Vision: the future tense of values

Leadership is about what goes on within and between people whereas management is about what and how things are done.  Management changes with conditions and advancing technology but leadership is timeless.  The leadership issues you face today are not much different than what Moses had to deal with. 

by LSI publisher Art McNeil

The “I” of life’s hurricanes are your core values.  When blown off course, leaders turn to what they believe to get centered.  They understand that vision represents values in the future tense —what people believe influences what they can and cannot see.  Leaders help followers clarify a set of cultural-values for the group—then meld them with their personal (or core) values.  Once a  platform of shared cultural values is established, leaders and help others paint themselves into the group’s  values-centered vision of the preferred future. 

Following equation appears dry and academic, but with scrutiny the  path towards inspirational leadership will appear. 

Excerpt from The “I” of the Hurricane

IL = (CV +V)SS   X  ALR

                            C          ©Art McNeil

“This model of organizational transformation and the achievement of excellence is the most usable I have seen.”

Dr. Ronald Lippitt, professor emeritus University of Michigan

 Inspirational-leadership (IL) generates energy because people are aware of underlying (CV) cultural-values that the leader and a critical mass of potential followers believe in, plus their having a mental picture or (V) vision of a values-congruent new place to go or a different way of being.  CV and V are multiplied by the use of (SS) signaling skills that send a consistent message through day-to-day behavior in a manner that reinforces the leader’s personal commitment to the organization’s vision and cultural values. Effective leaders accept that (C) challenge is a corporate asset and the legitimate responsibility of followers.  When challenge is met with (ALR) appropriate leader response —appropriate meaning getting the job done in a way that further reinforces the organization’s vision and cultural values—resistance is lowered .  Blocked energy is transferred to task.  The process of signaling (SS) and altering the balance between challenge (C) and appropriate response (ALR) in support of cultural values (CV) and vision (V), is the essence of inspirational-leadership.

This post sponsored by a rewrite of the #1 bestseller, The “I” of the Hurricane: how to Generate and Focus Corporate Energy  for download to PC and MAC (also available in E bookstores)