To Lead, Create a Shared Vision
CONTINUED...
Bad idea! This is not what constituents want. Yes, leaders must
ask, “What’s new? What’s next? What’s better?”—but they can’t
present answers that are only theirs. Constituents want
visions of the future that reflect their own aspirations. They
want to hear how their dreams will come true and their hopes
will be fulfilled. We draw this conclusion from our most recent
analysis of nearly one million responses to our leadership
assessment, “The Leadership Practices Inventory.” The data
tell us that what leaders struggle with most is communicating
an image of the future that draws others in—that speaks to
what others see and feel.
Buddy Blanton, a principal program manager at Rockwell
Collins, learned this lesson firsthand. Blanton asked his team
for some feedback on his leadership, and the vast majority of
it was positive and supportive. But he got some strong advice
from his team about how he could be more effective in
inspiring a shared vision. One of his direct reports said to
him, “You would benefit by helping us, as a team, to
understand how you got to your vision. We want to walk with
you while you create the goals and vision so we all get to the
end vision together.”
As counterintuitive as it might seem, then, the best way to
lead people into the future is to connect with them deeply in
the present. The only visions that take hold are shared visions
—and you will create them only when you listen very, very
closely to others, appreciate their hopes, and attend to their
needs. The best leaders are able to bring their people into the
future because they engage in the oldest form of research:
They observe the human condition.
06
|
THE
LEADING
DEACON
DECEMBER
2016