The other day I read¹:

"The source and center of all man's creative power - the power that above all others lifts him above the level of brute creation, and gives him dominion, is his power of making images, or the power of imagination."

"Imagination pictures the thing you desire. VISION idealizes it. It reaches beyond the thing that is, into the conception of what can be. Imagination gives you the picture. Vision gives you the impulse to make the picture your own."

Do these quotes resonate with you?

Do those quotes help you understand what people mean when they say things like:

• What's your Corporate VISION?
• Can I see your VISION Statement?

The Thinking Behind the Tweet

Unless, of course, you are leading chickens...in which case you will want to be a booster and a rooster but you won't want to be a boaster or a roaster.

Many important words begin with 'in'.

One important Inword that cropped up several times this week is: INITIATE. 

Seth Godin cited Initiative as the #1 imperative for future business and Lorie Saxby and I spent time honing a definition...

INITIATE: to commence thought or action aligned with goals

Spirited Leaders defines words to maximize the likelihood of communication...we have found clarity of message is critical.  

Spirited Leaders has defined another Inword - INTEGRITY. We saw a need for that. INTEGRITY - a word that too often is taken too lightly. For example, years ago Integrity was cited in the Enron website as a corporate Value. [Perhaps a clear definition of the word might have helped the folks at Enron.]

Here's another Inword that's at the core of Spirited Leaders: INSPIRE. 

And our definition...

INSPIRE: to exert an animating, enlivening influence on; to encourage, impel & motivate; to excite and impart motion; to bolster focused action

Spirited Leaders' mantra is: INSPIRE PEOPLE, GROW PROFITS!

A few more important Inwords:

• INTROSPECTION: this is all about self-analysis and self-knowledge, which paves the path for self-monitoring and self-regulation...key things for leaders who want to 
• INSIGHT: the capacity of understanding hidden truths, especially about people's character and situations
• INTENTION: allowing wisdom, judgment, and volition to guide thoughts and actions
• INFLUENCE...and, of course, INFLUENCE is something leaders must do. Leaders also need to pay attention to their
• INTUITION. The largest mistakes I have made in business have happened when I have ignored my INTUITION. Laziness and logic should not take precedent over INTUITION. When laziness kicks in, as it tends to do from time to time, Leaders need to figure out how to set aside the facts and figures and opinions and check out gut feel.
• INVIGORATE themselves and other people. The words INVIGORATE and INSPIRE cover similar territory...important territory. When people are INSPIRED and INVIGORATED their fears have less hold on them. They are more confident and that confidence enables
• INVENTION and INNOVATION. Business Leaders know the status quo is not good enough. And, INVENTION and INNOVATION are remedies for the status quo. To quote Seth Godin, "The relentless act of invention, innovation, and initiative is the best marketing asset there is."