Maxwell notes that getting the focus on vision right in an organisation is a little like pulling the trigger after extensive preparation (in this context, that means taking care of the sorts of issues already discussed in previous chapters), and firing the organisation at the target. He notes that the leader at the top of an organisation will often be able to formulate his or her own vision and set that before the people. However, middle-leaders are faced with the more difficult situation of needing to communicate the organisation's vision to the people who they lead (i.e. transferring the vision downward). Thus, the middle-leaders are critical in the process of getting the organisation to adopt the vision. "Though [middle-leaders] may not always be the inventors of the vision, they are almost always its interpreters".
As usual, Maxwell gives a number of practical steps that can help in this process of vision transfer. 1) Clarity
Maxwell describes a an activity that his local baseball team would use to entertain the crowds during breaks in the game. The big screen at the ground would display the photo of one of the members of the team, revealing it slowly block by block. Maxwell noted that you could tell when people "got it" from listening to the noise level in the stadium: some people would get it early and there would be a bit of a buzz, followed by a rapid escalation in the volume as more and more people started to recognise the player. He notes that people latch onto unclear vision in the same sort of way: for some, it is a quick and simple process, but the majority take longer (and some may take a very long time). "If the vision isn't clear, the people aren't clear... You have to put all the pieces together for them to help them "get" it". He suggests that one focuses on two key aspects of the vision: what they need to know, and then what they need to do.
2) Connection of Past, Present and Future
The natural temptation when dealing with vision is to focus on the future. This is undoubtedly the most important aspect of vision, but a "leader who casts vision and neglects to tie in the past and
present is really missing an opportunity". Maxwell notes that connecting the "preferred future" that vision represents to the organisation's history allows one to use the past as a springboard for the future. It expresses appreciation for those who have brought the organisation to its current position, and allows newcomers to realise that they are a part of something that has a track-record and
momentum. "When people are able to touch the past, they will be more inclined to reach for the future. Anytime you can show that the past, present, and future are unified, you bring power and continuity to your vision casting".
3) Purpose
Vision answer "what" and "where" questions, but purpose provides the answer to the vitally
important "why" question for the people in an organisation. A great vision is all well and good, but getting people to adopt the vision if they do not see a greater purpose in what they are doing is difficult at best. A sense of purpose will enable people to hold onto the vision through difficulties. 4) Goals
An organisation's vision can be quite abstract, and needs to be implemented in terms of specific, measurable and reachable goals. "Hope is not a strategy. When you give people a process, they realize that the vision is realistic. And that increases their confidence in your and the vision". 5) A Challenge
Any vision of any value is going to be challenging, forcing people to stretch themselves and the organisation to attain it. This may seem a little dangerous, but challenging good people will encourage commitment and dedication.
6) Stories
Story-telling humanises a vision, making it "relational and warm". Talk about past struggles and victories, celebrate the achievements of the people who have brought the organisation to where it is today. The main benefit of this is to help people who may be wondering what they contribute and whether their efforts will make a difference.
7) Passion
Without passion, getting people to adopt a vision will be close to impossible. It will be seen as a nice idea, but will not incite a fierce dedication to work hard and overcome the inevitable obstacles to achieve the vision. As a leader one must be passionate oneself as the only way to spread passion is through contagion. I spent most of this week visiting a number of IT companies with a group of students, many of whom were looking for possible employment. Without exception, it was the companies where the people demonstrated high levels of passion about their work that received the most favourable responses from the students. People want to be involved in something that arouses passion.
In closing, Maxwell notes that getting people to "own" a vision is critical to its success. In turn, middle-leaders are critical in spurring a sense of ownership by the people in an organisation. Maxwell refers to the analogy of steering a ship, and the often cited fact that large ships take a long time to turn. However, he suggests that while a large organisation may be like a large ship in many ways, in others it is more like a flotilla of small nimble ships. "If every leader in the middle of the organization is a 360-Degree Leader who excels at transferring the vision to the crew in their area, then even a huge organization would be able to turn very quickly. It is not the size of the
organization that matters; it is the size of the leaders within it". Some things to think about:
1) Can you think of an example of a vision that has been accompanied by great passion? What was the effect of this on attaining the vision?
2) Would you agree with the characterisation of large organisations as a collection of smaller organisations, and that good middle-leadership can help in bringing about rapid change in the overall organisation? What is the role of middle-leadership in this scenario? This week brings us to the last of John Maxwell's seven principles for leading-down from his book "The 360-Degree Leader: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization". In this chapter he considers the important issue of rewarding people for a job well done. I must confess that I found this a difficult chapter to summarise, primarily because the reward systems within the University often fly in the face of the advice that he provides in this chapter, which is more oriented towards business-like organisations (or at least those with performance-based remuneration
systems). The summary that follows is based directly on the book: your mileage may vary as they say in the classics!
This chapter also touches on several points that were made when we looked at "How Full Is Your Bucket?" by Tom Rath and Donald Clifton in the StaffDev series starting in February 2005.