Old Glory – A Flag of Liberty!

We write and read leadership articles about organizations, most times without specifically mentioning those who are in Government Leadership of our great Country. I think we have to remember and read about those great leaders and leadership who were responsible for the progress and longevity of the United States of America.

After watching President Obama’s Inauguration today, hearing the patriotic songs and Beyance’s singing of the National Anthem, as well as remembering a recent Linked In post on goods and others of past President’s inaugural address, I felt compelled with a patriotic need to post a poem I wrote about our Old Glory, which includes some historical leadership significance and symbolism. I hope you enjoy it.

Old Glory – A Flag of Liberty!
by
David A. McCuistion
President, Clan Uisdean, USA
U. S. Navy (Retired)

Just a ragged piece of cloth some say,
With no real significance in any way.
Just a rag that in the wind doth sway,
Just an ordinary flag they say.

Then help me understand why,
After so many years and battles does she still fly?
After so many deaths she reigns so high,
And around the world she refuses to die.

Please tell me why if you will,
Her National Anthem gives such a thrill,
When remembering her raising on Iwo Jima’s Hill,
That very sight gives such a chill.

Tell me why citizens cherish her so
And stand ever ready to take up arms and go
Defend that Divine Principle of which we know
Helps the Tree of Liberty continually Grow.

What reason can be found
For rushing to defend her world ’round?
What keeps her from decaying on the ground?
I ask you, can’t you hear the sound?

That sound of Freedom that so loud doth ring!
The sound of God Bless America as we sing!
That sound of courage of Eagle’s wing!
That sound of liberty to which we cling!

This Flag, flown proudly in every American town,
Says civil and religious liberty can be found.
This Flag raised daily to fly above the ground,
Exalted, revered, protected by citizens all around.

Just a ragged piece of cloth some say,
With no real significance in any way.
A Flag of Liberty like no other, I say!
Yesterday, today, always!

Just like Leadership we need to remember, it is not about me, it is not about you, it is about the American way of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, as well as the organizations we lead and the articles that we write and about which we speak.

Thank you for your comments.

8 Simple Steps to Extreme Personality Productivity

I recommend to you the following website and article by Jeff Hayden on the subject of improving your personal productivity and in your leadership advances and endeavors.

http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/eight-simple-steps-to-extreme-personal-productivity-mon.html?goback=%2Egde_141944_member_206101299

Enjoy and I sincerely hope this helps improve your personal leadership principles and practices.

Change – Just Do It!

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if it was that easy. During my Navy career it was just so because the change normally came in the form of an “order or command” that was quite naturally and robotically followed. There was no discussion or reasoning behind the change. It came from the top and us in the middle and below followed the order, regardless of the impact on the person(s) accomplishing the change.

However, people-paradigms have changed, even in the military, from the old style of control directed through a rigid hierarchy, with employees treated like uneducated children to reach short-term goals, to a new paradigm with the following characteristics.

• Openness
• Employee Empowerment
• Employees Treated Like Knowledgable Adults
• Cooperation & Collaboration
• Relationship Building
• Values of Integrity, Trust and Respect

Under this new paradigm, change is championed from the top leadership throughout the organization. Modern-day leadership, especially practitioners of Servant Leadership, understands that employees at all levels desire to be involved in the decision-making, including change, in their workplace; especially if it involves the way they have to do their job.¹ 

Dr. Janet Jackson (2006) says organizational change initiatives fail because of four important factors.

1. The primary focus is on the technology of change.

2. Organizations overlook the importance of people in the change, and they do not fully address their concerns.

3. Systems perspective is ignored thinking the change only impacts a portion of the organization.

4. Leadership and management fails to acknowledge the difference between change, transition, and transformation.

When people and systems are ignored in the change process, there is employee push-back to the change, which further exasperates the change process.

Dr. Jackson identifies three types of change: Developmental Change; Transitional Change; and Transformational Change.  Each requires specific strageties for implementation in order for the change process to be successful and effective.

Developmental Change pertains to a particular situation within the organization, which could include basic policy changes, new boss(es), moving to a new location or a procedural change for a current policy. Developmental change is described as the exchange of one thing for another, the improvement of a certain skill, method or something that requires improvement because it is not meeting a prescribed standard.

Although it is considered the simpliest of the three changes, i.e. a first-order change, nontheless, it requires specific strategies that include:

• Training – both technical and personal, regardless of the level of supervision and/or management;
• Team Building and Problem Solving;
• Improving Communication;
• Conflict Resolution;
• Survey feedback;
• Job Enrichment.

The aim of these strategies is to reduce personal stress toward the change and the impact of the change on daily work requirements and schedules, while instilling acceptance of the change in employees.

Transitional Change deals with replacing what is currently in place with a new concept, procedures, equipment or policy. It begins with the recognition of a problem within the current framework that cannot be resolved with a simple developmental change. The purpose of the change is to improve productivity, efficiency and/or quality of service to meet emerging demands.

Old State—————————>Transition State————————–> New State

Dr. Jackson describes this as a second-order change because it is a planned and intended change to implement a new direction in the organization. It requires thought, a predetermined need for change coupled with an in-depth and critical assessment of the purpose of the change, which will result in the desired outcome and intended improvement of the change within the overall organization.

Drawing on past research and writings, Jackson outlines specific strategies relative to Transition Change, which include the following:

• Clearly establishing and communicating the need for the change;
• Developing a clear plan for implementing the change;
• High involvement with those impacted by the change in designing and implementing the change;
• Allowing local control of the implementation of the plan; and
• Providing adequate support and integration time to ensure that people are succeeding in the new state.

Additionally, these strategies need to include training to develop new skills, continual communication throughout the change process to allow for realignment, and renegotiation, if necessary, to form new coalitions to insure successful implementation of the change.

Another important strategy to improve motivation and maintain focus on transitional successes is to create transition rituals that not only mourn the past, but also celebrate the future.

Transformational Change is by far the most complex and difficult change to implement. Before this type change can be implemented, several analyses must be completed to examine what they were, what they are, where they need to be and how to get there. This type change is much more than a straight-line or linear change with simple procedural or policies differences in the organization. People must change transformationaly, from what they were doing, to a whole new way of thinking about what they do as well as how they may be doing it.

Transformation change involves several periods of adjustment:

1. Birth of change, upward growth period, followed by succes and leveling off period;
2. After a period of succes, chaos emerges that causes a decline in performance;
3. Change stops and requires a shift in vision and focus;
4. Re-emergence and slow growth as visioning and learning is enhanced;
5. Process continues until transformation occurs and change is fully implemented.

Successful Transformational Changes requires all the implementing strategies of the above two change processes. Additionally and most importantly, this process may require the hiring of an external Organizational Development (OD) expert to manage the change process. OD experts are more skilled in the process and assists management work through the process smoothly.

As can be seen from this discussion, change by command is no longer a plausible method of implementing a change in an organization. The process needs to be fully and thoroughly explained to employees throughout the organization, employee by-in is imperative and requires strong leadership with superior communication skills to overcome push-back. To be completely implemented the change must be championed by top-down leadership throughout the process — each one serving the needs of the other for successful completion.

I look forward to your comments and thoughts.

¹ Jackson, Dr. Janet Cooper, 2006. Organizational Development: The Human and Social Dynamics of Organizational Change. University Press of America, Inc., New York.

Building a Leadership Dynasty

As I reflect upon the “Roll Tide” fever that is rising throughout Alabama, even in some television commercials following their third National Championship, I am reminded of my own coaching successes, and some of the foundational ideals of leadership and organizational sustainability. Several words are being thrown around in the sports media that speak to the long-term growth of Alabama Football  — “Dynasty” and “Legend”, each which brings to mind leadership legacy.

Alabama coach Nick Saban, post-game and season interviews, outlined several of the factors that have contributed to the Alabama Dynasty, not just during his era at Alabama, but over the years going back to Paul “Bear” Bryant in the 1950s. As I listened to him after the game, in his “Gatorade” soaked shirt, and during his next-day news conference, I thought about the leadership required to build a dynamic, sustainable program in any arena.

Successful organizations have a Program

Foundation – Character, Standards, Expectations

There is a foundational ideal around which any successful program is built that becomes the character, the heart, of the organization. It is based on the moral authority of the primary leader, the CEO, Head Coach, President, etc., which becomes the standard of ethics for the organization.

The leader models the acceptable behaviors for everyone, inside and outside the organization, thereby dictating the value system that must be accepted and incorporated into the personal value system of employees. People and other organizations observe these traits in the daily operation of, not only the organization as a whole, but also, in the performance and behaviors of the team members. Furthermore, leadership holds everyone accountable to these standards, taking necessary corrective action when necessary that upholds the standard.

Coach Saban exhibited his leadership by sending two players home a day after the team’s arrival in Miami because they failed to adhere to acceptable organizational standard of conduct. By doing so, he re-enforced the team expectations, enhanced his respect level, which inspires trust and confidence in his leadership. Coach Saban referred to his action as it related to the “program” of the organization.

Organizational Vision

Leadership establishes a vision of the organization; not the primary leader’s vision, but the vision of the organization. The primary leadership — Coach, Trustees, shareholder expectations, etc. — collaboratively says, “This is how we want to be perceived outside the company”. The collaboration continues down through the organization to establish buy-in and build the vision into the core of everyone in the organization.

Southwest Airlines vision of low air fares, flight safety, better Customer Service than anyone else with on-time flights has not changed since their inception in the 1970s. As Colleen Barrett, CEO Emirates of Southwest Airlines, says we are a Customer Service company, we just happen to fly air planes. The vision of Alabama Football, which reflects the University’s vision, states, “A Tradition of Champions – A Future of Leaders.” Everything they do, on and off the field, directly relates to their vision.

A strong, value-laden vision is crucial to success and sustainability.

Learning Organization 

There are five qualities of a successful learning organization: Standards; Instruction; Practice; Feedback; and Release. Obviously, these apply to Universities and competitive teams of all types. It can also be applied to all organizations as well — Corporations, Companies, Religious, Community Service, Youth, etc.

Leadership for long-term sustainability and success needs also to follow this line of reasoning.

Standards – unarguably a foundational attribute for structure, teamwork, commitment, and performance.

Instruction – life-long learning is a requirement for personal and organizational growth to prevent stagnation and decline. Change management is necessary to maintain viability in economic terms. Likewise, leadership training is essential for leader growth.

Practice – expertise requires practice. All teams require practice. whether it be for equipment operation, competition, emergencies or new procedures.

Feedback – helps improve performance and growth. Employee feedback improves procedures for competing tasks. Feedback is essential to prevent mistakes that are costly to the organization. Employee mentoring is a form of feedback and affect several aspects of organizational performance.

Release – empowering employees to make decisions relevant to their position in the workplace improves confidence, teamwork and individual leadership. Alabama Football vision reflects this aspect of the learning organization.

Foresight

Greenleaf called foresight “The Central Ethic of Leadership” and that it is “the lead the leader has.” For Alabama football this is evident  in their recruiting program. Leaders must also exhibit systematic foresight to stay ahead technologically, in the market place, fulfilling customer and employee needs, and implementing the almost daily change requirements to remain at the forefront in their business world.

Dynasties are built by leaders who maintain the foundational character of the organization; who keep the vision alive to both the organization and to those who are on the outside looking in; who create a learning environment that is passed on from generation to generation; and who visualize with a systematic foresight of the future. Changing when necessary, updating the system and employee with the required training and instruction, and maintaining a open line of communication up and down the organizational structure.

Dynasties have immense PRIDE – a Personal Responsibility In Developing Excellence. Likewise, Leaders demonstrate PRIDE – a Personal Responsibility In Developing Everyone. Furthermore, leadership builds PRIDE – a Personal Responsibility In Developing Ethics.

The future leaders they develop will live the ethical value system embedded in them from their association with the organization; who in-turn develop leaders, as so on.

I appreciate your feedback and comments.

Leadership Resolutions for 2013

Have you made yours yet?  You know, those helpful and highly successful New Year’s Resolutions for the coming year. People routinely make resolutions to lose weight, start a work-out routine, exercise weekly, the list goes one. However, if surveyed, most people never achieve their resolution quest; many never even start.

 This year I am making the following 2013 Leadership Resolutions.

 1. I resolve to improve my personal Emotional Intelligence as written by Daniel Goldman in What Makes A Leader? I resolve to improve in four areas:

            a. I resolve to become more self-aware of my emotional control in dealing with confrontational situations. I resolve to accurately self-access through daily reflections of my interaction with other people. I will be a seeker with determination to improve daily my inner being in order to “know myself” in a more intrinsic realm.

            b. I resolve to manage the control of my emotions, my enthusiasm, my interactive communications with others and my drive for excellence.

            c. I resolve to be more socially aware in my relationship-building with others, making a sincere and concentrated effort to exhibit the deepest level of empathy attainable in my listening habits. I resolve to live a purposeful “service oriented” life, providing a high quality, calling-driven attitude in my interactions with others.

            d. I resolve to be more influential toward others with inspirational and developmental leadership to all with whom I work, mentor, communicate and teach. I resolve to be flexible toward accepting change even when I may not like or approve of the new ideal. I resolve to build a solid bond with those on my team, being collaborative with those whom I lead, and manage conflict with a vision of making results better for all parties.

2. I resolve to be a seeker of leadership ideals, practices and purposes that will improve the manner in which I speak publically about leadership in general, and organizational success specifically.

3. I resolve to be more dedicated to those within my circle of influences, who are leadership seekers in their own realm, by providing ideals, principles, and practices that will enable them to better lead in their own organizations, families, and in their personal endeavors.

 4. I resolve to lead with a highly moral and ethical standard of moral authority that will be worthy of respect, will inspire trust and confidence, and will maintain a high level standard of performance. I resolve to empower others to lead within clear and firm, yet flexible boundaries within moral and ethical standards of performance.

 5. I resolve to follow John Maxwell’s advice and “Treat everyone like a 10” as I would want to be treated. 

6. I resolve to live by the Golden Rule by leading others in like manner as I would want to be led; i.e. “Doing unto them as I would that they in like manner would to do unto me.”

 7. I resolve to proactively mentor other leaders with leadership PRIDE: “Personal Responsibility in Developing Everyone.” I resolve to make a difference in the lives of others that I mentor and lead.

8. I resolve daily to lead with a “Level 5 Personhood” quality, empowering others to grow as leaders, respecting others to build an uncompromising level of trust.

9. I resolve to be a Servant Leader, practicing Greenleaf’s principles of servant-hood, stewardship and dedication to others first, always remembering that my leadership is not about me, but about others.

 

10. I resolve that I will every day, not just for 2013, but for the remainder of my time on earth, evolve toward my Servant Leadership Vision, and hope that my legacy will be that of sustainable leadership that is being passed down from leader to leader as Greenleaf envisioned.

 We are all seekers for different reasons. I believe leadership comes with an ethical responsibility to continually attempt to make a difference, not only in the organization in which we work and lead, but also in the lives of those whom we lead.

 What is be your leadership resolution for the coming year, or years?

 I look forward and thank you in advance for your comments and thoughts.

Clan UISDEAN, USA 2013 Gathering

As President of Clan Uisdean, USA, which is the McCuistion/McCuiston/McQuiston/McQuesten/McChristian and other spellings Family, I am constantly looking for ways to spread the word about us. We are on a quest to get as many family members as possible participating in our Scots-Irish Family Clan.

This post is about the 2013 Gathering in Manchester, TN. Our focus this year is the McCuistion Cemetery in Shelbyville, TN (about 30 minutes from Manchester) where Ann Moody McCuistion is buried. We are attempting to keep the cemetery from becoming overrun with weed, underbruch and the like. Ann and one of her sons are buried. The second focus is President Andrew Jackson who lived with the McCuistions in Greensboro, NC during the Revolutionary War.

We are expecting over 100 family membes this year to attend the Gathering. We would love to see you there also.

2013 Clan Uisdean, USA Gathering

See the latest Newsletter with information by clicking on the attached file. You will need to double click a second time on the new screen.

Volume 2 – 2012

More information on tour costs will be promulgated as known, and in the March Newsletter.

Do You Really Care?

“I don’t care what you know until I know how much you care.” I’m sure many readers of this article have heard or read that statement about what employees think of leadership. But do you really care either about what the led say or believe, just as long as they do their job?

What would you do in the following situation? You are sitting in your office, deeply engrossed in what you are doing and one of your employees knocks on your door and asked to speak with you. You can tell he/she is visibly distraught as you tell them to come in and sit down (thinking I’m not sure I want to hear about this, or I really don’t have time right now to deal with a problem).

The employee says, “Mr. Mac, my boyfriend just kicked me out of our apartment, took my apartment and car keys, and all I have is the clothes on my back and my purse. I have no place to go and don’t know what to do.”

Would you really care? What would you do?

I asked some clarifying questions that revealed no immediate solution, knowing that she couldn’t go back to her apartment. I called another employee whom I knew would provide some help. I also researched for some legal assistance for her and gave her the information with direction to call the offices. The next day I followed up with her to see how it was going, telling her to keep me appraised of her situation, which she did.

I cared. All I really did was make a few telephone call. However, because I cared enough to follow-up, to make sure her life improved, I felt good about it inside, and the young lady never forgot my actions. She became a strong leader in her unit and exhibits a caring leadership to her people and those she serves.

Servant Leaders take the time to care! Servant Leaders are empathic, compassionate and caring, whose first interest is the welfare and needs of those under their charge. Greenleaf says, “Servant Leadership is a calling” to those who desire to make a difference in the lives of those whom they lead. The motivation for making a difference provides an intrinsic reward that Greenleaf calls a “healing” for the leader as well as the led.

The Healing Process in Serving

Greenleaf tells the story of twelve ministers and theologians of all faiths and twelve psychiatrists of all faiths that were convened for a two-day informal seminar on healing. The Chairman asked, “What is our motivation for what we do in our business?” Following a period of intense discussion that took a whopping ten minutes, they all came to the same conclusion:

“For our own healing.”

These were doctors and ministers, Catholics, Jews and Protestants, professing that healing — to make whole — was the base reason they did what they did.

What this says for the leader, especially for a Servant Leader, is that the intrinsic reward of helping others to heal is the foundational value for what they do as serving professionals. This sense of healing motivates leaders in the helping of others, enabling them to grow personally and professionally to levels they themselves might not achieve on their own.

From personal experience, I can tell you that it is a humbling feeling when others tell you that what you did for them made an immense difference in their lives and that it will never be forgotten. One in particular that I always remember happened when I was being transferred from the USS New Orleans in San Diego. Traditionally, the ship announces ship-wide when someone is being transferred from a ship, never to return. A young sailor came running across the Hanger Deck, yelling my name. I stopped and listened as he told me how much he appreciated my setting him strait one day and that he would never forget it.

So how does a leader create and build the kind of relationships that makes one whole and motivates others to exhibit like behavior at some future time? How does one know if they truly have a “calling” to serve others in their leadership role?

Healing Practices and Principles

The following is a partial listing taken from various sources on the subject of healing and caring about others in Servant Leadership practices. Leaders need to ask themselves about their leadership practices: “Do I…..

• Exhibit a willingness to sacrifice my own self-interest for the good of others.
• Build relationships to understand what is happening in the lives of others and how it affects them and their performance.
• Maintain an openness to allow others to come to me when the chips are down due to trauma in their lives.
• Demonstrate a commitment to helping others develop and grow.
• Allow inclusiveness in the change process and consider how its affect their performance and productivity.
• Demonstrate a humble attitude that says, “It’s not about me, it’s about others.”
• Listen, counsel and mentor with a “caring, heart-felt, and empathetic” attitude that says, “I care and want to help you grow and overcome.”

The process of leading with empathy, caring with compassion, and mentoring with deep-seated concern for the well-being of others provides an emotional sense of comfort and fulfillment — not only to the leader, but also and more importantly, to the led.

I’m reminded of a quote by famed Indianapolis Colts football coach, who in his book on Mentor Leadership asks, “Whose feet in the organization will you wash?”

The questions every leader must ask themselves, and then reflect upon are, “Do I truly care about those under my charge? Am I committed to their growth personally as well as in the organization? Do I lead from the heart when it come to listening to and empathizing with others during periods of stress that affects their performance and productivity?”

I look forward to your comments and questions.

LBSO – Lead By Serving Others

LBSO – Lead By Serving Others – A New acronym for Leadership

For over three decades MBWA, Manage By Walking About, has been the recommendation to managers to get out from behind their desk and into the work areas to see what employees are doing. The premise being that by observing the workers one would be better able to manage their resources, and by doing so, be better enabled to make decisions for the company. A recent article in About Leaders by Greg Martin talked about the merits of MBWA and stated that leaders today should continue to use the practice. From experience, I know that leaders are “walking about” more than managers, so why not a slogan for leaders?

Times have changed, systems have improved, people have improved habitually and intelligently, and leadership has broken out to form a separate methodology from managing in the organizational structure. Managing is about resources, including the understanding that Human Resources is part of management in general. Leading and leadership is about: influencing, establishing relationships, improving performance while reducing discipline problems, and raising others to levels of effectiveness and efficiency that they themselves on their own volition would never achieve.

Over the past few years it is becoming more apparent that Robert Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership is proving to be the most effective and productive method of leadership in successfully meeting organizational visions and missions. Greenleaf’s premise is taken from Herman Hesse’s Journey to the East, in which the servant Leo describes the “Law of Service”, which says,

“He who wishes to live long must serve, but
He who wishes to rule will not live long.”

Greenleaf identifies several characteristics of a Servant Leader, which include Empathy, Self-awareness, Listening, Commitment to the growth of people, and healing. Foremost however, he says that true Servant Leadership is a “Calling”, which is a natural desire to serve others to make a difference in their lives. Of course, the concept of service comes from the example by Jesus who said, “I came to serve, not to be served.”

James Sipe and Don Frick, after in-depth research into the topic in several companies, defined the “Seven Pillars of Servant Leadership.”
Person of Character
Puts Others First
Skilled Communicator
Compassionate Collaborator
Has Foresight
System Thinker
Leads with Moral Authority

Motivational Speaker Mike Frank talks about “Leaders having PRIDE” – Personal Responsibility In Developing Excellence. With his permission, I added the perspective of Servant Leadership, which says, “Leaders have PRIDE – Personal Responsibility In Developing Everyone.” This in turn led to my motto of “Developing Great Leaders Who Develop Great Leaders.”

Following the idea of MBWA, while thinking about the ideals of Greenleaf, it is time for a new acronym centered around leadership. Leaders need to understand that serving others – putting others first – needs to be a focus in their leadership. As such a more appropriate leadership acronym is: LBSO – Lead By Serving Others.

After all, everyone is a servant to someone in the organization. Several examples prove the point: CEOs serve the stakeholders; military members serve the public liberty from tyranny; supervisors serve their department leads and those in their charge; the President and Congress serve their constituents; and so on. Leadership is about serving.

While it is true leaders can also be managers in their particular position, therefore, MBWA relates in that capacity. When performing leadership roles, LBSO is more motivating.

LBSO – Lead By Serving Others – a new acronym for Leadership.

What is Business Ethics?

In the Daily Drucker, revered management guru and thinker asks the question.

He further writes that “The fundamental axiom on which the Western tradition of ethics has always been based is: There is only one code of ethics, that of individual behavior, for prince and pauper, for rich and poor, for the mighty and the meek alike. Ethics, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, is the affirmation that all men and women are alike creatures — whether the Creator be called God, Nature, or Society.

There is only one ethics, one set of rules of morality, one code, that of individual behavior in which the same rules apply to everyone alike. And this fundamental axiom business ethics denies.

Business ethics, in other words, is not ethics at all, as the term has commonly been used by Western philosophers and Western theologians. Business ethics assumes that for some reason the ordinary rules of ethics do not apply in business.”

If that is so, What is Business Ethics?

I thank you for your answer (comment) below. I will provide more on the subject in the next post.

Keep the Quest Alive:  “Developing Great Leaders Who Develop Great Leaders.”

Who Needs Vision and/or Mission Statements?

Is it only created by the CEO or upper-level management? Do individual departments and/or divisions need vision and mission statements to supplement and motivate their respective contributions to the vision of the CEO? What is the difference between a Vision Statement and a Mission Statement? Or are they one and the same? Do they really help the organization? Do goals provide the same direction as a vision and/or mission statement?

King Solomon says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Prov. 29:18 KJV). Leadership pundits say that vision is crucial to seeing where you want to go. They say it serves as the “North Star” for the organization to help keep their bearing or direction on target as they move forward, which also helps team members accomplish the organizational mission or purpose. (Henry & Richard Blackaby – Spiritual Leadership)

The “mind’s eye” must “see” what is viewed in front of us or it will be next to impossible to keep the mind focused on the intended objective. Ships and aircraft use radar and GPS (Global Positioning Satellites) to insure they are on the right course. Years ago when tennis was experiencing a resurgence in popularity, I read a book called The Inner Game of Tennis. The premise was that in order to direct the racket to hit the ball correctly, the player had to not only swing correctly, they must also “see” the racket coming through it arc toward the ball. Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book taught about hitting a golf ball in a similar manner.

Arguably, vision is crucial for individuals and organizations in order to keep focused on their intended purpose, i.e. mission. This is especially true in today’s fast-paced, technology driven world. What might seem like a good idea right now, in about 30 seconds might be obsolete. Advertisements tend to change the visionary view every 5 or 6 seconds, making it hard to keep focused on any one thought or moment.

So let’s discuss these questions a bit. Please weigh in with a comment on one of more of the questions I have raised.

Who creates and sets the organizational vision and/or mission?

Should it be a collaborative endeavor between a CEO and several managers?

Should individual entities within the organization have a vision and/or mission statement?

Are vision and mission statements one and the same?

Do goals provide the same impact and direction as a vision and/or mission statement?

Is a vision and/or mission statement essential to organizational success?