A man to carry on a successful business must have imagination. He must see things as in a vision, a dream of the whole thing. "Charles M. Schwab"

Too often, vision casting is simply an exercise in viewing the future through a big telescope. You look to see where you want to end up achieving your business or personal success. In order to push big Square Rock uphill you must use your imagination and not only see where you want to go but how to get there.

I have been most successful when I can in-vision every element on the very steep hill that is standing between my efforts and success. For every idea I have had, only those where I can see myself actively engaged in have been successful. If you cannot imagine yourself in the daily grind towards success, you may be on the wrong hill with the wrong Square Rock. The successful entrepreneur must not only take the time to cast a vision for the ultimate destination, but also a how to get there.

General Norman Schwarzkopf who laid out the blue print for the allied forces in the first Desert Storm battle in Kuwait and Irag, inspired me with his vision casting for the battle plan of the war. He said the vision was to win the battles, the difficulty was to in-vision all the different ways to get to the successful outcome. He said he tried to anticipate all the different moves the Iraq Republican Guard might make and be prepared to respond to them. The battle field is like business, the successful leader must adapt as changes happen real time. Nothing kills business momentum as quickly as having to stop pushing the Square Rock uphill because you have encountered a major obstacle in your path that you did not expect.

This concept has been around for thousands of years. Sun Tzu who wrote the "Art of War" said it a little differently but the end result is the same. He said' "The general who wins the battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses makes but few calculations beforehand."

By spending time each day on the vision for your company, project, or idea you are able to look at different ways up the hill. To often, we see only the prize and one way to achieve our goal. As the leader you must see things as a whole, which includes the daily grind of helping insure you team does not become confused by the obstacles they encounter on the hill.

I am able to close my eyes and role-play a variety of scenarios all with the intent of reaching the top of the hill. This is how I use the in-vision process to make sure I have evaluated as many possible directions and situations as possible. The exciting thing is when one of the in-vision role play actually becomes a reality. Just as General Schwarzkopf did in Desert Storm 1, I have practiced the reality in my mind and I am not surprised when or if it actually happens. Shame on the leader who only sees vision casting as a single final destination or single caculation. The successful Rock Pushers are always evaluating and recasting their vision to include as many possibilities as they can imagine.

Go out today and bring your vision casting from the top of the hill down towards the path you are rapidly approaching and see if makes it easier once you approach this part of you quest.

The Chief Rock Pusher.