Harvard psychology of leadership 1508 05 vision

Psychology 1508: Vision “Yesterday’s idea of the boss, who became the boss because he or she knew one more fact than the person working for them, is yesterday’s manager Tomorrow’s person leads through a vision, a shared set of values, a shared objective.” Jack Welch “The first basic ingredient of leadership is a guiding vision The leader has a clear idea of what he or she wants to do—professionally and personally—and the strength to persist in the face of setbacks, even failures.” Warren Bennis Outline • What is a vision? • Why create a vision? • How we communicate the vision? What is a Vision? “A vision is a portrait of the future that grabs.” Warren Bennis Mission Statement Long-term goals Core values Vivid description Mission Statement A statement expressing the person’s or organization’s underlying reason for being “To make technical contribution for the advancement and welfare of humanity.” “To experience the emotion of competition, winning, and crushing competitors.” “To make people happy.” “To strengthen the social fabric by continually democratizing home ownership.” “To help leading corporations and governments be more successful.” Communicating the Vision • Simplicity and repetition • Images, metaphors, stories • Action follows words Simplicity and repetition • Avoiding the simplistic “I not give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity.” Oliver Wendell Holmes “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo Da Vinci Jim Burke “Constant and consistent communication, while at times sounding like a broken record, is the single most reassuring thing I can for all stakeholders: employees, investors, customers, media, and senior management And it’s always the same basic message, which is our vision for the company.” Robert Eckert (Mattel CEO) “Basically, John [Reed] focused the bank on a few things and communicated a simple plan to the board, the regulators, and the Street That struck me as a great example of effective leadership because it galvanized the organization into pulling through John simplifed the extremely complex Citibank organization, made cost cutting a priority, and tied every one of the bank’s activities to a set of deliverables.” Citibank Chairman Victor Menezes Images, Metaphors, Stories • The Bible • American presidents (Emrich et al, 2001) “Winning business leaders use the power of storytelling as effectively as our most gifted public leaders.” Noel Tichy • Making the vision visible “No matter how marvelous the vision, the effective leader must use a metaphor, a word or a model to make that vision clear to others.” Warren Bennis Mandela’s Rainbow Nation The Power of Stories • Stories humanize • Martin & Powers (1983) Action Must Follow Words “Unless a vision is sustained by action, it quickly turns to ashes.” Noel Tichy “In dreams begins responsibility.” William Butler Yeats “Leaders articulate and embody the ideals toward which the organization strives.” Warren Bennis Action Speaks Louder than Words “What you speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” Ralph Waldo Emerson “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi Myth : Companies become visionaries through “vision statements.” Reality : Writing the vision is only a small step; visionary companies walk the talk, their focus is on expressing the vision The ABC of enVISIONing • Affect (emotion) • Behavior (action) • Cognition (thought) ... basic ingredient of leadership is a guiding vision The leader has a clear idea of what he or she wants to do—professionally and personally—and the strength to persist in the face of setbacks, even... failures.” Warren Bennis Outline • What is a vision? • Why create a vision? • How we communicate the vision? What is a Vision? “A vision is a portrait of the future that grabs.” Warren Bennis Mission... “Become the Harvard of the West.” (1940s) Core Values “An organization’s or person’s most fundamental and inviolable codes of action.” • • • • • No Cynicism Nurturing and promulgation of “wholesome