That Vision Thing

http://johnmaxwellonleadership.com/2011/01/17/finding-a-visions-true-north/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JohnMaxwellOnLeadership+%28John+Maxwell+on+Leadership%29

***************

"...the last thing IBM needs right now is a 'vision'..." (Lou Gerstner on taking over at IBM)

***************

For those of us who follow John C. Maxwell regularly, the occassional email we get with his thoughts is always welcome. Today's (attached) is no exception.

His beginning asks if we've ever been a part of a team that wasn't making any progress. I think the answer for most of us has been "yes."

Maxwell's answer is that, in many cases, this is caused by a lack of "vision." He says that every team needs a compelling vision to give it direction: "A team without vision is, at worst, purposeless. At best, it is subject to the personal (and sometimes selfish) agendas of it's various members."

So, how do we measure how compelling a vision is? Maxwell's answer is that we need to check our "visionary compass." For Maxwell, there are five compasses that need to be checked:

A team's vision must be aligned with...

1. A moral compass (look above)

This brings integrity to the vision - it helps all the people on the team check their motives.

2. An intuitive compass (look within)

A vision must resonate deep within the leader of the team. Intuitive passion fires up the committed.

3. A historical compass (look behind)

Tell stories. Principles may fade in people's minds, but stories stick.

4. A directional compass (look ahead)

Henry David Thoreau: "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Goals give targets to aim for.

5. A strategic compass (look around)

A goal won't do the team much good without steps to accomplish it. The value of strategy is that it brings process to the vision.

For Maxwell, if you can confidently measure the vision of your team according to the above compasses, then you'll know that the vision is worth stretching for.

These are words to go by.