In brief, the visionary leader has a vision into the far future, can develop an effective organization and can attract others to strive also for the attainment of his/her vision so that it becomes a shared vision and they all work together in an organization that sustains the vision, its beliefs and its values.Īnother characteristic of a truly effective leader is that she/he always focuses simultaneously on two seemingly different configurations, yet to such a leader they are always inextricably related, such as:īig picture ideas and little picture details But more than that, this charismatic person is able to instill in others the ideas, beliefs and values of the vision so that they become empowered to move beyond the leader’s and their own expectations. Thirdly, the visionary leader is also a person who can attract others to follow him/her in seeking attainment of the vision. In fact, creating this organizational culture may be the most lasting contribution of the leader for it will consist of the enduring values, vision and beliefs that are shared by members of the organization. Secondly, the visionary leader is skillful in designing and creating an organizational culture which will make possible the attainment of the leader’s vision and ideas. Furthermore, the leader never allows any of the means or actions along the way to violate or invalidate this vision and its constituent values. This vision includes ideas and goals which remain constant no matter how long it takes to realize them and regardless of the difficulties which the leader encounters. The visionary leader, first of all, has very clear, encompassing and far-reaching vision in regard to the cause or organization involved. For the purpose of this discussion I shall use a concept entitled “The Visionary Leader” which I came across some years ago. In the remainder of my presentation I shall, first, briefly outline the characteristics of a highly effective leader, second, illustrate Washington’s genius as a leader in his roles as commander in chief of the Continental Army, president of the Constitutional Convention and first President of the country, third, note what contributed to his being such a leader, fourth, suggest why his genius in the area of leadership has not been widely acknowledged and, fifth, suggest some things we can learn from him for our own daily living and in regard to our country. They trusted him because he had demonstrated a noble and incorruptible character and he had also shown himself to be an exceptional leader. I want to suggest and argue that Washington was chosen for these leadership roles because of his character and also because of his being a genius in the area of leadership. A factual understanding of their respective ages relative to Washington and the dates on which his views were known would prove the fallacy of the assumption that Washington was intellectually dependent upon any of them or anyone else. The overall impression that many people have today, therefore, is that while Washington was a person of the highest moral character, he did not posses a first rate intelligence and he got most of his ideas from others, such as Franklin, Mason, Henry, Jefferson, Hamilton and Madison. The most infrequently cited, as far as I have observed, are his intelligence and his ideas. The most commonly cited characteristic given for his emergence as the supreme leader is his character. His contemporaries and subsequent commentators have enumerated many factors that entered into the selection by his peers for these three strategically important positions: physical size and presence, charisma, energy, multi-faceted experiences, charm, courage, character, temperament, being a Virginian, wealth, ambition, his reputation as a stalwart patriot and, especially after the Revolution, the regard, admiration and affection of the populace at all levels of society. In his own day he was seen as the indispensable man, the American Moses, The Father of the Country. Yet at the three major junctions in the founding of the nation, the Revolution, the Constitutional Convention and the selection of the first President, for each position the leader chosen was George Washington. Washington lived and worked with brilliant philosophers, thinkers, writers, orators and organizers, such as Franklin, Mason, John and Sam Adams, Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Hamilton, Madison, Dickinson, the Randolphs and the Lees, almost all of whom were far better educated than he. This is a question that inevitably arises in the mind of anyone who studies, even on a casual basis, the founding of our nation. Why did George Washington emerge as the most significant leader in the founding of the United States of America, even to the extent of being called the Father of the Country? Stazesky at a meeting on Februof The George Washington Club, Ltd., Wilmington, Delaware. A presentation made by the Reverend Richard C.