Congratulations Lithuania on 1,000 Years! (How to make a vision last!)

Just a couple days after our own celebration of independence as a country, today I want to honor another country.

We had the opportunity our last night in Lithuania to attend an opening weekend of celebrations for Lithuania’s 1000th anniversary. Thousands of people crowded the streets of Vilnius, Lithuania’s capital, to hear presentations, sing songs of pride, watch period dances and have a good time. Lithuanians love to celebrate.

I cannot imagine history in terms of the thousands, but it is standard in this part of the world. One thing that spoke highly to me is the pride that was displayed in the people that night. For one thousand years the country has suffered periods of wars, domination and corruption, but one thousand years later they still have pride in their nation. I love the perseverance in that fact.

As someone who studies organizations and leadership I think there are lessons to be learned from us in this. For 1,000 year the Lithuanian people have:

• Continued with a common vision of pride in country
• Rallied together during stressful times to promote their continuance as a nation
• Made the best of the situation when bad circumstances faced the country
• Worked to consistently improve their circumstances
• Celebrated the good times

Could your organization take lessons from the Lithuanian people?

Happy Anniversary Lithuania!