A vision of leadership

Vision in business terms has become something abstract and inspirational whereas it really refers to our ability to see. There is much being written about leadership in the digital world, the leader of the future and so on, and there is some really good learning to be had from this focus on leadership. Ultimately though leadership is about reality.

The reality check means the leader has to examine all the dimensions of the vision for the company and the ability to execute against that vision.

Leadership is often examined as to its inspirational elements and its ability to sweep the organisation behind it, all of which is valid but there is an often ignored dimension which has to do with the reality check, with the accuracy of the vision.

The reality check means the leader has to examine all the dimensions of the vision for the company and the ability to execute against that vision. For example, this reality check examines the values of the firm and its ability to live up to those values. It examines the future opportunities of the company and its ability to take advantage of those opportunities, and it forces the leader to look at the organisation and its real skills and abilities. You have to create a company that is populated with the people who are not just keen but also capable of capitalising on the opportunities in a fast moving landscape.

The leader has to find in her or himself the ability to face reality, since only by facing reality can the leader face up to the problems and embrace the opportunities. More importantly, in this way the leader can persuade the whole team to deal with the tough issues of the business. It certainly involves asking the hard questions, but it also involves listening.

Listening is based on "really listening" which involves interest, really wanting to know what is happening, as well as seeing it from the other person`s perspective. What it really means is that the leader does not jump into the breach to personally provide the answer to every question. This to me is still one of the major failings in business, the idea that to be a leader you have to have all the answers. It is vital to listen aggressively, to see the organisation through the eyes of the people who work here.

Another contributor to the disconnection between vision and reality is the leadership behaviour of protecting its people from the tough issues. Instead of rallying its people around the tough issues, the tendency is to shield its people. The truth of course is that most of us would like to be shielded from change and tough realities, and that makes "reality facing leadership" such a challenge and so terribly dangerous.

The issue here is balance. It is very dangerous to push for more responsibility and change than people are ready for. It is the fine balance around forcing the tough issues, but ensuring that it is balanced with the encouragement and support that is required to thrive in this subtle state of dis-equilibrium, creating a comfort zone within a high level of change. The key is really accountability. Accountability can only really work if there is a sense of realism across the whole company.

Furthermore this issue of facing reality speaks to the leader. Leaders, their roles, organisations and vision become one and the same. Question the company or its vision and you attack the leader. This does not set a good scene for the reality check. The self-worth of the individual is tied too closely to his or her role in the firm and therefore it becomes very personal. When it becomes personal the tendency is to be on the defensive which is a serious inhibitor to listening. The leader needs to be flexible but very resilient and has to uncouple their worth as a person from their role and worth in the organisation.

In the final analysis it is about authenticity. Communicating reality without putting up a front, living the values of the company without having to fake it, creating a vision which is truly seeing, and executing a current and future reality and understanding the difference between you as an individual and your role in the firm.

Vision means the capacity to see the good and the bad. Don`t blinker yourself and your organisation by refusing to see the reality as it is and to help those around you to see that reality.