Read the passage about management and leadership carefully, and then answer the following blank-based question: "Management is a set of processes that can keep a complicated system of people and technology running smoothly. The most important aspects of management include planning, budgeting, organizing, staffing, controlling and problem solving. Leadership is a set of processes that creates organization in the first place or adapts them to significantly changing circumstances. Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that _____ and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles." For the blank ("aligns people with that _____"), choose the option that best completes the sentence.

Introduction / Context:
This is the final blank in the management versus leadership passage. The relevant sentence is: "Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that _____ and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles." You must choose the noun that best describes what leadership aligns people with once it has defined the desired future.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- Sentence fragment: "aligns people with that _____".
- Options: look, role, source, vision.
- Just before the blank, the passage says: "Leadership defines what the future should look like", which is a description of a vision or long-term direction.

Concept / Approach:
Leadership literature frequently uses the word "vision" to describe a mental picture of the future that leaders create, communicate, and use to motivate followers. The phrase "align people with that vision" is standard: it means getting people to commit to and work toward that shared future. The other options do not capture this strategic, future-oriented idea as clearly or naturally.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Note the clause "defines what the future should look like". This is a clear hint toward a future-oriented mental picture.Step 2: Evaluate "look". While "look" is part of the phrase "should look like", saying "aligns people with that look" is awkward and not standard in leadership discussions.Step 3: Evaluate "role". Leadership does assign roles, but the sentence is not about individual responsibilities; it is about a shared understanding of the future.Step 4: Evaluate "source". This usually refers to origin or cause; it does not match the idea of a future state.Step 5: Evaluate "vision". This word precisely names the picture of the future that leadership defines, and the collocation "aligns people with that vision" is very common.Step 6: Therefore, "vision" is the correct choice.

Verification / Alternative check:
Insert "vision" into the sentence: "Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that vision and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles." This is a textbook sentence that you could easily find in a leadership chapter. Trying "look", "role", or "source" results in clumsy or illogical phrases such as "aligns people with that look" or "aligns people with that source", which do not convey the intended meaning clearly.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
- Look: a very general noun; the expression "that look" usually refers to appearance, not strategic direction.
- Role: refers to a function or part played by someone; leadership may assign roles, but that is not what this particular sentence is describing.
- Source: describes origin or cause and has no direct link to the image of the future that leadership defines.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may be distracted by the immediate repetition of "look" in "what the future should look like" and think "that look" is correct, but this ignores the deeper leadership concept. In cloze tests, you must go beyond surface repetition and choose the word that fits standard phrases from the relevant domain. For management and leadership topics, remembering core terms like "vision", "mission", and "strategy" greatly helps in choosing the correct option.

Final Answer:
The correct completion is "vision", so the sentence should read: "Leadership defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that vision and inspires them to make it happen despite the obstacles."