In this month’s video newsletter, David goes in depth explaining the true power of vision.  He shows how one’s genius can be unleashed through the power of vision and makes a compelling case for vision being the antidote to many of today’s business challenges.  If you like the video then sign up for this month’s webinar entitled “What Does it Take to Be a Visionary Leader?” by following this link.

 

Do you have a desire to see changes in your organization, your life, the world?   It does seem no matter where you look – drastic changes are being called for.    Yet, with all the change we desire – how do we make an impact on those changes we most want?  In short, you must start with yourself.  We all know those who complain about how things are going  or what others are doing.  Generally these very same people do nothing about the problems they see except complain.  They are merely squeaky wheels.

The ones who forward change are those who have taken a hard look at themselves.  One of my favorite examples is Nelson Mandela.  He sat in a prison cell for 27 years and while in those terrible conditions he took the time to reflect – asking who he needed to be to get through that time and help his country.  The transformation that happened to this great man – occurred a great deal because of his own self-inquiry that was forced during those years in prison.  Mandela came out of those terrible conditions with a much more powerful presence than before he entered the cell that gained deep respect not only from his countrymen and world leaders – he also became deeply admired by his jailers.  He stepped out of prison into his role as President of South Africa with the intent to integrate a country and he did!  He transformed that country yet did so only after transforming himself.  (more…)

In short, too much time is wasted in organizations trying to figure out how to deploy a vision, strategy or even a goal.  Now I am not saying understanding tactically how to generate a results is not important – it is critically important.   Yet, when we go from goal setting immediately to planning – it is a mistake.  Why do I say this? Because when we immediately go to planning we do not take advantage of more creative means of success that are not initially apparent.  These alternatives many times are more powerful than ideas we feel pressured to manufacture analytically. (more…)

In an earlier entry “The Rising Power of the Feminine in Executive Leadership” – I highlighted solid research showing that companies with women in top leadership positions have stronger relationships with customers and shareholders and a more diverse and profitable business ¹.

A recent article in Forbes shows that most US Corporations are still not realizing the power that women bring.  The article highlights some sobering statistics as follows:

• Research done between 2004-2010 indicates that over 33% of women are leaving the workforce each year for various reasons.  For example in 2009 74% left for child care reasons, 16% left because their careers were stalled and a whopping 89% left because no executive in the organization was sponsoring their journey to success ².
• While 89% planned to resume their careers after a hiatus – only 40% of the women looking to reenter the work force after only 2 years found full time employment ³.
• Women who return to full-time work face a lower job title, a decrease in management and overall responsibilities and a striking financial penalty. Women who off-ramped for two years faced a 14% salary gap. The penalty tripled to 46% for those that left for three or more years ⁴.

This is just another symptom of organizations cutting their nose of despite their face.  Then there is the other side of the coin where an organization takes a talented woman leader and instead of leveraging her strengths and interests – they try to force her into a leadership position that does not fit because they want to show the world they are supporting the promotion of women.  While this shows some thoughtfulness – it is also misguided.

Those organizations who continue down this path just might find that this decision comes back to haunt them.  Why do I say this? Because another statistic shows that the majority of small businesses rising today are lead by women.  If your organization takes no action to change its trajectory – you might just find a fierce yet compassionate competitor lead by a woman eating your lunch.

Whether everyone sees it or not we are facing a major transformation in the way business is conducted worldwide.  If we do not take advantage of the lessons this difficult time has taught us – we will miss a huge opportunity.  To fully leverage this opportunity we need leadership and true leadership integrates a results focus along with a collaborative orientation (among other things).  We do not have enough male leaders who embody both sides of this equation and thus this is why there is a deep need for strong women leaders who for the most part have the capacity to embody both.   Men reading this might react negatively yet this is not about male bashing.  It is about finding balance and having leaders who can model the full power of leadership for everyone.  The question is will enough large organizations recognize the importance of such balance?  If not, there will be a revolution and for those who do not join – you will miss huge opportunities now and the pain of not joining will be greater down the road for you and your organization.

As I have said before, the essential purpose of leadership is to create.   The fundamental tool of creation for a leader is their vision for the market place as well as the vision they hold for their organizational culture.  As a creator the leader takes 100% accountability for the outcome of the vision and for everything that happens around them.  Now please allow me to distinguish between taking 100% accountability with 100% responsibility.  They are quite different.

Taking 100% responsibility or placing everything on your shoulders and taking on all the stress around the success or failure of the business is not the point.   The point owning the vision and holding the expectancy it will unfold.  If a leader has developed a compelling vision and has done a great job of instilling this vision into their people – while mistakes will happen – in the end the vision will become reality.  Yet, if the leader begins to complain about how the market place is behaving, the problems with the economy, or begins to blame low performers for all the woos in the business – they are missing the point of being a leader as well as the power of vision.

If the market is not responding – a true leader does not blame the market.  They collect the best minds and ask what do we have to do to engage the market more effectively so people get who we are and want to do business with us?   If the economy is tanking and business is off – the true leader takes responsibility by examining with his top people the model they are using to develop business and will shift their approach to succeed or do better than they have in the tough economy.  If there is an issue with low performance – a true leader coaches the boss of that direct report to get to the bottom of it or they themselves explore what the issue is.   If there is not a fit – they let the person go.  If it is a coaching issue they work towards a new commitment with that employee to engage at a higher level and make sure that there will be rewards if they do and consequences if they do not.

The fundamental key here is making sure your people are enrolled in the vision and know their part in fulfilling it.  If the vision has come alive – the true leader knows with certainty it is only a matter of time before things line up.  They embrace the responsibility for creating an environment that is brutally honest about what the challenges are while also inspiring others to reach further to fulfill the mission and key priorities.

True leaders also expect their best people to take on their responsibility for their part of the vision and to be accountable for their results.  If they can not do this and not aligned with the organization’s mission and vision then they are in the wrong place and it is best to move on.  Yet, if the leader begins to complain about their performance with out proper feedback and coaching – then it is as much or more the leader’s limitations that are the reason for less than acceptable outcomes. Ultimately, the leader declares the destination, sets the course and is very clear about their expectations.  They want their people to take risks and failure is an option as long as everyone is learning and leveraging lessons learned to achieve the results and improve performance.