02 Leader as a Visionary

The first article in this series started with defining the attributes and competencies of a leader. It also stated that the perfect leader does not exist (as far as I have found) but many people display qualities that illustrate leadership excellence – striving for perfection. Here is the list of attributes for everyday leaders.

The first attribute is to be able to vision.

A leader must have vision. No one sees the future of an organization as clearly as the leader. To fail to look ahead is to doom the organization to vicious cycles of false starts and dead ends.

The leader is supposed to “see” the future of the organization. This is not coming down from a executive retreat with a vision somehow miraculously inscribed on the calcarine sulcus (the image part of the brain) of some charismatic Business School grad with a spreadsheet.

Vision involves “seeing” the potential in a person or process or an organization. 

A vision is an image of what is possible. Most people think in pictures. When we see the word elephant, we immediately conjure up a picture of a pachyderm. For most, it is easier to think in images than in words or numbers.

Leaders see things that others often don’t. They see the organization functioning in a more effective manner. They see their current product or service improved and making an impact on the market. They see the result of their work.

I have the opportunity to sit across the table every morning from someone who has mastered the art of leading from the side. She sees possibilities that those in more senior positions often don’t see – simply because of her perspective on the operation. This reluctant leader started asking questions. These seemed innocent questions at the time, but were in fact, helping paint the picture of what was possible on the mental canvas of those who actually had the authority to make things happen.

Myth #1. A person has to be in a position of authority to lead. At no time in this manifesto is authority discussed. Some of the greatest leaders of our time had no authority whatsoever. Conversely, many people in authority do not lead. Most people can see a problem. A leader will also see an opportunity within that problem and then make something happen.

Ronald Heifetz, director of the Leadership Education Project at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, is one of the world's leading authorities on leadership. In the June 1999 issue of Fast Company, Heifetz stated the new role of the leader is "to help people face reality and to mobilize them to make change."

Is change easy? No. It is usually painful. Heifetz went on to explain, “Exercising leadership generates resistance -- and pain. People are afraid that they will lose something that's worthwhile. They're afraid that they're going to have to give up something that they're comfortable with."

Having or creating a vision is not an easy task. The Dynamic Leadership Model® illustrates creating a vision as a process – a process that takes time, effort, and sharing. A vision often originates from an employee, from an associate, from an idea on a talk show or even as the result of a management retreat. The first idea is rarely the best, but it is the seed of what can be.

The leadership process is dynamic and involves sharing the idea or a draft vision with others – both inside and outside the organization. The art of listening is crucial to effective leadership. Gathering feedback helps refine and clarify the vision. It is not until the future picture is clear and well vetted with people who care, that it gets rolled out to the troops.

A key point – the vision statement of an organization is NOT the vision we have been discussing. A true vision is too big to put in a few well-crafted sentences. The vision statement comes out of the vision, as does the statement of purpose (or mission statement), the goals and objectives.

A vision statement is important. Unless your organization is small enough that the leader can tell every person, every day where the organization is going and why, then a vision statement will have to be crafted and hung on the wall. The purpose of the vision statement is two-fold. First, it is a stake in the ground. It is where the organization will be at some specific future date. Second, it is a measure by which stakeholders can answer the question, “Is what I am doing right now, getting us closer to that vision)?” The only possible answers to the question are “yes” or “no”.

The statement of purpose answers the questions, “Why?” (If you have a toddler, you understand the grammatically incorrect but accurate use of the plural questions.) Why do we have this product or service? Why don’t we have onsite daycare? Why does the company exist?

By the way, if your answer to the last question is just to make money, it will be a short trip for the organization. To make money, or achieve a worthwhile goal or to contribute to the community are all be parts of the purpose of the organization. To be sustainable – i.e. last into the next decade – people in the organization must feel they have purpose and are engaged in that purpose.

People do things for their own selfish reasons. So, what? It is the role of the leader to help them attain their vision of their preferred future if it is compatible with the organization’s vision. This is an important part of gathering feedback. If there is no fit between where an individual wants to go and where the organization is headed, that person can still contribute, but eventually they will head off in their own direction.

According to Peter Senge in The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization (New York: Currency Doubleday, 1990), the leader is the “steward of the vision”. The vision must be kept alive and in the forefront. Each part of the organization has its own particular vision of the future. Only if all of these mini-visions are aligned around an overriding organizational vision, will the enterprise move ahead towards it preferred future.

Next blog: A leader must be a designer. – Move over Martha Stewart.