Archive for vision
A word about VISION
Posted by: | CommentsHow important is Vision in leadership? I believe that there’s no such thing as a leader who doesn’t have a vision. What do you think?
Today’s post features a Minute with Maxwell on VISION. Click to view the video:
I love doing A Minute with Maxwell. It’s my opportunity to coach and empower you a little every day. The program is totally free, and anyone can view it. To be notified by email every day, when a new Minute is posted, simply fill out the following form:
Greatness cannot be locked up
Posted by: | CommentsHello from Harare, Zimbabwe! For the past few days, I’ve been speaking on leadership in cities in Zimbabwe and South Africa. It’s been a wonderful trip, with audiences hungry to grow. And I’m grateful to my host, Dr. David Molapo. He’s taken care of every detail.
But today I want to tell you about something else I’m grateful for. In Cape Town, South Africa, I received a very meaningful gift from my friend Shaun Battleman: a visit and private tour of Robben Island.
If you haven’t heard of Robben Island and the prison that used to be there, you might have heard of one of its more famous prisoners: Nelson Mandela. You might also be familiar with this picture of him in his jail cell, where he spent 27 years of his life for the “crime” of protesting South Africa’s policy of apartheid.
On a sunny spring day in Cape Town, we boarded Shaun Battleman’s yacht and traveled over to Robben Island. After disembarking, we were taken on a private tour of the facility (which is now a museum). Our tour guide, Jama, had been imprisoned there at the same time as Mandela.
Once we entered the former prison, the doors were slammed shut – to give us a sense of what it felt like to be locked in. We saw the area where prisoners were issued a number and lost the use of their name, along with the censor’s office, where news from loved ones was literally cut out of letters.
Most significantly, we visited Nelson Mandela’s cell – the one in the picture above. Here’s another photo that shows more of the interior.
The furnishings consisted of a bucket, a stool, and a “bed” that was really just a mat on the floor. Jama allowed me to unlock the cell door and enter the space that had been “home” to Mandela for so long. First, I lay down on the mat – it was very uncomfortable, as you might imagine. Then I looked out the cell window onto the prison yard, just like Mandela did in the first photo. And I was overcome with emotion, inspired by Nelson Mandela’s courage and commitment. For you see, he never stopped fighting apartheid, even while imprisoned.
He and fellow prisoners, who were not allowed to interact, met in the one place in the whole prison where the guards left them alone: the cave that they had to use as a toilet. Because of the smell of the cave, the guards would not go in. So it was there that Mandela and his fellow prisoners discussed the future of South Africa.
Released in 1990 after the dismantling of the system of segregation, Mandela went on to serve as first president of the new South Africa from 1994 to 1999. And after retiring, he continued to serve his people. He’s now 93 years old, and one of the leaders that I admire most who I haven’t been able to meet. We had an appointment set up last year, but Mr. Mandela had a health problem that forced us to cancel. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to meet him, but I can tell you the lessons I’ve learned from him. This is what I took away from my visit to his prison:
- Our surroundings need not control our spirit.
- People who devalue us do not determine our value.
- Dreams can be birthed during the daily grind.
- Out of our brokenness, we can be made whole and bring healing to others.
A writer in the Bible’s book of Proverbs wrote, “A man’s gift makes room for him.” Nelson Mandela had no room in his cell, but his gift could not be contained. In time, his gift made room for him to lead and bless his country.
Finding a vision’s “true north”
Posted by: | CommentsHave you ever been part of a team that didn’t seem to make any progress? Maybe the group had plenty of talent, resources, and opportunities, and team members got along, but the group just never went anywhere. If you have there’s a strong possibility that the situation was caused by lack of vision.
Great vision precedes great achievement. And every team needs 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 its various members. As the agendas work against each other, the team’s energy and drive drain away.
In contrast, a team that embraces a unified vision becomes focused, energized, and confident. It knows where it’s headed and why it’s going there.
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, a leader of troops during World War II who was called a “soldier’s general,” wrote that “every single soldier must know, before he goes into battle, how the little battle he is to fight fits into the larger picture, and how the success of his fighting will influence the battle as a whole.” People on the team need to know why they’re fighting. Otherwise, the team gets into trouble.
If you lead your team, then you are responsible for identifying a worthy and compelling vision and articulating it to your team members. However, even if you are not the leader, identifying a compelling vision is still important. If you don’t know the team’s vision, you can’t perform with confidence. You can’t be sure you and your teammates are going in the right direction. You can’t even be sure that the team you’re on is the right one for you if you haven’t examined the vision in light of your strengths, convictions, and purpose.
For everyone on the team, the vision must be compelling. But how do you measure that? You check your visionary compass. In fact, a team should examine the following five compasses before embarking on any journey.
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A team’s vision must be aligned with…
1. A moral compass (look above)
A moral compass brings integrity to the vision. It helps all the people on the team to check their motives and make sure that they are laboring for the right reasons. It also brings credibility to the leaders who cast the vision – but only if they model the values that the team is expected to embrace. When they do, they fuel the vision, keeping it going.
2. An intuitive compass (look within)
A vision must resonate deep within the leader of the team. Then it must resonate within the team members, who will be asked to work hard to bring it to fruition. That’s the value of intuitive passion. It produces the kind of heat that fires up the committed – and fries the uncommitted.
3. A historical compass (look behind)
Anytime you cast vision, you must create a connection between the past, the present, and the future. How? Tell stories. Principles may fade in people’s minds, but stories stick. Tell stories about the people who have been in the organization a long time, and they will feel valued. At the same time, stories from history give newer team members a sense of security, knowing that the current vision builds on the past and leads to the future.
4. A directional compass (look ahead)
Poet Henry David Thoreau wrote, “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.” Vision provides direction for the team, and part of that direction comes from having goals, which 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 a strategy is that it brings process to the vision. It identifies resources and mobilizes specific members of the team. People need more than information and inspiration. They need instruction in what to do to make the vision become a reality.
The vision of a team must look beyond current circumstances and any obvious shortcomings of current teammates to see the potential of the team. And a truly great vision challenges people. The great artist Michelangelo prayed, “Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.” If you can confidently measure the vision of your team according to the above compasses, and you find them all pointing in the right direction, then you’ll know that the vision is worth stretching for.
Fight for your dreams in 2011
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Happy New Year! If you’re like me, you spent some time in the past few weeks reflecting on the past year and looking ahead to the coming one. I’m already excited about what’s in store for the next twelve months!
What dreams do you have for 2011? Or maybe a better question is, do you have dreams for 2011? For some people, dreaming is easy. Your mind is full of dreams just waiting to be expressed. But what about those who find it hard to dream? What if you’re not sure if you have a dream you want to pursue?
Let’s face it: Many of us were not encouraged to dream. Others had dreams, only to see them actively discouraged. The world is filled with dream crushers and idea killers. Why? Some people without dreams of their own hate to see others pursuing theirs. Other people’s passion and success makes them feel inadequate or insecure. Others think they’re being helpful: keeping us from risk or hurt.
Business professors Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad wrote about an experiment conducted with a group of monkeys. Four monkeys were placed in a room that had a tall pole in the center. Suspended from the top of that pole was a bunch of bananas.
One of the hungry monkeys started climbing the pole to get something to eat, but just as he reached out to grab a banana, he was doused with a torrent of cold water. Squealing, he scampered down the pole and abandoned his attempt to feed himself. Each monkey made a similar attempt, and each one was drenched with cold water. After making several attempts, they finally gave up.
Then researchers removed one of the monkeys from the room and replaced him with a new monkey. As the newcomer began to climb the pole, the other three grabbed him and pulled him down to the ground. After trying to climb the pole several times and being dragged down by the others, he finally gave up and never attempted to climb the pole again.
The researchers replaced the original monkeys, one by one, with new ones, and each time a new monkey was brought in, he would be dragged down by the others before he could reach the bananas. In time, only monkeys who had never received a cold shower were in the room, but none of them would climb the pole. They prevented one another from climbing, but none of them knew why.
Perhaps others have dragged you down in life. They’ve discouraged you from dreaming. Maybe they resented the fact that you wanted to move up or to do something significant with your life. Or maybe they were trying to protect you from pain or disappointment. Either way, you’ve been discouraged from dreaming.
Take heart. It’s never too late to start dreaming and pursuing your dreams. My friend Dale Turner asserts, “Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.”
If you haven’t done any dreaming yet this year, set aside some time to explore possibilities and commit yourself to new opportunities. It’s never too late to dream.
~Adapted from my book Put Your Dream to the Test
Destiny calling? Let VISION be your guide
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What is your destiny? Where will you be in five years? Or 10, or 30?
Of course, no matter how hard we search, no one can answer that question with certainty. But while we can’t know our destiny, we CAN know and change our direction.
The journey toward destiny always begins with VISION. Vision is the roadmap to your destiny, the picture of your purpose. Without it, you may find yourself off course — or worse, going nowhere.
I feel so strongly about the power of a vision that I devoted my 2009 book, Put Your Dream to the Test, to that very subject.
But even without the help of a book, you can start discovering your vision today. How?
Take some time to LOOK…
- Within you: What is your passion?
- Behind you: How have past lessons and experiences prepared you to pursue your passion?
- Around you: What’s happening to others in this area (the trends)?
- Ahead of you: What do you want to accomplish?
- Above you: What part does God play in your life and dream?
- Beside you: What resources are available to you?
- Alongside you: Who can partner with you in this pursuit?
Hubert Humphrey was a man with vision. He took his first trip to Washington, DC, in 1935, and wrote the following to his wife:
Honey, I can see how someday, if you and I make up our minds to work for bigger and better things, we can someday live here in Washington and probably be in government, politics, or service… Oh gosh, I hope my dream comes true – I’m going to try anyhow.
Hubert Humphrey’s dream carried him all the way to the United States’ vice-presidency. Where could your vision carry you? The vision you have truly will shape the person you become.
