1. Take two “retreats” every year.

“Leave your office to develop long-range strategies.” Leadership transcends the tactical management and leads the strategic initiatives. A great way to refresh and refocus is to get out of the mold, so you can gain a different perspective on where things are heading.

2. Read books on other topics.

“Read books on topics that don’t pertain strictly to your business or industry. It’s the best way to maintain a broad perspective.” Leaders need to open up broad channels of input; you need to assess what other industries are doing as they impact yours. Microsoft did not attain its level of success by forgetting about their customers were doing. Their customers were small and medium businesses in healthcare, government, finance, and “mom and pop” shops, etc. All these other industries are intertwined with all the rest of the world.

3. Identify problems early.

“Identify problems early by tracking “exceptions,” such as sales figures that suddenly sag for a particular product. Jump on them right away.” Know what to expect and you will find anomalies. Once you found an anomaly, you have found a potential problem worth exploring. But, all in all, you need metrics in place to track anything.

4. Stop at the end of each day

“Stop at the end of each day to analyze how well you used it. If you wasted time on things you didn’t need to do, eliminate them tomorrow.” Just imagine how much more efficient and effective you will be!

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I want to share an idea that I have been dwelling on. It’s a simple formula or model for effective and successful leadership.

Successful Leadership = (Effective Communication + Articulate Vision + Influence + Action) (Ethics)

Effective Communication

3 Dynamics of Leadership

Articulate Vision

The Leaders Vision

Influence

Dr. Myles Monroe on Leadership and Influence

Action

Leadership and Action
Influence and Action

Ethics

Ethics is the multiplier for a very critical reason – anything multiplied by zero equals zero. Without ethics, nothing else amounts to much of anything.

The Relationship of Ethics and Leadership

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Joel Barker is known as The Paradigm Man for his leadership in defining the concepts of paradigm shifts for corporations. He was even presented an honorary Doctorate in Visionary Leadership from St. Mary’s University.

Joel Barker Quote about Vision and Action:
“Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is simply passing the time. Action with Vision is making a positive difference.”

Vision

The vision is your mission statement to define the purpose and objectives of the organization. CEOs of most corporations utilize visions statements as a leadership tool to define strategic goals for the organization and defining operational traits for managers, leaders, and other professionals in the organization to follow. For leaders of small groups and teams, you can create a mission statement that works within the framework of the organization’s vision statement and target the objectives and operational traits specifically to the group.

Action

The action is the momentum and drive which work towards the defined goals – both short-term and long-term. The action falls subject to the corporate culture of an organization and is greatly influenced by the leadership with the organization. Effect leaders learn how to propel their teams and groups to action, but effective leaders also set the stage by practicing what they teach. Most people in an organization have no knowledge of what a CEO does on a daily basis, but most people can perceive whether a leader is a person of action or not.

Combining

Combining vision and action is highly effect as Joel Barker articulates. Your vision statements should clearly define your objectives and define how to accomplish your objectives. When you consistently and effectively communicate your vision statement, you demonstrate the importance of the goals and objectives that the statement defines. A significant part of the action for a CEO is the effective communication of the vision statement.

You can learn more from Joel Barker here.

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The former US President, John Quincy Adams, who was also the son of the US’s second President, was a man who lived an amazing life and was able to influence several of America’s defining government policies like the Monroe Doctrine, Adams-Onís Treaty, Treaty of Ghent, and, even, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The son of John and Abigail Adams, born on July 11, 1767, was a diplomat with international accomplishments, a Senator, a Secretary of State, a President, and then served seventeen years in the US House of Representatives until his death in 1848.

Quote from John Quincy Adams about Leadership:
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

Learning

Learning is a primary attribute of a leader. To be successful and to be a leader, adopt a lifetime of learning. But, as John Q. Adams’s quote reminds us, leaders beget leaders. So as you mentor and develop leaders, encourage them to adopt a lifetime of learning.

Action

Without a vision and purpose, there is no action, but merely having a vision is not sufficient. Your actions and the actions of others should move the group or organization in the direction of your vision. As the notable, former Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger puts it, “The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.”

Accomplishment

Your actions as a leader and the actions of those you lead should produce a product, service, or effect that accomplishes your vision. While the goals may change along the journey, the path should be marked with evidence of your leadership and tributes to the success of your team.

Lead

As a leader “…inspire others… (to be) …more…” by being more yourself and dream, learn, do, and become.

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1. If you don’t know where you are leading than you are not leading.

John C. Maxwell: “Show me a leader without vision, and I’ll show you someone who isn’t going anywhere.”

Leadership is action. It is moving the organization through change to something better, stronger, and more enduring.

2. If you don’t know where you have been than you cannot know where you should go.

John C. Maxwell: “Vision starts within.”

To determine your vision, you need to do a bit of self-evaluation and learn your history. You have to know where you are as people and you have to know where you are as an organization.

3. Don’t be concerned about aiming for the impossible.

Edwin Land: “The first thing you do is teach the person to feel that the vision is very important and nearly impossible. That draws out the drive in winners.”

Winners like to win. Winning is encountering competition and overcoming the challenges. Those who win are motivated by challenges and by the achievement over those challenges. The tougher the challenge is, the greater the winner needs to be.

4. Vision is the conduit for a leader to inspire and influence winners.

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So many back-and-forth opinions surround corporate visions that having a vision statement or focusing the valuable attention of top leadership on it is often overlooked with all the other priorities. I honestly believe, as do many top business leaders like Jack Welch, that visions are an efficient and effective mechanism for leaders to impact their organizations.

Here’s a quote from unknown origin on visions and communication:
“A clear vision is usually assumed and rarely communicated.”

With so much knowledge and information in organizations, many managers and professionals have difficulty cutting through all the fluff to the core substance that is needed. The KISS principle is often touted, but not practiced often enough. Learning to Keep It Short and Simple requires you to edit and prioritize the information in reports, statements, plans, and other written materials.

Visions and KISS

The same focus should be placed on vision statements. Priority should be given to ensure that the most relevant and highest priorities are presented, but not hidden amongst unnecessary distractions.

Benefits of KISS

1. Ensures the statement is focused.

2. Allows the statement to be communicated more often and more effectively.

3. Increases the likelihood that the statement will be remembered.

4. Increases the likelihood that the statement will impact the daily workloads of the people who need to execute it.

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Jack Welch the distinguished former CEO of the notable GE Corporation has a great quote on good business leaders and vision:
“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.”

The four parts of Jack’s quote on vision encompassed each point of corporate visions: create a vision, communicate the vision, and take action on the vision.

I particularly appreciate the manner in which Jack said to take action on the vision, “relentlessly drive it to completion.”

What good does a vision do for a corporation if no action is taken to accomplish it? How can a corporation accomplish anything if there is not clear goal communicated?

“…create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.”

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Last week, I wrote Dreams, Goals, Planning, and the Decisions that Matter with the core message that dreams can become reality through implementing long-term goals with sound planning and decisions.  I want to build on that with the business and leadership focus on vision.

Leadership quote from Allen Pathmarajah:
“The difference between vision and hallucination is action.”

3 Steps to a Successful Vision:

1. Have a Vision

Many corporations and organizations have a corporate vision.  These are usually developed by top management and reflect the long-term goals for the company.

This vision should be definite, but broad.  It is better to say that company is seeking to have the largest market share in its industry or to develop the highest quality products than to merely say the company is seeking to be the best.

2. Communicate the Vision

A corporate vision is a top-down message.  Top managers from the CEO and COO to the department directors should communicate the vision.  There should be publications (posters, newsletters, and email messages) that make the vision known by everyone in the company.

3. Take Action on the Vision

As Allen Pathmarajah notes, the vision is useless to the company if it is not acted upon.  To ensure the vision gets needed action:

A. Keep the vision up to date, fresh, and relevant.

The vision should be continually reviewed, updated, and kept relevant.  If the company has achieved the largest market share, then the vision should be changed to “sustain the largest market share.”

B. Continually communicate the vision.

It is not enough for one newsletter to communicate the vision.  If the last time your employees read or heard about the visions was three years ago when the new CEO put it out, then your employees have forgotten about it.

C. Demonstrate what the company is doing.

There should be evidence of how the vision is implemented within the organization.  This evidence should be shown and communicated with the vision.  The words of the vision should be exemplified through the activities of the company.  This is the “how to” message from the CEO to every manager.

For more on action, read Ready, set…Action and Do Something.

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