Hi Reader,
Last week we asked, "Are things changing too fast?" If you answered yes, Principle 2 will help you share control of your vision to better effect change. If you answered no, Principle 2 will help you continue moving your vision and organization forward with more ease. If you are somewhere in the middle, keep following along, Principle 2 will help you gather nuggets on how to cause change in your organization, on purpose.
Principle 2
21st-century visionary leaders create visionary organizations.
Let’s set the scene:
Industry: Manufacturing
Organizational Life stage: Established
Ownership: 2nd gen family business passed down from a father to a Millennial daughter
History: For over 30 years, the company has serviced the metal-forming sectors to minimize defects in consumer products and commodities. Located in the midwest, this family company has 20 employees in engineering, sales/marketing, production, and quality assurance.
A Lone Visionary’s Approach
The vision has transformed over the last few years. The company president’s strengths are future focused. She knows where the company is headed, what their vision was, and where they we’re going. She always talked about the vision during company reviews and meetings but wasn’t communicating the direction to her team member's. While analyzing a competitor, she realized their vision is simple and present-focused. This realization inspired her to change her approach to visionary leadership.
A Visionary Stakeholder’s Approach
While discussing vision during an all-hands meeting....a sales team member asked, “How does that translate to me?” In that moment, the president realized the need to translate the vision to the team. She had to connect it with their daily work to get them closer to where they want to be as a company. The president started having visioning meetings with department directors. She also allowed each team member the chance to explain the vision of the company from their own perspective. Doing this helped her to tweak the language she used to continue casting the vision on ground level.
The Role of Organizational Visioning
Due to its complex nature, visioning and change require a collective approach—it’s “all hands, on deck!” Seeing is a prerequisite for visioning. If employees are not connected to the vision or able to see how the vision translates to them, can the vision really go forward? Organizations learn to see through the process of visionary leadership. So, if being a visionary seems to be a lonely place, help your people connect to the vision. Helping team members to clarify their purview and line of sight using an emerging vision has great advantages.
Visionary Leadership
A Guidebook for 21st Century Organizations and Entrepreneurial Teams
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