Leadership that is visionary

A visionary is defined as "a person with original ideas about what the future will or could be like or someone who thinks about and plans for the future with imagination or wisdom".  Having true leaders with vision is vital in the market today with technology rapidly advancing by the second, international competition expanding, and deregulation of markets ("revision, reduction, or elimination of laws and regulations that hinder free competition in supply of goods and services, thus allowing market forces to drive the economy").  Leaders are who advance change to compete effectively in the business environment of today and the future.  While leaders are constantly learning and assertively and strategically moving the company forward ahead of the competitive curve, management is vital in keeping the organization operating reliably and efficiently.  Managers are the nuts and bolts of the operation.  They plan, budget, handle staffing, problem solving, structure job definitions, and evaluate performance.  Successful management produces quality products that continue to increase profitability. 

Leaders, on the other hand, empower the company and produce useful change at an accelerated pace.  They set the direction for the company, motivate action in its management and employment at every level, and they put systems into place to "allow for growth, evolution, opportunities, and hazard avoidance".  The management is quintessential in applying and maintaining these systems as well as being innovative when the systems are continuously transforming to stay ahead of the competitive curve.  An extraordinary leader with a great vision for South Africa and humanity spent 27 years in jail thinking about his vision.  His name is Nelson Mandela.

 
Leadership and management need to work together on all levels of the organization.  This requires effective and efficient internal communication.  The leaders should be able to trust that the managers are going to excel in keeping the company running at maximum efficiency and maintaining optimum quality products.  The managers should be able to trust the vision and ability of its leaders to keep the company moving forward.  Both leaders and managers should always be knowledgeable and current on policies, procedures, guidelines, systems, and expectations.  From this point, employees on all levels can remain well informed.  The mission statement and goals need to be clarified during the hiring process.  Internal e newsletters and web casts can keep all employees informed and updated on the company, changes, new policies, promotions, awards, etc.  Also, having videos in the intranet from upper management can be an interesting way to keep all employees updated on what is going on in the organization.   Jerry Porras defines a built to last leader as someone who "focuses on building their organization across all dimensions.  This includes building the people, building, the culture, building the systems, and building the technology".  A great leader builds companies around their own brilliance, abilities, technical knowledge, ideas, and creativity.  When their leadership is gone the company tends to falter.  On the other hand, a built to last leader helps to build a strong organization with strong leadership across the board so their success stands the test of time.  Encourage being willing to communicate, be consistent with all forms of communication and create a feeling of inclusiveness up and down the organization, not just laterally.  We have to let our personal pride down sometimes and be proud of our team around us and enable them to shine as well.  This is part of leadership as well as management being credible and legitimate.

So how do we become a visionary leader?  We need "to lead people into the future by connecting with them deeply in the present, listen very closely to others, appreciate their hopes, and create a shared vision". (Kouzes and Posner)  We are persistent as much as we are inspired.  We set BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) as Porras calls them that stretch us, they are not attained easily, they take time to achieve, and these goals challenge and force us to change in order to achieve them.  Along the way we get to learn new things, new skills, new knowledge, and gain new experiences.  The first step is to clarify who we are and what we want.  We need to create our personal vision and purpose.  Establishing our core values sets the boundaries for our BHAGs on the journey to our purpose.  Then, we need to build an organization that is consistent with who we are and what we want.  Our core ideology will fit with our passion for change.  Two "built to last" companies that have remained visionary and continued to prosper are Motorola and General Electric.  They failed at different points but got right back up and improved each time because of outstanding leadership.  These leaders pursued their demanding goals relentlessly with the help of a talented team who have been equally committed and engaged.  We have charismatic leaders, such as Sam Walton, who powerfully articulate their vision, they are passionate, inspirational, unconventional, willing to incur great personal risks, are personally powerful, and highly motivated to lead.  We also have leaders who are soft-spoken, gentle, serious, humble, modest, thoughtful, a good listener (see previous blog about being an effective listener), shy, unobtrusive, and quiet.

The heart and soul of my blogs is that strategic communications and effective leadership begin from the inside out.  We need to know our "why", our purpose, our vision, and our core values.  Then, as a visionary leader, we don't "doubt for one moment the capacity of the people we are leading to realize whatever we are dreaming". (Benjamin Zander)  http://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion.html While playing a Chopin piece and bringing meaning to it for even those who do not appreciate classical music, Zander explains that we can't think about every note along the way, but focus on the journey to achieve the vision and purpose of what we are doing.  It takes a team and realizing no one is "tone deaf".  "The conductor of an orchestra doesn't make a sound.  He depends for his power on his ability to make other people powerful".  

I love when I look at my children or my husband and their eyes are shining because they are excited about something, they feel important, they feel appreciated and loved, and/or they are proud of something.  After Benjamin Zander played the piece again with feeling and after challenging everyone to think of a loved one they have lost while listening, he went through the audience looking for the shining eyes who "got it"!  He said, "success is about how many shining eyes I have around me".  This is exactly what my passion is in my personal world as well as professionally.  As a leader I want to awaken all possibilities in my children, my husband, my family and friends as well as those I have the privilege of working with corporately as a professional.  If you are not a visionary leader, you have the amazing opportunity to find one, join their team, and be a part of a wonderful journey!  Happy sailing!