The Management pundits all over the world, talk about Vision.  This Vision is totally different and should not be confused with, vision that we all have, as human beings, that is, the ability to see things.

However, in Management, Vision refers to the ability to think big, and chart out a good direction for the organization, based on a clear understanding of what the organization's goals and objectives, as far as serving the customers and the wider society is concerned.

For example, Microsoft had this Vision at one point in time:  " A computer in every desk and in every home"  This crystal clear definition speaks for itself, in as much as it clearly reflects a very large purpose of what it means to every human being in the world.  Yes, the desk can be anywhere and the home can be anywhere too.  That is why, as a software organization, Microsoft has overwhelmingly entered into the collective consciousness of society as a whole and, to this day, that organization continues to dominate the entire corporate world.

over time, Microsoft has entered other businesses as well.  For example, it has acquired the Nokia's mobile business.  It continues to eat up organizations in other business verticals as well.

Closely aligned with the organization's Vision, is the concept of Mission.  A Mission is a statement of the organizations purpose of existence -- that is, why it is in business.  A Mission statement will support the Vision statement.  For example, the Mission of Microsoft, in the context of the aforesaid Vision, would be "we will strive to provide any customer who uses a personal computer with the most customer friendly software that will enable him to business or carry on his every day life" . 

This is exactly what Microsoft has done.  Through its Word, and Excel and Power point and such other software that dominates the entire landscape of the ecosystem, throughout the world, it has left other competitors way behind.

Cut to an individual.  What happens, and how is the concept of Vision, applicable?  It is applicable i  in a much wider context.

An individual has to really take a very big macro view of life, and define his or her Vision.  Doing this can help, but it is not compulsory.  Being Visionary, of course, is a must.

If one is a Visionary, he will see tomorrow, like nobody does.  He or she will be able to predict the future, and reason out how such a future can apply in all practical contexts to the individual.  It can mean a lot in terms of making the person alive to a very large purpose of life.

Take a very big social activist like Medha Patkar, for example.  For decades, she has been fighting for the rights of the tribal people, she has been able to rally an entire generation of activists towards protecting the environment, and she has been able to demonstrate what it means to destroy ecology and nature the way we do now.

Even the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of her arguments in many cases.  Such an activist would have a Vision that would go far beyond commercial considerations.  It will go beyond the mundane, and would simply mean working for the larger society.  Even if a third person would have to write her Mission, it would simply correspond to "Taking a very active part and leading social action to protect the unprotected and the tribal people'.

One need not be a Medha Patkar in real life.  The reasoning is simple.  We need to aim for the future and be prepared in terms of all futuristic skills, that will conquer the world, in the near future.  New skills would also come into play.  However, we can concentrate on something that will be around for say, five to eight years.  One such thing, for a computer professional, is called "cloud computing".  So many training courses are available and, in terms of application in the real world, cloud computing seems to dominate software applications in most parts of the world. 

There does not seem to be any let up, and those who do not learn such new things will be left behind.  A real Visionary, in the IT industry, needs to understand that he or she will be a real success only if he or she is prepared in terms of all the skills and then equips himself or herself.

We need to understand that the wider context in which the world appears to function, is made up of several trends, that are very often, global.  If we are prepared, we can really contribute in a big way, at least, to healthy debates.

Take the issue of organic farming, for example.  After having seen the horrible effects of nitrogenous fertilizers, the West has now woken up to the new realities and is reportedly pouring several billions of dollars into research that is not chemical based, but rich in terms of bringing a change through much more natural ways of farming and cultivation. 

Similarly, the ancient science of Ayurvedha, which is a way of life in Kerala, is now being researched like never before, in America.  It can easily be seen that whenever new forms of research are carried out, the benefits reach the wider society.

Hence, any Visionary engaged in promoting the organic cause, would do well to also understand the scope for collaboration with the Western nations, by attending their conferences, or by getting in touch with them through whatever means are available and so on.

So, being Visionary would mean exploiting opportunities for doing something extraordinary, something that benefits the wider society, and something that makes life much better than ever before.  The scope for utilizing the most advanced IT packages is now very huge, and much more available, than ever before.

We need to naturally be aware that opportunities exist.  We then need to understand how these opportunities pan out in the wider context of application of any concept, or technology or whatever.

For example, those who are now engaged in applied behavioral sciences research, should simply understand that in the next decade, those in the IT industry will burn out, marriages will increasingly be rocked by assertive women, and hence, the counselors can make a huge killing.

Once they understand this context, they would do well, to quickly understand that the scope is huge, and for those who are prepared, sky is the limit.

Being a Visionary is no more a choice.  One can plan and execute one's purpose of life, by being Visionary in thought and action.  The time to act is now.