You Can't Lead without Vision
CREATE A CLEAR IMAGE |
| | 
Colin Powell said, "Always focus on the front windshield and not on the rear-view mirror."
As a leader, if you're not looking forward, you are not moving in the right direction. Recently I asked a group of leaders to share their visions of the future for their work group. Nine out of ten leaders described their group's current activities. They said things like, "My vision is for our group to deliver the best quality service," and "I envision that we will provide each visitor a warm welcome, a prompt response, and show genuine concern." My response? That's not a vision! It's a description of your expectations and it's probably what your team is doing now. A vision doesn't describe the road. It describes the destination.
It's easy to stay focused on the now. As a manager, each day you are sucked into the weeds of your work, thinking about the crisis of the day. In the process it's easy to lose sight of, or never even define, the ultimate destination. Where are you taking your work group? How will you know when you've arrived? What is the passion that drives your work every day? Without a vision that is future-focused, exciting, and challenging, you and your team will arrive each day, do the work that's in front of you, and go home. You are basically driving a parked car.
Kouzes and Posner, authors of The Leadership Challenge, found exemplary leaders inspire a shared vision. They envision what the destination will look like and they inspire others to jump on the bus to join them on the journey. Vision is a clear view of the destination, one that is uplifting and hopeful. Vision drives your team to look beyond themselves and to focus on an external purpose. According to the authors, the best visions:
|
|
Our New Website Is Here!
ManagementEducationGroup.com
|
|
Final Footnotes
NEWS & EVENTS FROM MARNIE
|
|
2015 is off to a huge start as we launch our new website and prepare to launch our new licensed training products. After a year of planning and development, it's exciting to finally bring you these new resources. I can't wait to hear your feedback.
This month I'm proud to be serving a variety of organizations including La Vista, NE, CRG emPerform, Forensic Expert Witness Association, Yavapai College, Holstein Foundation, California POST, and the City of Fremont Fire Department. I'll also be in Las Vegas for the National Speakers Association Winter Conference and then again to celebrate my husband's big birthday. If we are going to cross paths this month, please reach out and let's connect.
As always, if there is anything I can do to support your performance management efforts, just give me a call at 480-705-9394 or shoot me an email.
Marnie E. Green, CSP, IPMA-CP
Principal Consultant
|
