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Beyond Vision: Time To Talk About Passion And Precision
by Oren Harari Here's a puzzler. Conventional wisdom says that successful companies have a vision. And indeed, they often do. But at the same time, lots of companies with carefully crafted mission and vision statements have gone down the tubes. What gives? In doing the research for my last book The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell, I believe I discovered why so many mission statements gather cobwebs on corporate walls, and why so many grand visions go nowhere after they're initially unfurled. They're lacking an underlying backbone. And that backbone is passion and precision. Only when passion and precision co-exist with vision and mission does success occur. Let's start with passion. Passion is much more than simple, gung-ho enthusiasm. It involves total commitment and optimism. But be careful; even those terms have been misused. By total commitment, I mean that a vision, mission or even a plan is only as powerful as the leader's zeal to execute it. There is little sense in articulating a mission or laying out a battle plan unless one is prepared to execute with what the poets call fervor and ardor. In other words, unless you're unequivocally committed to a path, don't even go there. Your purpose must be inseparable from your commitment to achieving it. Great leaders make sure that unequivocal commitment to a direction or cause exists before they wordsmith any vision or declare a grand plan. Too often, visions and plans are afflicted with the "Viet Nam syndrome." In describing the U.S.'s role in that war, Powell says that "we had entered into a halfhearted half-war, with much of the nation opposed or indifferent, while a small fraction carried the burden." In contrast, leadership is figuring out where you're going, publicly pulling out all the stops, and never getting distracted from your goals. Passionate leaders unapologetically insure that organizational priorities, meeting agendas, budgets, metrics, and rewards are ruthlessly aligned with the goals. "As soon as they tell me (military intervention) is limited", Powell has said, "it means they do not care whether you achieve a result or not…As soon as they tell me 'surgical', I head for the bunker." There can be no limited commitment. Passion also involves optimism. "Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier", says Powell. The leader's enthusiasm, hopefulness, and confidence multiply as they radiate outward throughout the organization. Leaders who view the world positively and confidently tend to infuse their people with the same attitude. That attitude is essential for fueling a bullheaded persistence to achieve challenging missions and visions. As Winston Churchill once suggested, "success is measured by your ability to maintain enthusiasm between failures." I am not talking about empty "rah-rah" declarations, nor am I suggesting that leaders should accept organizational stupidity, malfeasance or incompetence with a "what, me worry" grin. Instead, good leaders demonstrate an ongoing attitude that says, "we can change things here, we can achieve awesome results, we can be the best—and we will!" And they proceed with a passion bordering on mania. In my own work, I see plenty of sober analysis in organizations; I don't see enough maniacal optimism. Yet, as Jack Welch has stated, "You can't proceed in a calm, rational manner. You've got to be on the lunatic fringe." Powell would agree, and his advice is quite practical: "Don't let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision…Don't take counsel of your fears or naysayers….Never step on enthusiasm." Both Powell and Welch are known for being obsessed with "the facts"; no executive comes to meetings better prepared than these two. But they also understand that "the facts" of conventional wisdom will often suggest that unconventional, pathbreaking action is unwarranted and dangerous. Great leaders are not blind optimists, but they are well aware that innovation and change often involve "unreasonable" conviction based on insufficient evidence. No vision, mission, plan or new venture can survive on money alone. There are simply too many obstacles out there waiting to derail it. Passion is the fuel that generates creative ideas and keeps the uphill momentum in execution--and passion is fueled and sustained by optimism. Now let's move to precision, which involves two priorities: being vigilant in details, and digging for truth. Good leaders are not micromanagers, nor are they obsessive compulsives, but they have a great appreciation for the discipline of attending to details: data, information-flow, trends. They never lose touch; they stay in the loop. Says Powell: "If you don't know what information is flowing through your organization, you don't know what's going on in your organization." I've found that when leaders insulate themselves from the details that impact financial reports, budgets, operations, customers, employees, and the like, they lose connection with the people and activities they are supposed to be leading. Increasingly, their decisions are made in a vacuum, and execution suffers accordingly. During the Gulf War, Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf—the most senior executives of the command—delegated freely, but also paid excruciatingly close attention to a constant flow of details: satellite photos, artillery movements, diplomatic maneuvers, and so on. These actions allowed them to shift tactics, heighten preparedness, orient peoples' attention to the right places, and develop rolling contingency plans. Beware the regal, self-proclaimed "visionary" leader who stays perched on a lofty pedestal, having "delegated" all the "trifles" of his or her so-called "grand vision." Good leaders understand that achieving competitive success depends on their vigilance to both vision and detail. Powell argues that excellence can't be funneled only to the big issues like vision. Without details, implementation collapses. "Excellence is not an exception", he reminds us, "it is a prevailing attitude". Great leaders take this admonition a step further: they seek "truth" by constantly digging below superficial analyses and "spin." "Keep looking below surface appearances", advises Powell. "Don't shrink from doing so just because you might not like what you find." As they execute vision, the best leaders challenge superficial analyses and urge team members to ferret out reality before it's too late to embrace the right course of action. Even if the truth is embarrassing—a big glitch in operations, a major customer defection, a significant error in financial reporting, or a bad policy originally developed by the leader himself—good leaders do not shy from exposing it and adjusting plans and tactics accordingly. "It is best to get the facts out as soon as possible," says Powell, because "untidy truth is better than smooth lies that unravel in the end anyway." Passion without precision leads to irresponsibility and recklessness. Precision without passion leads to slow, hypercautious dullness. The lack of either will puncture the veneer of vision and mission. The presence of both provides backbone, and thus boosts the probability of success. Leaders are drawn to the sexiness of vision, but it's the discipline of passion and precision that ultimately makes the difference. Copyright Oren Harari. All Rights Reserved. END | |||||||||
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