The Leadership Challenge
Practice 2: Inspire a Shared Vision
Team 2:
Antonio Jackson
Jon Matthews
Nancy Norris
Sid Sowers
Wanda White
Georgina Zayas-DeCouto
- People commit to what they believe in
- People want to see their own visions and aspirations realized
Inspire a Shared Vision
Enlist Others
Appeal to Common Ideals
Imagine the Possibilities
Envision the Future
Align Your Dream with Others' Dreams
Connect to What's Meaningful to Others
Envision the Future
Enlist Others
Leaders are forward-looking, see the future and its opportunities, and can tie their vision to others' aspirations.
Change is best accomplished when others share the vision, fervently commit, and are inspired to act by their leader's passion.
The Human Brain
Forward-looking
Leaders vs. Non-leaders
- Appeal to people's ideals
- Move their souls
- Uplift their spirits
- Exemplified by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Communicate this shared vision that they can make a difference
Take Pride in Being UNIQUE
Arouse the belief that people can achieve "something amazing"
Liberate the vision that is already within people
So, how can you, as a leader, unlock your imagination?
- Reflect on Your Past
- Attend to the Present
- Prospect the Future
- Feel Your Passion
- Differentiate and set apart
- Communicate "singular and unequaled"
- Foster a sense of pride
- Feel unique
- Playing a crucial role
- Get excited about signing on
- Internet challenge
Essential Elements:
- Imagine the Possibilities
- Find a Common Purpose
- Leaders enlist others to commit to a grand cause by building "common ground" based on shared ideals.
How?
- Connect to What's Meaningful to Others
- Take Pride in Being Unique
- Align your Dream with the People's
Focus is on winning hearts and minds
Essential Elements:
- Appeal to Common Ideals
- Animate the Vision
Keys to Success in Enlisting Others
BraveHeart speech
- Imagine Possibilities
- Reflect on Your Past
- Attend to the Present
- Prospect the Future
- Feel Your Passion
- Find a Common Purpose
- Listen Deeply to Others
- Make it a Cause for Commitment
- Look Forward in Time of Change
- Appeal to Common Ideals
- Connect What's Meaningful
- Take Pride in Being Unique
- Align Your Dream with Others'
- Animate the Vision
- Use Symbolic Language
- Create Images of the Future
- Practice Positive Communication
- Express Your Emotions
- Speak Genuinely
Leaders are.....
- dreamers
- idealists
- possibility thinkers
For many leaders, the answers don't come easily--at first.
- Speak about meaning and purpose
- Show them how their dreams will be realized
- Connect your message to their values, aspirations, experiences and lives
- Show them that it's about them and their needs
- Create an enlivening influence rooted in values, traditions, and convictions
Characteristics of a Forward-Looking Leader
- Use words to create positive images of the future
- Bring the vision to life
- Connect the inspiring vision of the future and the personal aspirations and passions of the people
- Create a compelling image of how people can realize their dreams by enlisting in the shared vision
Imagine the Possibilities
Imagine the Possibilities
Reflecting on your past
Prospect the Future
Feel Your Passion
- Look to your past and your future for guidance
- The Janus Effect
- The ability to look to the past for guidance opens up future opportunities (“Janus Effect").
- A leader should be able to “see the forest and the trees,” recognizing patterns for future action.
- The great leader should also be passionate about their vision.
Essential Skills:
- Think strategically about what ifs
- Listen carefully to others' aspirations
- Articulate passion for a shared vision
- Walk the talk; set an example
- An exemplary leader is able to envision the future; they act as the organizations “futures department.”
- “Think several moves ahead...” A great imagination according to Einstein is more important than great intelligence.
- A great organizational leader gets others to embrace their vision.
- The successful leader motivates others to make sacrifices.
- A great vision has meaning to the whole group.
- A leader must inspire others to “walk" them in the vision building process.
- The great leader is a great listener.
Essential Skills:
- Communicating passion for the vision
- Understanding perspectives of others
- Maintaining openness
- Skill in persuasion, conflict resolution, coaching
- Self motivation vs. external motivation
- Exemplary leaders have passion
- Passionate leaders ignite passion in others
Look out for emerging developments:
technology, demographics, economics, politics, arts, and etc.
Strategic Leaders
- Time orientation is long term and more future oriented
Activity Part one
Attend to the Present
Assessing Organizational Strengths
What are the....
- needs and wants?
- things that get in the way?
- things that need to be changed?
Activity Part Two
Imagining Organizational Opportunities
Find a Common Purpose
Involve others in creating the vision
Leaders Give Voice by Listening
Listen Deeply to Others
Share
Animate the Vision
Needs
Questions
Common Interests
Create
Engage
Ideas
Leaders are Expected:
- To be forward thinking
- To share their vision of the future with others
- To build consensus and support for the vision.
How can you, as a leader, find common ground?
- Listen deeply to others
- Make it a cause for commitment
- Look forward in times of change
Make it a cause for commitment
Look Forward in Times of Rapid Change
- Change
- Common Values
- Desire to Make a Difference
Leaders help others see and feel how personal aspirations align with the vision. How?
- Using symbolic language
- Creating images of the future
- Practicing positive communication
- Expressing emotions
- Speaking genuinely
Animate the Vision
Positivity
Practice positive communication
Lean on Me
Use symbolic language
"We sink, we swim, we rise, we fall, we meet our fate together."
Animate the Vision by breathing life into it
Dangerous Minds
Leaders must engage others with positivity and passion, regardless of setbacks and obstacles
"How'd they get you to stay?
They gave me candy and called me their light."
- Leaders must articulate the vision using evocative metaphors and symbols
Express your emotions
Expressions
Get Really Symbolic
Verbal and non-verbal communication
Leaders must articulate the vision verbally and non-verbally--like a performance art.
Create images of the future
speak genuinely
- Leaders must draw on the mental process of creating images using their words
Passion, excitement, and determination must emanate from the leader's core belief in the vision.
Genuineness
Paint a Vision Statement
If you believe it, it becomes contagious
Kraft Foods: Helping People Around the World Eat and Live Better
Wal-Mart: Saving people money to help them live better
Zappos: One day, 30% of all retail transactions in the US will be online. People will buy from the company with the best service and the best selection. Zappos.com will be that online store.
Older vision statements:
Nike (1960): Crush Adidas
Honda (1970): We will destroy Yamaha
http://www.skills2lead.com/sample-vision-statements.html