by Kay Hafner

I moved back to Queensbury in 1992 after eight years in other cities and states. My husband�s uncle, a long-time resident of the Glens Falls area, asked if I thought the city would ever thrive again. My answer was optimistic. It had to be. Who moves to a place that has no future?

The recent release of the Glens Falls Master Plan, or at least the preliminary master plan, reminded me of that conversation and that feeling of promise. It makes me wonder about what must go into creating and carrying out a plan of such scope.

SimCity, a computer game that came out more in 1989, allows players to create a city, building by building, block by block. This game has since launched a number of similar titles, including a recent release called SimCity 3000. To "succeed" in such games, you can�t just put elements together at random. Everything has to work in synch. Putting a factory next to a residential area is still a bad idea whether you are producing virtual widgets or real-world gadgets.

I wonder how most of us amateur, armchair city planners-especially those who begin sentences, "Well, if I were in charge . . . "-would do playing such a game? I know I would probably lose. Lose interest, I mean. I have all I can do to handle all the variables in my life day by day, week by week, let alone thinking about a city�s future in terms of months and years and decades. It requires someone with vision.

We talk a lot about wanting leaders with "vision" but what does that really mean?

After all, having vision is much more than the ability to conjure up an ideal image of what the future should look like. I can close my eyes and see the sidewalks of downtown Glens Falls full of people window shopping, eating at quaint caf�s or pausing at unique boutiques, but I haven�t a clue how to get there from here. I may have a vision, but I don�t have Vision.

Some leaders believe they have Vision because they see the goal and know exactly how to get to it. If other people would only just get out of the way and let them do as they are instructed, everything would be fine. This isn�t a leader with Vision; it�s a bully with blinders.

Say four people plan a long car trip, but each has a different idea on the best route to take. You are the car owner, driver and original planner of the trip. Does this entitle you to make all the decisions? Well, you can do that, but you�ll probably have three unhappy passengers who won�t feel very motivated if the car gets a flat tire on the way.

A better idea is for the driver, the one in charge, to find a way to include the most important parts of each person�s preferred route. If there isn�t a way to compromise on a certain leg of the journey then, of course, the driver can make the final decision, but it�s more a responsibility than a right.

(You could be democratic and vote on the best route, but the result would probably be a four-way tie. I can just see four separate cars traveling four separate routes in a race to see who was right!)

Being a Visionary Leader is more than being in the driver�s seat and taking the route you want to go, regardless of what others say or recommend. Anyone with an ounce of stubbornness can do that. It�s a lot harder to take others� input, combine disparate ideas and then temper the result with wisdom, foresight and good judgement. That�s leading with Vision.

In Glens Falls it�s time to fine-tune what�s been proposed in the Master Plan. If you have criticisms or praises, take the opportunities given now to share them. Once all the pros, cons and new ideas have been synthesized-by leaders with, hopefully, Vision-and the final plan is in place, we need to all get on board. The success of the plan, the success of our community in the future, will depend on the combined efforts of everyone today.

A number of people will take turns in the driver�s seat over the coming years. Others will be in charge of reading maps. Many pairs of eyes will be needed to watch for danger signs along the way.

Hopefully we won�t have to get out and push.