malaria and saw his death in 323 BC. As a visionary leader, his greatest qualities were his vision, foresight and military capabilities.

As the world changes each day, we will see children being born and people dying, yet life goes on. But in these everyday normal things of life, people will be born with a different ability and flair to influence a whole lot of other people. Due to the sheer presence and charisma that they would show, these individuals will be considered as gems. Whether they use their talents for good things, it has always been a debate of nature versus nurture. However, the world has been seeing a lot of great leaders throughout history, where some of them have influenced not only their respective countries, but the world. Taking an example of the great leaders listed above, would you like your country to be ruled by one? It would be great for all people, isn’t it?

Author Biography
Keith Miller has over 25 years of experience as a CEO and serial entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, he has founded several multi-million dollar companies. As a writer, Keith's work has been mentioned in CIO Magazine, Workable, BizTech, and The Charlotte Observer. If you have any questions about the content of this blog post, then please send our content editing team a message here.

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