The 4 Habits of Highly Awesome Leaders (Part 2)
In part 1 we kicked harder than slide decks. In part 2, we’ll defy the notion of “vision” and trade fortune telling for succeeding in the now; all this under 3 minutes. Enjoy!
HABIT #2: HACK VISION
“Be a visionary” or so they say…
We’ve been persuaded to believe that we MUST come up with an evocative picture that is yet to come. Done right, this ignites new direction, motivation and collaboration. However, more often than not, crafted visions–by well-intended leaders and companies– come out as either dull or unreal. After all, the margin error is too big when it comes to presaging what’s to come. And the problem resides precisely on that part: on the notion that a vision is about something that'll happen in the future, told by a "visionary" leader, gifted in turn with unnatural foresight. I argue against this, and here's why.
Visions from the future fail to ignite people's will and emotions because...
- Change renders obsolete—or shrouds with doubt—future scenarios, no matter how enticing those may be.
- Employees are disengaged–about 87% worldwide no less–, so they will not care or believe things will be greater down the road, at least not for them.
- Things that are still proven to be true are not as effective influencing people's beliefs compared with things that have already happened. Seeing is believing. That's why most stories are told in past tense. We are driven by tales that already happened, once upon a time.
FROM FORETELLING TO RETELLING
Counter to current dogma, vision is not a vivid image of something that is yet to come. Rather, it's the motion picture of an already written script called purpose. It tells the story of a group of people who, against all odds, won the day in the name of a noble purposeful idea.
In that sense, you don’t need a crystal ball or a fancy poster on the wall. A vision has less to do with predicting the future and more with uncovering a present situation that’s hidden in plain sight.
Try this. Be present, listen to what your team has to say, spot clues of what they will not say. Observe what's already going on. Spot those positive signals that align with the vision you had in mind, and then, only then, share that vision with them, but not in the traditional way ⤵
- Traditional way (to avoid): “I picture us as a team having a blast while producing meaningful work we are deeply proud of.”
- Hacked way (to master): “I'm glad to see how we celebrated the other day when our customer sent us that thank-you email. This tells me we have this wonderful ability to have fun while producing meaningful work we are deeply proud of. Let's keep that as our trait, shall we?”
As you can see, hacking a vision is not about honing the perfect statement, but of telling, retelling, and retelling a positive story of something awesome happening in real time. You don't need to convince people to jump into the unknown. They are already there, having a blast and making a difference for all to enjoy.
HOW TO HACK A VISION:
I know you are quite excited to inspire teams, coach them and let them grow in unexpected ways, but let me advise you to take one step at a time.
If you want to lead teams to uncharted territories, you need to get to know them first, and also let them know you as well. So, hold your horses, just for a while, and begin your journey with a curious mindset.
Please ask questions, lots of questions. Moreover, listen deeply what everyone has to say and observe those little nuances. They will give you clues about what they care about.
As soon as you identify what drives them, you will be able to share your provoking vision. Eventually, let's say a couple of months from now, teams could be making "impossible" things possible.
Remember: the obvious is never obvious.
That's it for now. Stay tuned for part 3, and feel free to revisit part 1.
👋
