Chapter 7
Creating a Shared Vision

...Leaders unleash the power of collective intelligence. They assemble extraordinary people, focus them on meaningful work, connect their wisdom, and motivate them to do great things.^[1]

Formal hierarchy will always have an important role in organizations, but effective global executives of the future will need the skill to navigate outside the traditional lines of authority. They will have to work across geographic borders and across the functional boundaries and strata of the organization; they must encourage open exchange and capitalize on the ideas of everyone; and they must be able to influence peers and subordinates through the power of ideas and information as much as by position.

Influence requires much more than just good ideas and knowledge. It requires the ability to convey ideas compellingly to others. A leader must understand the goals of others, inside and outside the organization, and tailor ideas to meet mutual needs if his or her vision is to be accepted. Finally, the effective global leader should develop an effective overall strategy that clearly defines departmental priorities, which will aim the entire company in the same direction.

Creating a Vision

With great capacity for communicating, future leaders will create clear and compelling visions that inspire and stretch people beyond expectations.

Future executives must have a strong belief and conviction about their vision for the company. They must communicate this vision to all facets of the workforce, from the highest paid to the lowest. The message should be simple, clear, and restated often.^[2]

These leaders must see things differently, from a different perspective than others. They may gather and organize the same information, but they must have the ability to transform it into a new conception, a new vision. A great challenge for global leaders is to uncover the overarching outcome of where they and the company are headed. Then, through clearly stated objectives, leaders must communicate this vision to potential followers, so that each person understands his or her role in achieving it, as well as to potential customers, so that they know what to expect from the company and its products and services. Global leaders use every opportunity to communicate their message, becoming much like a politician who states and restates the mission.

For example, since the creation of the Dell Computer Corporation in 1984, Michael Dell (founder and CEO) has continuously restated his vision to sell customized computer systems directly to customers. More recently, the company has hit on an advertising campaign that relays this mission yet again. The commercials feature a young man who helps people, especially young people, get the computers they want. One advertisement tells the story of two kids who are participating in an internship program at Dell. The supervisor shows them the customer service center and explains that this is where orders are taken for Dell Computers. The kids tell the supervisor that they have an idea: What if people visit the Dell Web site before coming into the service center to indicate what they will use their computer for and what their interests are—for instance, burning CDs, accessing the Internet, or downloading pictures and graphics? The supervisor tells the kids that Dell already does this. The purpose of the advertisement is to again get across to the public that the mission of Dell is to give customers every opportunity to get the exact computers they need. Through this campaign, Michael Dell has overcome a great challenge in the marketplace, which is to get across, especially to young people, the vast array of services that Dell offers in terms of customization of equipment.

Because such a large part of the global leader's role is to articulate the company vision to great numbers of people simultaneously—and to individuals located all over the world—he or she must be capable of and comfortable in communicating through many different mediums. Realizing that it takes multiple venues to get a message across, these leaders are at ease speaking in front of large groups and the media, as well as communicating by email, video conferencing, and the Internet. With so many communication mediums at our disposal, global leaders must learn to direct information through the right medium—be it email, voicemail, the Internet, a Web site, or professional media, such as radio or television commercials—when communicating a message, or the message will be lost. For instance, when there is a message of utmost importance to the company, leaders may choose to leave an all-company voicemail that gives an overview of the situation. If more details are necessary, the voicemail may point teams to an email or Web site that gives additional information. However, individuals are alerted through the voicemail system, because often so much information comes across email, it is nearly impossible to prioritize the importance of it.

This leader must be comfortable getting in front of people to communicate changes clearly and concisely. Informality is very important. Nothing can replace face-to-face interaction.^[3]

Even with the rapid expansion of communication technology, no one leader can reach everyone. Effective global leaders will recruit those individuals whose goals and objectives are consistent with the company vision to help spread the message.

Getting Input from Others

Influence is not just top-down. In next-generation companies, ideas come from all sources, all directions—anyone's input can be influential in the organization. The forces driving this change are a combination of fundamental marketplace shifts and demands, new technologies, newly shaped organizations, and new kinds of workers.

Recently, at an Accenture leadership program, high-potential recruits raised an important issue about influencing others. The recruits revealed that they felt powerless to persuade leaders who are already very much evolved in terms of their business acumen and networks. Program leaders countered this concern. They explained that everyone has a unique perspective that is useful to the company. Younger individuals are often especially versed on technical subjects and can offer fresh perspectives as a result of recently exiting the educational environment. Influencing has less to do with age, tenure, or company knowledge, and more to do with a combination of understanding marketplace shifts and demands, new technology, the organizational shape, and how these things complement and affect each other.

Before CoreStates merged with First Union (which then became City Union), human resources executive Yvette Hyater Adams started a unique mentoring program. Participants in the program were paired with other individuals who had extraordinarily different educational or cultural backgrounds from themselves. For instance, Yvette, a black female, partnered herself with a white male in a senior executive position. This unique, high-impact program—part diversity program and part influence and learning—gave participants the opportunity to influence each other's thinking from a very different perspective.

Every key person should be involved in helping to define the company's values and mission.^[4]

Effective global leaders of the future know that each individual in the company has a unique set of skills and knowledge that, if tapped into, can benefit the company as a whole. For instance, younger workers often have more knowledge about personal computers and the Internet than do more seasoned colleagues. Analyzing and incorporating these different viewpoints adds dimension to the company vision; it gives leaders a better overall picture of where the company is and where it should be headed; and it can help forecast potential disasters, avoid duplication of efforts, and clarify goals and strategies.

Many global leaders are beginning to recognize that leveraging diversity, such as differences of race, gender, and ethnicity, is crucial to creating, sharing, and executing the company vision. Especially when targeting specific markets, such as the Hispanic market, it is essential to include individuals who understand the community. For instance, Andrew Reeder, journalist and radio host, has engaged in promoting a vision of leadership in the Hispanic community through Hispanic Business Radio (HBR). Experts and successful leaders from the Hispanic business community, and entertainers such as former ambassador to Mexico John Gavin, are involved in creating throughout North America the vision of HBR, which is to develop community identity, to illustrate real-life examples of leadership success in the Hispanic community, to create brand identity, and to promote Hispanic leaders and their successors.

Much like Andrew Reeder has asked successful Hispanic executives and leaders to share their ideas on promoting Hispanic business, global leaders of the future will use the backgrounds and expertise of each individual in the company to create a shared vision. People with different viewpoints will invariably see the company and how it relates to customers and communities in varying lights. Incorporating these different perspectives into the company vision will not only make the individuals more effective ambassadors for the organization, because they believe in the vision, it will help to brand products and services and to grow the organization throughout the communities it serves.

As Edgar Schein, who is considered one of the founders of the field of organizational psychology, notes that leaders will need to effectively involve others and elicit participation "because the tasks will be too complex and the information too widely distributed for leaders to solve problems on their own."

When we got our new president, he decided that we needed to clarify our vision. So he put together teams of leaders in all of the different units to work together. Our goals have been based on this vision. This is our third year working this way, and it has been very productive. This is an example of the collaboration of different leaders from different departments working together to establish a vision for the entire organization.^[5]

Traditionally, leaders have not engaged in the widespread involvement of others as they construct key business decisions, often preferring to stay close to a small band of confidantes as the decision process unfolds. However, this heavily top-down approach, in which one person makes a decision with limited and only very senior executive input for others to then carry out, is no longer effective.

For instance, prior to initiating the campaign in which associates presented their ideas to the Anthem East Leadership Team (the senior executive team), problems and challenges were addressed with a top-down approach. The leaders found that people were far more willing to participate and to take on more accountability and responsibility when they were involved as participants in business strategies and decisions. When they understood the consequences and rewards of participating, as well as how the process would work, what the ROI was, and how it would be achieved, more people wanted to be involved in programs even if they were of a higher risk nature. As such, they were much more effective in creating the vision.

The leadership team devised a system to give everyone access to the status of different areas of the organization. At the entrance to the Anthem East building, they put a large poster with a pie chart, colored by area. The chart, which was updated regularly, showed how much each area had improved, or not, during each quarter. Although different people were responsible for the different areas of the pie chart, anybody could participate in helping to achieve the goals.

This type of system isn't possible in a top-down approach, because not everyone understands how the different areas of the company are measured. If only the people at the top know how things are measured, then they are the only ones who can make improvements, because they are the only ones who understand how to measure the improvements. If everybody in the company knows how to measure the improvement, then anyone can improve an area and then demonstrate to others how it works.

Global leaders must have buy-in from the peers, teams, and staff if their global vision of the company is to be successful; in other words, they must have the support of the individuals involved if complications and disagreements at the implementation stage are to be avoided. Successful leaders know that people are more likely to be supportive of a vision if they have been included in its creation. These leaders also know that people who are involved in the direction of a project from its inception will be more committed, because they feel responsible for the success of the project.

Creating Momentum and Inspiring Others

Positional power may still matter, and "because I said so" can still compel action from employees lower in the pyramid, but when ideas and directives support a vision that people—peers, partners, even those over whom the leader has no direct authority—believe in, they will be inspired rather than compelled. Under a command-and-control style, workers frequently avoid decisions for which they have not received a specific directive. By contrast, imparting a meaningful vision gives people a reason to follow a leader's direction and provides a guide for all decisions.

An effective global leader will excite people about the company's future and inspire pride for the company's products and services. The leader's role is to define the company vision, to put it in the right context, and to communicate it in such a way that individuals are proud to be a part of the organization.

In 2001, after Fred DiBona, president and CEO of Independence Blue Cross (IBC), led the creation of an e-commerce strategy as part of the company's mission, he turned over the implementation and execution of that strategy to a handful of senior leaders in the organization to oversee its success. The inspired team, led by Joe Frick and Chris Butler, was then extended to include Yvette Bright (nicknamed eVette for her leading role in the e-commerce venture), John Janney, Kathy Lister, and a consulting company to execute the strategy. These leaders in turn incorporated the support of countless others in IT, marketing, provider services, communications, and many other parts of the IBC family of companies. What began with an inspired vision has turned into what is now one of the most successful e-commerce implementations in the history of health services.

Charisma is one characteristic that will always be vital to successful leadership. Executives may have all of the necessary technical and industry knowledge, but they will not be effective if they cannot motivate and empower those who are subordinate to them.

Constantine Papadakis, president of Drexel University, is a charismatic leader who not only leads, but who allows others to lead when necessary. For example, during the merger with MCP Hahnemann University School of Medicine and Drexel, now the Drexel University College of Medicine, Dr. Papadakis often handed the baton to his subordinates to lead various aspects of the merger meetings, such as finances, organization design, transitions, project teams, and negotiations with various functional departments. For example, if the meeting was about the budget, he would hand it over to the finance leader; if the meeting was about how the hospitals would be impacted by the relationship with the medical school, he would hand it over to the dean of the medical school. Often these leaders came from MCP Hahnemann as well as from the Drexel Board. Although he was capable of chairing these meetings himself, he chose to let others lead. Thus, by introducing his leadership team at every opportunity and giving them the limelight to demonstrate their technical and industry knowledge, he became a more charismatic leader in the eyes of the board.

A leader must be charismatic so that others will follow without feeling that they are being "bossed around." Charisma is a key component of gaining the respect of employees and leading the workforce through influence rather than through formal authority. As the command-and-control model of power loses the respect and loyalty of the younger workforce, the need for dynamic leaders who inspire all parties involved to share the common vision and create the common good is increasing.

Another key component in gaining the respect of employees is trust. Trust gives leaders an advantage, because it leads to loyalty and stability in an otherwise turbulent world. Many things affect trust in leadership, including major changes in the company and ineffective communication about the company. Without trust, a company will suffer from skepticism, low morale, and low confidence in leadership.

During periods of major change, the most effective communication will be simple and focused. Too much communication will get lost in the confusion of the times. During such times, an effective global leader will amplify a few simple, common points repeatedly, which will reduce anxiety and increase commitment to the leader and the mission.

During his short tenure as CEO of Anthem, and prior to the initial public offering (IPO), Larry Glasscock quickly gained the respect and trust of the healthcare communities across the U.S. markets that Anthem serves. Anthem's IPO was cited on Wall Street as one of the most successful in the history of healthcare, and it was in large part due to the respect the employees and communities had for Larry and the trust he had garnered in a very short period of time as the company's chief executive. Larry gained this respect primarily because of his ability to increase the value of Anthem's services to the public, his ability to manage relationships with providers, and his ability to retain a first-class leadership team through multiple mergers in all four corridors of the United States (east, south, Midwest, west). His ability to demonstrate shared leadership and the use of associate-led teams to spearhead common issues across the firm has been a trademark of his leadership. Larry is a humble leader who is recognized by his industry and his associates for sharing and communicating key performance metrics throughout the organization, which drives its overall shareholder value through empowered teams and leaders.

On the other hand, a CEO in a similar situation in Australia did not fair as well when he attempted to lead a merger with the company's London-based organization, because he did not understand the cultural implications of dealing with crosscultural sentiment in a highly political environment during a demutualization.

Within global organizations, trust must be developed across international borders. This can be especially difficult, given the distance, cultural, and language barriers, but it is absolutely necessary if the company is to forge its way into the global marketplace.

In Asian companies, and in Japanese companies in particular, it is believed that rotation is important to the development of individuals and essential for CEOs. Near the end of their tenure, CEOs are sent on a "sunset cruise." At this time, executives are allowed to choose whichever country or part of the organization they would like to spend time in before they retire.

In the 1990s, the CEO of a large computer manufacturing company, headquartered in Tokyo, decided to spend his remaining tenure at the California distribution center. There was mistrust between the senior executive team, three members of which came from the United States and three of which came from Japan. Upon arrival, the Japanese executives began inspecting the U.S. center, which angered the U.S. executives. In addition, the Japanese insisted on keeping their own records, separate and apart from those of the U.S. center, and during meetings the Japanese spoke Japanese to each other and English to the U.S. team, who did not understand Japanese. This kept the U.S. team in the dark about how the Japanese felt about certain issues. The U.S. CEO hired a consultant to help facilitate trust building and confidence among these six executives. Initially, there was resistance from the Japanese, because they were required to speak English with the consultant, the consultant was a woman, and she had hired an interpreter who was a Japanese-American. As a matter of fact, many people who had been assigned to the U.S. company were Americans who spoke Japanese. Many Japanese executives were displeased with this, because they felt it took away from their culture and their language to have Americans speaking Japanese. However, in order to continue operating the U.S. distribution center, the Japanese executives were required to change, opening up themselves and their culture to the Americans in order to begin trust building.

Ultimately, through the U.S. and Japanese executive teams working together, it was found that the U.S. team was indeed inflating their sales, only to cancel delivery orders a month before delivery. The bonus system in the United States was subsequently changed to reward based on delivery rather than on sales, and in doing so, over-ordering was eliminated.

Supporting the Vision with Strategy

Leaders who can spark our imaginations with a compelling vision of a worthwhile end that stretches us beyond what is known today and who can show us a clear path to our objectives are the ones we follow. In the future, the leadership role will focus more on the development of an effective strategy, the creation of the vision, and an understanding of their impact, and will empower others to carry out the implementation of the plan.

The hectic pace of today's world makes it challenging for global leaders to spend much time developing effective strategies for their businesses. Yet, however compelling a vision or however inspiring a communicator, no mission will be successful without a well thought out strategy in which people understand their roles and contributions. The future global leader's role therefore must include developing a strategy that ties together the mission of the company with the needs of customers and other stakeholders.

In a turbulent global business environment, such as at the time of this writing, companies may be involved in cycles of mergers, acquisitions, and sales. In such times, the process of developing and maintaining a "magnetic north" is crucial to the survival of the company. At a Latin American family business, leaders do not value the process of shared leadership, which is exemplified by the fact that each leader is busily focused on his or her own target. Leaders have put defining a common vision for the company and developing a strategy to attain it on the back burner, and they are making business decisions based on increasing the short-term revenue of their departments rather than making decisions that are in the long-term best interest of the company. As a result of this lack of shared leadership and strategy, leaders waste time and energy steering their departments at a tangent to where the company wants to be in the future; it causes activities to be driven by silo politics as opposed to crosscompany commitment; and it fails to address the issues of how crossfunctional, cross–business unit, and cross–silo leadership is essential to move the company to the future.

Defining Roles and Priorities

The effective global leader will clearly define priorities and expectations for each member of the organization, and everyone, including the leader, will be evaluated against those expectations. These leaders will make the objectives clear and interesting to motivate and challenge their staff.

The challenge is to give people a well-defined task, clear vision, and a clear target. Leaders need to provide them with guidance and motivate them to complete the mission.^[6]

One of the pressures of the changing leadership role is to do more—faster and with less. To avoid overwhelming individuals with too much work, the effective leader will set a short list of priorities for his or her team, aiming everyone at the same target. Defining roles and setting objectives will ensure that each person's energy is devoted to what is most important to the company.

Take, for example, the actions of Peter McCausland, chairman and CEO of Airgas, a $2 billion industrial gas distribution company of about 8,000 people, which was built from approximately 300 acquisitions over the last two decades.

In early 2002, Peter recognized that to focus the energy of these integrated businesses and to then grow market share in a highly fragmented market, there was a need to turn significant management attention to not only what Airgas should be as a business, but also to the operating model they needed to have and how executives should seek to behave as leaders in taking an already highly successful company to the next level.

Peter and his team spent considerable time, over approximately a six-month period, critically examining not only the "what," but also the "how" of the Airgas business they wanted, and they recrafted the key elements of what was important to the company when building the operating model and leadership vision for Airgas. They worked tirelessly on this as a top team, were unwavering in their self-examination as leaders, and produced not only a compelling, practical vision of working, but also one that was able to be fully connected with their employees throughout the business. These actions are noteworthy for two reasons: First, they were undertaken by an already highly successful company, Airgas, as part of refocusing the energy of its people to become even better, and second, the passion of the leader was singularly important in ensuring that the vision of working was connected with not just the top executive group, but also with everyone in the business, thereby translating vision into personal commitment and operational benefit. Leaders must keep stakeholders informed of any changes in priorities to avoid wasting time and energy.

Conclusion

Creating a shared vision is integral to any company's success, because it aligns the company's stakeholders, operations, and structure with its mission and vision. In the future, the strongest companies will be those with a common vision, an effective strategy, and a workforce that shares in the commitment to accomplishing the vision. Much of the future global leader's role will be to invite others to participate in the development of the mission, to communicate it in such a way as to inspire support and enthusiasm, and to develop a strategy and define priorities that will focus the entire company on achieving the vision.

Resource Section: Creating a Shared Vision

ITEM 24: Creates and Communicates a Clear Vision for His or Her Organization

WHAT TO DO

• Recognize that an effective organization is based on a shared vision that is understood and accepted by everyone.
• Involve employees in developing a clear vision for your organization.
• Solicit input from employees for their vision of their job, the team, and the organization.
• Align team objectives with the overall vision of the organization.
• Let your employees know how their contribution can help achieve the vision.
• Encourage the full participation of everyone concerned in creating and communicating the vision.
• Work with your staff or management team to update the vision periodically.
• Encourage people to anticipate future opportunities for both the organization and themselves.

HOW TO DO IT

• Communicate new ideas with confidence and enthusiasm, and convey a can-do attitude.
• When presenting a new idea, provide as much background information as possible to your work group.
• Schedule regular meetings with your entire team to review and update the vision and mission, evaluate team performances, and set new objectives based on the vision.
• Before the meeting, analyze internal and external factors that influence the organization's effectiveness, and discuss these variables at the beginning of the meeting.
• Ask each team member to write down his or her vision and present it to the group.
• Work with your group to reach consensus on the team's vision, mission, and strategies. Check the consistency with your company's vision.
• Set specific goals for the whole group rather than just for individual performers.
• Discuss the vision with your manager and get his or her suggestions.
• Align specific organizational policies, procedures, and operations with the overall vision.
• Ask people for suggestions and ideas on how to achieve the vision.
• Read daily newspapers, trade magazines, and the company's annual reports.
• Discuss techniques with managers who excel at creating and communicating a clear vision for their organization.

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL FURTHER

• Volunteer to serve on a crossfunctional committee.
• Volunteer to lead a team or group activity where creating and communicating the vision is essential.
• Practice open communication with your spouse and children.

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

• Your reputation as a visionary leader may grow.
• You may be asked to serve on planning teams or as an advisor outside your own organization.
• You may expect to get new assignments and opportunities to broaden your career in the company.

READINGS

• Becoming a Person of Influence: How to Positively Impact the Lives of Others. John C. Maxwell & Jim Dornan. 1997. Thomas Nelson: Nashville, TN, ISBN 0785271007.
• Built to Last. James C. Collins & Jerry I. Porras .1997. HarperBusiness: New York, ISBN 887307396.
• Working Knowledge. Thomas H. Davenport & Laurence Prusak. 2000. Harvard Business School Press: Boston, ISBN 1578513014.
• Managing for Excellence: The Guide to Developing High Performance in Contemporary Organizations. D. L. Bradford & A. R. Cohen. 1997. John Wiley & Sons: New York, ISBN 0471127248.
• Seize Tomorrow, Start Today: Renew Your Vision, Revitalize Your Organization, and Stay Ahead of the Future. James A. Belasco & Jerre L. Stead. 2000. Warner Books: New York, ISBN 446676047.
• The Leader of the Future: New Visions, Strategies, and Practices for the Next Era. Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith, & Richard Beckhard. 1996. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, ISBN 0787901806.
• Together We Can: Celebrating the Power of a Team and a Dream. Dan Zadra. 2001. Compendium: Lynwood, WA, ISBN 1888387424.

ITEM 25: Effectively Involves People in Decision Making

WHAT TO DO

• Let your employees know how their contribution can help achieve the vision. They can make a difference.
• Realize that a company is not likely to be successful unless its employees feel responsible for the company's success and failures.
• Demonstrate or express your belief that employees can work effectively as a team; create the expectation that individuals will make decisions together.
• Solicit input from employees for their vision of where they see their job, the team, and the organization going, and ask for suggestions on how to achieve the company objectives.
• Involve people, especially those who have gained experience in their departments and jobs, in more problem solving and decision making for the team and the organization.
• Provide others with sufficient information to permit them to develop creative yet workable ideas.
• Be clear about boundaries. Let people know what is and what is not open to negotiation.

HOW TO DO IT

• Hold regular meetings with others (managers, peers, workers) to share and gather information and data, and identify possible areas for improvement.
• Before the meetings, analyze internal and external factors that influence the organization's effectiveness, and discuss these variables at the beginning of the meeting. Ask each team member to write down his or her vision and present it to the group.
• Encourage all team members to express their opinions.
• Maintain objectivity when reviewing new ideas.
• Supply the resources and information others need to make decisions.
• Involve your staff and/or management team in creating and updating the work plan and strategies.
• Observe managers who are good at involving people in decision making, and ask them for tips.

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL FURTHER

• Volunteer to lead a team or group activity in which team involvement and consensus building is essential.
• Ask for feedback on how well you involve people in reaching group decisions.
• Ask your work unit for feedback on how well you listen to them.

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

• Your reputation as a leader may grow.
• Your manager and peers may give you positive feedback about your interaction with teams.
• Others may ask you for advice on helping teams reach consensus and achieve their goals.
• Morale, commitment, and productivity may noticeably improve.

READINGS

• Essential Drucker: Best of Sixty Years of Peter Drucker's Essential Writings on Management, Peter Ferdinand Drucker. 2001. HarperBusiness: New York, ISBN 66210879.
• The Art of Empowerment: The Profit and Pain of Employee Involvement. Ron Johnson & David Redmond. 1998. Financial Times Management: London, ISBN 0273630938.
• The American Workplace: Skills, Compensation, and Employee Involvement. Casey Ichniowski, David I. Levine, Craig Olson, and George Strauss (Eds.). 2000. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, ISBN 0521650283.
• The Improvement Engine: Creativity & Innovation Through Employee Involvement: The Kaizen Teian System. Japan Human Relations Association Staff. 1995. Productivity, Inc.: Portland, OR, ISBN 1563270102.
• The Leader of the Future: New Visions, Strategies, and Practices for the Next Era. Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith, & Richard Beckhard. 1996. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, ISBN 0787901806.
• The New Unionism: Employee Involvement in the Changing Corporation. Charles C. Heckscher. 1996. Ilr Press: Ithaca, NY, ISBN 0801483573.

ITEM 26: Inspires People to Commit to Achieving the Vision

WHAT TO DO

• Recognize that an effective organization is based on a shared vision and mission that is understood and accepted by everyone.
• Support an exciting vision of the future by clearly stating goals and standards you and your work group have agreed upon.
• Let your employees know how their contribution can help achieve the vision.
• Encourage and expect high energy and performance from people in your organization.
• Solicit input from employees for their vision of where they see their job, the team, and the organization going. Ask for suggestions on how to achieve the vision.
• Know what aspects of the job excite your employees, and then provide them with opportunities to pursue these activities.
• Help others align their personal and career goals with the vision of the organization.

HOW TO DO IT

• Enthusiastically discuss and communicate the company's future and your employees' roles in it.
• Clearly communicate the vision of the company to employees, and link it directly to individual goals whenever possible.
• Communicate your passion and support outward and upward as well as in your own organization.
• Provide clear performance standards, feedback and coaching, technical training, development opportunities, recognition, and rewards to achieve high performance in your work group.
• Constantly recognize and reward people who are making improvements or efforts on improving.
• Work with your staff or management team to create and update the vision, mission, and strategies.
• Celebrate success as a team.
• Observe managers who are good at inspiring and motivating people, and ask them for tips.

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL FURTHER

• Think about the teams that you have been a member of. Ask yourself, "Do I fully understand the purpose of the group and its directions?" and "What contributed to my feeling responsible or not feeling responsible for the success of those groups?"
• Develop interdepartmental sports teams outside of work and have quarterly games that involve high spirits and energy (as well as a little friendly competition among employees).

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

• Employees may develop a deeper sense of commitment toward achieving company goals.
• Your manager may give you positive feedback about how you inspire people to achieve the vision.
• Others may ask you for your ideas on how to motivate teams to achieve their goals.
• Morale of your group may noticeably improve.
• Productivity of your team may increase.

READINGS

• The Brand You 50: Or Fifty Ways to Transform Yourself from an 'Employee' into a Brand That Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion! Tom Peters. 1999. Knopf: New York, ISBN 0375407723.
• Complete Idiot's Guide to Project Management. Sunny Baker & Kim Baker. 2000. Alpha Books: Madison, WI, ISBN 0028639200.
• Emotional Intelligence at Work: The Untapped Edge for Success. Hendrie Weisinger. 1997. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, ISBN 0787909521.
• How to Be a Star at Work: 9 Breakthrough Strategies You Need to Succeed: Robert E. Kelley. 1999. Times Books: New York, ISBN 0812931696.
• The Leader of the Future: New Visions, Strategies, and Practices for the Next Era. Frances Hesselbein, Marshall Goldsmith, & Richard Beckhard. 1996. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, ISBN 0787901806.
• The Professional Service Firm 50: Or, Fifty Ways to Transform Your 'Department' into a Professional Service Firm Whose Trademarks Are Passion and Innovation. Tom Peters. 1999. Knopf: New York, ISBN 0375407715.
• The Project 50: Fifty Ways to Transform Every Task into a Project That Matters! Tom Peters. 1999. Knopf: New York, ISBN 0375407731.
• Zapp!: The Lightning of Empowerment: How to Improve Quality, Productivity, and Employee Satisfaction. Jeff Cox & William C. Byham. 1998. Fawcett: New York, ISBN 0449002829.

ITEM 27: Develops an Effective Strategy to Achieve the Vision

WHAT TO DO

• Realize that a company is not likely to be successful unless its employees feel responsible for the company's success and failures.
• Ensure that you and your employees have a clear understanding of the company's vision.
• Keep informed about your company's objectives, actions, and agenda.
• Communicate your support of company vision outward and upward as well as in your own organization.
• Help develop and implement policies and strategies that are aligned with your organization's vision.
• Involve your employees in developing strategies to achieve the vision.
• Give your employees a clear sense of direction, but empower them to determine the best way to achieve your organization's vision.
• Challenge team and individual objectives that do not support the company's vision.

HOW TO DO IT

• Align specific policies, strategies, objectives, and procedures in your organization with the vision.
• Make sure that employees clearly understand the vision and objectives. Clarify any confusion regarding the vision.
• When developing the team vision, encourage employees to consider the larger company vision.
• Encourage employees of all levels to contribute their ideas in developing strategies to achieve the vision.
• Genuinely and actively listen to others' ideas.
• Discuss the team objectives and company vision with your manager and get his or her input.
• Encourage employees to read the company's annual report and the business section of the newspapers.
• Interview managers with whom you most frequently interact to learn more of their departments' objectives and business plans.
• Ask managers who excel at strategy development for advice.

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL FURTHER

• Coach a Little League team or some other group activity.
• Volunteer to participate in projects, teams, or task forces in which senior managers will be actively participating. Use the experience as an opportunity to gain insight into longer, broader-range organizational issues.

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

• Your employees may be less confused and more productive.
• You may be asked to serve on planning teams or implementation task forces.
• You may be asked to serve as an advisor outside your own organization.

READINGS

• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't. James C. Collins. 2001. HarperCollins, New York, ISBN 66620996.
• Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box. The Arbinger Institute. 2000. Berrett-Koehler: San Francisco, ISBN 1576750949.
• Seize Tomorrow, Start Today: Renew Your Vision, Revitalize Your Organization, and Stay Ahead of the Future. James A. Belasco & Jerre L. Stead. 2000. Warner Books: New York, ISBN 446676047.
• The 3 Keys to Empowerment: Release the Power Within People for Astonishing Results. Kenneth H. Blanchard, John P. Carlos, & Alan Randolph. 1999. Berrett-Koehler: San Francisco, ISBN1576750604.
• The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow. John C. Maxwell. 1999. Thomas Nelson: Nashville, TN, ISBN 0785274405.
• The One Page Business Plan: Start With a Vision, Build a Company! James T. Horan, Jr., & Rebecca S. Shaw. 1998. One Page Business Plan Co.: El Sobrante, CA, ISBN 1891315072.

ITEM 28: Clearly Identifies Priorities

WHAT TO DO

• Understand the importance of setting priorities.
• Ensure that you and your work group understand the company's priorities and develop goals and strategies accordingly.
• Actively solicit, listen to, and respond to any concerns from your coworkers regarding priority issues.
• Clearly understand the rationale behind the priorities.
• Ensure that your daily work aligns with your major responsibilities.
• Don't confuse urgent matters with truly vital ones.

HOW TO DO IT

• Put the organizational priorities in writing, send it to your work group, and ask for feedback.
• Ask follow-up questions to confirm that the priorities are clearly understood.
• Organize your tasks according to importance and how much time they should receive. Start with the high-priority items first. Skim or eliminate low-priority items.
• Adjust you and your work group's schedule and workload as necessary to ensure that the amount of time and energy people spend is aligned with the organizational goals and priorities.
• When prioritizing your tasks, ask yourself
  • Which of these tasks will bring most benefit to my organization?
  • Which tasks do my manager and workgroup consider most important?
  • What are the consequences of not completing these tasks in a specific timeframe?
  • Which tasks are most vital?
• Take time every day to plan and organize.
• Take a course in time management or priority management.
• Get coaching from experts.
• Seek regular feedback from your manager or team about the effectiveness of your priority-setting skills.
• Observe others who are good at identifying priorities, and follow their examples.

HOW TO USE THIS SKILL FURTHER

• Share with others your belief that excellence begins with knowing what the priorities are.
• Volunteer to lead a team or group activity in which identifying and communicating goals and priorities is essential.

RESULTS YOU CAN EXPECT

• Higher quality and productivity may be measurable over time.
• Your internal and external customers may be more satisfied by your products or services.
• You may win a reputation of being highly efficient.

READINGS

• Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time. Brian Tracy. 2001. Berrett-Koehler: San Francisco, ISBN. 1583762027.
• Getting Out from Under: Redefining Your Priorities in an Overwhelming World. Stephanie Winston. 1999. Perseus: Reading, MA, ISBN 0738203246.
• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity. David Allen. 2001. Viking: New York, ISBN 670899240.
• How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life. Alan Lakein & P. H. Wyden. 1996. New American Library: New York, ISBN 0451167724.
• Managing Multiple Bosses: How to Juggle Priorities, Personalities & Projects, and Make It Look Easy. Pat Nickerson. 1998. AMACOM: New York, ISBN 0814470254.
• Managing Your Priorities from Start to Success. William J. Bond. 1996. McGraw-Hill:New York, ISBN 0786303875.

Endnotes

1. Reprinted with the permission of Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group from Global Literacies: The New Language for Business Leaders by Robert H. Rosen, Ph.D. with Carl Phillips, Marshall Singer, and Patricia Digh. Copyright © 2000 by RHR Enterprises.

2. Products and services, United States, 29.

3. Telecommunications, United States, 35.

4. Healthcare, France, 52.

5. Products and services, United States, 35.

6. Technology, United States, 33.

7. Information and quotes from interview with Paul Curlander conducted by Cathy Greenberg. April 2002.