Arlington, VA July 14, 2016
As I often say to my students, leadership is a learned art--on which takes time and patience to comprehend and even more time to understanding enough of the principles and practices to succeed. Recently, on a stroll through the local market, I came across a small book, titled "Outstanding Leadership", by Stan Toler, published by Harvest House Press. it is a small book, only 4x6, but packed into the 150 pages or so, are some real gems on true, authentic leadership.
I want to share a few of these tidbits over several short articles in the next few weeks, but I also found the perfect place to start. In one of his introductory chapters, Toler discusses the first voyage of Christopher Columbus to the new world:
"Before Columbus departed, he didn't have a clue where he was going."
"When he arrived, he didn't have a clue where he was."
"When he got ready to leave, he didn't have a clue how to get back home."
Toler goes to discuss visioning and creating strategy--activities which prevent just what Columbus went through on his voyage. Since it isn't logically possible to tie a rope to the pier in Spain, and let it out as you go forward, or try to drop crumbs into the ocean that you can find later, you have to have some form of alternative strategy that will do what you want to do. Unlike Columbus, people do not generally simply get into a boat and sail away, hoping for the best, and perhaps a few orientals indicating you have reached the Orient. At least, that was his plan for the time.
Columbus had a vision; he wanted to reach the Orient by sailing West rather than East as had already been done by others. He also has a shaky strategy; take three ships and men and sail out hoping that the world was not flat, and his ships would not fall over the end of the world. He traveled on faith rather than fact, and ended up being right, there was a way to travel west and reach something--it just was not the Orient. Instead, he ran into an obstacle of sorts--another continent--which stood in his way of achieving his goal, his vision.
The essential fact is that you have to have a vision to be successful, especially as a leader. The vision has to be real; otherwise it is nothing more than a dream. It has attributes, such as:
- It is people-driven, or as Toler says, 'defined with people in mind'; not just any group of people, but those with a part in the process.
- It is real as opposed to something that might look real, but in actually a fantasy. Toler describes the difference between a real Christmas Tree and a fake one bought in a store. it may look real, but the texture, the smell, and the way it ages (or does not) gives away its reality.
- It must be practical; reflecting reasonable, people-focused goals and objectives. Where people do not relate to the vision, it quickly becomes irrelevant. Moreover, as Toler indicates, 'a definitive and easy to relate vision gains relevance and buy-in as it is developed and and distributed.'
-It is inspirational, causing people to want to act and respond to it.
Finally, there is one more aspect to visioning, and perhaps its most important attribute: it is, as Toler relates, 'Born in the mind and Heart'. it starts with an idea, and blossoms into a full-blown solution which can be formed, organized, related, and provides the motivation for people to want to succeed because they believe in it as much as its creator.
While visioning is certainly about achieving success, it is also about how success is achieved and provides the first kindling for the development of changes to the culture of the organization. In many ways, it describes the life blood of the organization, how it work with and succeed with employees, manager,s owners, and customers alike in their shared view of success.
In the next part of this series we will speak to strategy as a means of taking vision and expressing the HOW a visioneer sees their idea gain relevance and structure in the organization.