Why Does Vision Matter?

1. Why Does Vision Matter? Vision: A key component of leadership Article written by: Burt Nanus Presented by: Alex McCann

2. Dr. Burt Nanus Management professor at the University of Southern California He is the author of nine books including his most famous book- “Visionary Leadership” (1992) Co author with Warren Bennis of “Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge” (1985)-sold more than 500,000 copies

3. What is the First Responsibility of a Leader? • Define Reality • How has the company grown to its current size • Challenges the company has faced and overcome • Competitive advantages and limitations • Skills and knowledge of workers and managers • New technologies

4. Definition of Vision Vision is a realistic, credible, attractive future for the organization A leader has to implement this vision because they point the way Here is where the action is and this is where we can make our unique contributions

5. Why is Vision so Powerful? It grabs the attention and focus Every organization has lots of ways to go, but no organization can be all things to all people because the outside world is pulling it in all directions Each organization has to ask its self “what is most important to us and where do we want our organization to go in the future?”

6. Vision has Five Important Factors 1) Vision creates meaning in the organization -cuts through confusion and makes the world understandable 2) Vision provides a worthwhile challenge -generates pride in being part of a team 3) Vision is energizing -it provides something to believe in, its exciting 4) Vision brings the future into the present -When one imagines what can be and gives it a name, it become real right now 5) Vision creates a common identity -People work together with a sense of common ownership and common destiny

7. Why is Vision so Important? It is the main tool that leaders use to guide from the head of the organization Leaders push or pressure their followers, not manipulate them It allows leaders to inspire, attract and energize their followers and gets them to accomplish their goals If there is no vision there will be no energy and no excitement -the organization become stagnant and managers can’t agree on anything

8. Futures-Creative Leadership Leaders need to look into the future However some leaders aren’t able to look into the future because they say they are under pressure to accomplish short terms tasks Leaders question whether it is possible to think about the future at all Lao Tzu said “if all of a leader’s attention is on the short term, then continued crises are almost certain, for he is not taking advantage of lead time to address problems while they are still small.” Other leaders say that their industry is changing to fast to permit them to look into long-range thinking

9. Forming Mental Images • Form mental images of the future and the images will turn into a reality through leadership and action • A leader must generate mental images and then separate them into three piles 1.Possible futures -Changes in the outside world—based on trends and information • Ex-Car manufactures may spend millions of dollars on market research 2. Probable futures -This is a subset of possible futures—those possible futures that are seen right now are likely to occur 3. Preferable futures - This is also a subset of possible futures • It is from these preferred futures that the leader articulates and institutionalizes a set of ideals and missions that become part of his vision

10. Leaders Should be Open-Minded A leader should embrace uncertainty because it opens up new possibilities and opportunities Must be careful not to have to much uncertainty because that will paralyze the organization so the leader must have a purpose and set direction

11. Inadequacy of Leadership • Only upper levels of management have the authority to change the system to make it work better • At lower levels only effective leadership can redirect the attention of managers and workers to tasks more appropriate and challenging • Leadership has become off-balance-leadership and is mostly concerned about communication and trust while it needs to focus more on the changing external environment • Ex—Cereal manufacture has major concerns beyond customer acceptance • The pace of change is so rapid that present conditions represent only a fleeting and often misleading glimpse of future possibilities

12. Inadequacy of Leadership (cont) • Conventional Wisdom about leadership includes vision but it does so in a way that permits and encourages mission statements that are little more than a continuation of the status quo • Ex—A corporate leader may have a vision of getting back to the basics or cutting the budget—these are great goals, but they don’t suggest a future • A true vision must provide a clear image • Ex-President Kennedy’s vision of a man on the moon by 1970

13. Leading From the Middle The leader must be in the center where it all comes together It is as if the leader is standing in a spider web By being in the middle the leader is able to balance the needs of the internal and external environment and the challenges of the present and future

14. Vision TeamBy Burt Nanus Few good things in human affairs “just happen” People dream of a better tomorrow and make their dreams a reality. That is what vision is all about

15. What is a Vision Retreat? A vision retreat is a meeting of a carefully chosen group of individuals engaged in a structured series of exercises designed to identify and assess vision alternatives for an organization It can also be used in a management-development program to teach potential leaders about the importance of vision and broaden their horizons about the future of their organization

16. Purpose of Vision Retreat Develop plans or long range strategies Vision retreat can go a long way toward breaking the ‘business as usual’ mindset by shining the spotlight on new possibilities and opportunities This allows participants to be bold and creative without feeling that they are threatening their current operations

17. Why Use a Group Process Ensures that the resulting vision incorporates a broad range of viewpoints and expertise Allows the ideas of individuals to be tested, argued, amplified, and refined by other Involving executives in the search for a shared vision makes it easier to gain commitment to the vision

18. Leadership and Moral Purpose Leadership needs to be a merger of competence and moral purpose committed to the common good Measure performance in terms of the needs of followers Leadership is legitimate only by meeting the needs of the followers If there are no followers, there are no leaders

19. Leadership and Moral Purpose One of the most important questions leaders can ask is What will we measure? What is the appropriate level of lying?

20. Leadership and Moral Purpose Six Steps on the nature of leadership competence The leader perceives, defines, and expresses reality The leader knows that the future is the selection, nurturing, and assignment of key people Leaders bear personal responsibility for understanding and enabling creative process Leaders have to learn how to be transforming leaders The competent leader builds trust Leaders discover and helps to polish and enables diverse gifts

21. Leadership and Moral Purpose Six Steps of moral purpose Authenticity Inclusiveness Truth Vulnerability Access Personal Restraint

22. References De Pree, Max. “Leadership and Moral Purpose.” Hospital and Health Services Administration 39.1 (1994): 133-138. Print Nanus, Burt. Leading the Vision Team.” The Futurist (1996): 20-23. Print. Nanus, Burt. “Futures-Creative Leadership.” Leaders Edge: Seven Keys to Leadership in a Turbulent World (1989): 13-17. Print.

23. Any Questions?