Dream, Dare, Do

In today's uncertain economic times survival isn't enough. Not nearly enough. Success comes from finding opportunity even in the most dire of circumstances and capitalizing on it. Today more than ever, those that hesitate are lost. Salvation can only be found in imagination, innovation and execution.

It is tempting to dabble in the notion of being risk averse, evaluating every pro and con, maintaining the status quo and riding it out, getting into analysis paralysis. However, dreaming of new ways to do things, keeping your edge sharp, your brain rattling, your eyes open is the way to creating doors of opportunity. Imagine. John Lennon inscribed that notion on our brains so many years ago - but the message has resonance. Imagination is the cornerstone, the soul of innovation; of change. And change is what is needed to stay new and fresh. Today it is a necessary component of survival.

In business we often value the stark logic, the raw mathematics of making decisions. But it is the creative spark of imagination that makes it possible to follow the bouncing ball of logic. From the idea comes the impetus for innovation.

If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.
George Bernard Shaw

Innovation takes the imaginative idea and formulates it into a workable solution. Innovators are both creative and logical. They understand the imaginative idea, their brains can wrap around the possibilities and then go through the many permutations of how to take that idea and make it a reality.

And then there is execution. An idea that isn't written down is a day dream. A written idea is a wish list without a project plan (and due dates). Execution is all about taking the imagination and innovation and making it happen.

The person who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.
Dale Carnegie

Wage War and Win leveraging leadership & management skills

According to Merriam-Webster, the denotiation of the transitive verb to lead is:

1 a : to guide on a way especially by going in advance b : to direct on a course or in a direction

And the definition of the verb to manage is"

1 : to handle or direct with a degree of skill: as a : to make and keep
compliant

These words and their derivatives are often interchanged. The word manager is implied to be synonymous with the word leader. However, when dissecting the definitions carefully - forensically - it is clear that they are different. Management is about skill. It is about organization and deployment of resources. While leadership is about guidance, stewardship and direction. So why belabor this nuanced, subtle difference in denotation?

High performing organizations need both and they need them in the right roles. So often, because it is thought they are synonymous, people find themselves in roles in which they are not suited.

Simply put, you lead people and you manage processes.

Leadership is about inspiration, passion and engendering a spirit of comraderie so that a group can tackle any feat. It is about influence - influencing behaviors and thoughts in order to create the inertia, energy and excitement to get things done.

Management is about ensuring tactical task execution of that vision. You need good managers, but their presence is superfluous without good leadership. If there is no goal or destination around which people can galvanize their efforts, the act of managing process becomes maintaining status quo.

It is wholly ineffective to try to manage people. People are driven by feelings. They want to feel that their efforts are valued and important as well as to be a part of something larger. When attempts are made to "manage" people - they feel micro-managed, devalued and not trusted. Task & process oriented folks - the folks that make sure time cards are turned in, that compliance is maintained, that resources are ordered and deployed on time, that errors are minimized, that things happen as they should are managers. They are good managers if they can improve the quality of those processes. They are great managers if they have the ability to tether their priorities to the leaders in their organizations - ensuring that the prioritized processes are those which will enable the team to achieve the ultimate vision.

Leaders are people oriented and inspire BELIEF IN THE DIRECTION AND CONVICTION THAT THE JOURNEY IS ONE OF GOOD PURPOSE. They can rally the troops by being not only exceptional communicators, but also crafty storytellers. They communicate often, listen to their teams more often and then communicate some more. They have vision for the future that can be articulated and shared in a way that makes others wish to follow them. Good leaders leverage their managers to ensure tasks are completed. Great leaders include managers in the process and ensure that these tactitians BELIEVE in the goals laid out.

You would follow a great leader into battle - even if certain death awaited - because you BELIEVE that the battle is worthy. A good manager makes it possible to avoid death altogether.

Proof is in your Feet

Why do we follow some people and not others? Is it simply a function of confidence in their ability to get us to our destination? Is it a function of personality? Their methods or means of execution? Our expectations? Their ability to communicate?


Yes. To all of it and then some.


Good leadership is not formulaic - it is a cornucopia of ingredients - both internal and external. However, one ingredient that is consistent irrespective of the others is having a clear cut, intractable vision and the ability to passionately communicate that vision. Where are we going and why is that so exciting.


But the verbiage, the story is never really enough. Great public speakers can motivate and inspire, but leadership is about doing more than that. It's about parlaying that passion into action and change.
My mom used to tell me, "proof is in your feet, kid." Action. Action is the only means by which there is demonstration that the words coming out of the mouth are meaningful.

To lead effectively, a person must clearly articulate their vision with passion and intensity - inspiring those around them while simultaneously being at the head of the charge being. Moving their feet and their fleet ever forward.