True vision often leads to tough decisions

but is tempered with inspiring compassion
Recently the executive of a large Milwaukee-area business told me that we have it all wrong about leadership and vision. That executive, Paul, claims that, “vision is not a pretty word; nor is it a noun.”
He suggested instead that “vision is a verb, and visionary leadership is as messy as it gets. During tumultuous times,” he said, “living into the vision of an organization, ‘the real reason for being’, is like being in the middle of a renovation project, believing that when the project is complete it will be what we had hoped it to be.”
Vision requires the ability to get into the trenches and to lead through the stress and challenge of the everyday tough strategic decisions.
Vision is not pretty.
We began a renovation project in our home a number of weeks ago. I had a vision. We would renovate our den, update the woodwork, replace the carpet and wallpaper and redo the bathroom. The vision began as a noun. It was “pretty”.
We are now into the middle of the project. What began with energy and excitement now feels like an arduous task. It is difficult to see beyond the “mess”. Our space is reduced to the chaos of furniture, books, tapes and artwork sitting in piles against our living room furniture, blanketed with dust-covered plastic. The plaster in the den has been veined, the old wallpaper is in strips, partially hanging from the walls, creating a bizarre sculpture. The floor is covered with remnants of plaster and paper. Paint smells have claimed the air and our lungs.
More than once we have asked, “Will we ever get through this mess?” Images of a “for sale” sign float by on the coattails of dust balls throughout our home. In the middle of chaos, it is very hard to hold on to the “vision.”
Many leaders today are faced with the remarkable challenge and privilege of keeping the “vision” alive within their organizations, while facing heightened uncertainty as production and margins fall like plaster chips from the celebrated ceilings of last year. Visionary leaders “go deeper”, deeper inside themselves and “deeper” inside the organization to invite hope inside the vision. The temptation is to focus only on the present chaos or to decide that the vision is no longer viable. Fear wrestles with vision, fighting to take its place in the battle for decision-making. In the middle of the chaos, it is tempting to wonder if the vision was ever “real.”
In times of economic renovation, inside and outside of a company, it is tempting to focus only on financial results and lose sight of the “reason for being.” This is the time, more than ever, for leaders to embrace the responsibility of transforming vision into action.
I am reminded of an extraordinary CEO of a publicly held company who, during times of economic challenges within his organization, had the courage to “go deeper”. While it was the responsibility of his managers to reconcile the gap between revenue and expenses, he recognized his responsibility to keep the vision, mission and values of the company alive.
Focus did need to be directed toward “renovating” systems to increase revenue and decrease expenses. That was messy. However, Bill also recognized that the vision for the organization, “the reason for being”, needed to be magnified in the middle of chaos and fear.
His managers challenged his decision to travel to multiple sites across the country to listen to employees, to invite them to tell their stories, and to affirm their contributions to the vision of the organization.
The managers were concerned about the financial implications of his decision. Bill knew that it was the right thing to do. He transformed vision into action. He helped employees see the “big picture”, to believe again in the possibilities. He inspired them into action. They became the vision, re-entering the unpredictable chaos, participating in the renovation of their business, and believing again in the dream that drew them into the organization in the first place.
Through a number of challenging years, his ability to keep the vision alive, always by “going deeper”, resulted in the organization’s ability to successfully manage the chaos. During the past year, financial challenges escalated again. A new leader was named. The focus is on economic recovery. There is no longer a voice for the vision. Employees have lost hope. A significant number of managers have left the organization along with a number of front-line staff. Conversation is about revenue and expenses. The leadership is caught between falling plaster and dust-covered plastic. The vision is buried deep inside the rubble of the organizational renovation.
The most effective leaders in today’s economic renovation appreciate that the vision of the organization will be realized through strategic thinking that will clearly result in tough decisions. At the same time a leader’s compassionate heart will release the hope inside the vision and ignite the spirit of the organization through this time of renovation and chaos. It is the choice to “go deeper.”
Karen Vernal is president of Vernal Management Consultants in Milwaukee. She can be reached at 414-271-5148 of via e-mail at vernal@execpc.com.
September 13, 2001 Small Business Times