3. Ability to recognise talent and empower genius

‘It is only because the majority opinion will always be opposed by some that our knowledge and understanding progress. In the process by which opinion is formed, it is very probable that, by the time any view becomes a majority view, it is no longer the best view: somebody will already have advanced beyond the point which the majority have reached. It is because we do not yet know which of the many competing new opinions will prove itself the best that we wait until it has gained sufficient support.” - Fredrich August von Hayeck

Leaders need to have the ability to recognise talent and to don’t be afraid to back it even when they find opposition. New leaders need to understand that conformism brings danger to their business. Following rules and norms just because reduces the changes for growth and doesn’t update the effectiveness measures that are required for success.

‘No problem can be solved by the same consciousness that created it. We need to see the world anew.’ -Albert Einstein

A leader recognises that a different way of thinking is necessary to evolve. Instead of dismissing somebody because thinks different that you, you are able to welcome differences and are open to learn from others that may be able to see something before you are ready. Leaders bring diversity to their team as they recognise it’s a strength for the organisation. Visionary leaders don’t feel threatened by different opinions they feel curiosity to find new ideas and new ways of thinking and doing. Visionary leaders put their focus on progress and are willing to recognise and reward talent and genius.

‘We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.’ - Max DePree

Visionary organisations build opportunities for every employee to be able to express their opinions and ideas. ‘Idea’s banks’ are part of the organisational culture and these ideas are shared and discussed with respect for the growth of all. These ensures commitment and future growth for the organisation and their people.

‘Once the mind has been stretched by  a new idea, it will never again return to its original size.’ -Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Let’s reflect for a moment:

1. As a leader, which opportunities do I bring/create to share ideas with my employees/team?

2. How different ideas and opinions are treated in our organisational culture?

3. Do we create bridges between people? or Do we create division?

4. How do we process new ideas? Do we have a system where ideas are welcomed, discussed and rewarded?

5. How do we foster talent growth in our organisation?

6. How do we measure talent leakage?

7. When a employee decide to leave the organisation, do we look to understand the true reasons for leaving or we ignore it?

‘I imagine a school system that recognizes learning is natural, that a love of learning is normal, and that real learning is passionate learning. A school curriculum that values questions above answers…creativity above fact regurgitation…individuality above conformity.. and excellence above standardized performance….. And we must reject all notions of ‘reform’ that serve up more of the same: more testing, more ’standards’, more uniformity, more conformity, more bureaucracy.’- Tom Peters

An organisation is like nature, either grow or die. Brain drain is one of the symptoms of an organisation with serious heath issues. If we fear the future we will miss the present.

“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” –Jonathan Swift

There is an important difference between a leader having a vision about something and being a Visionary Leader. The first happens  by accident and can happen or not sometimes. The second is a consistent and congruent way of being and looking at the world that goes beyond general way of looking at the world and its possibilities. A Visionary Leader has not other choice than being visionary.

These are some of the qualities of innate Visionary leaders:

1. A Visionary leader is a leader who has a clear vision of him/herself as a human being first. He/she has a clarity of purpose and knows why he/she is here in earth to achieve. Knowing who you are and what you want to accomplish during your lifetime help you to create a vision for your life as a whole, professionally as well as personally.

“A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.” — Rosabeth Moss Kanter

2. From this self knowledge a visionary leader trust his/her intuition and follow his/her path without compromising for easy choices and mediocrity a long the way. He/she knows what needs to be done and his/her strength comes from his/her higher values.

“Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for- because unless we stand for something we shall fall for anything.” — Peter Marshall

3. A Visionary leader has courage and he/she  is not scared to be alone, to be misunderstood or ignored because he/she thinks different than the rest. He/she doesn’t get discouraged by adversity, judgement or criticism. A Visionary leaders takes step after step to make his/her vision a reality, taking the time to pace and support people till they can also see.

“Vision looks inward and becomes duty. Vision looks outward and becomes aspiration. Vision looks upward and becomes faith.” – Stephen S.Wise

4. A visionary leader inspire others to also become themselves. People around can see his/her conviction, determination and a sense of duty that can’t be faked. His/her presence conveys respect as they communicate their vision from a place of integrity, inviting other to connect with their own.

“People are more inclined to be drawn in if their leader has a compelling vision. Great leaders help people get in touch with their own aspirations and then will help them forge those aspirations into a personal vision.” — John Kotter

5. Their vision goes beyond themselves. For a Visionary leader, legacy is not an aspiration but a conscious decision.

” Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is simply passing the time. Action with Vision is making a positive difference.” — Joel Barker

Let’s reflect for a moment:

1. What kind of leader am I? A leader with some vision or a Visionary leader?
2. What leader I would like to be?
3. How would I know I’m becoming?
4. What legacy would I like to leave behind?
5. How people would live better as a result of what I did?

]]> http://www.empoweringvisionaryleaders.com/blog/2010/02/05/in-search-for-new-leaders-new-leadership-qualities-2/%/feed http://www.empoweringvisionaryleaders.com/blog/2010/01/14/in-search-for-new-leaders-new-leadership-qualities/% http://www.empoweringvisionaryleaders.com/blog/2010/01/14/in-search-for-new-leaders-new-leadership-qualities/%#comments Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:29:56 +0000 Maite http://www.maitebaron.com/blog/?p=124

1. Ethics and values are the foundations of Leadership

“Live so that when your children think of fairness and integrity, they think of you.”

– H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

The events during 2008/09 were a good opportunity to see that these two aspects of leadership are not negotiable. Decisions made from strong foundations such as ethics and high values overcome any odds. When a decision seams tough, connect with your values and the sense of what ‘is the right thing to do’ for all involved (short and long term, your business, your employees, your community,…) and notice how any uncertainties or any doubts starts disappearing from your horizon and the decision becomes clear to you.

Let’s reflect for a moment:

1. What decision/s have I taken that I feel proud of?

2. What decision/s have I taken that I wish I didn’t take?

3. What was different between the ones you feel proud of and the ones you wish you didn’t take? (your internal dialogue?, how you felt?, the emotions you were experiencing internally?, people agreeing or disagreeing with you at the time, …?)

“Ethics is not definable. Is not implementable, because it is not conscious; It involves not only our thinking, but also our feeling.”

– Valdemar W. Setze

As a reminder for yourself, write a list with your 10 most important values. The values which if you were not honoring will make you feel uncomfortable being on your skin and keep you awake at night. Take a conscious decision that you will not betray  or compromise your ethics and values it doesn’t matter what. Your actions are a reflection of your integrity and determine the quality of your life.

“The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity.”

– Zig Ziglar

‘The Thinker’ by Rodin,

Photography by Keith Grafton

January 2010 is here and things feel different somehow. 2009 left us with a mixture of feelings and high degrees of uncertainty. I spent Christmas in Barcelona, my city of birth, having a wonderful time with my partner, friends and family. During my stay I took the time to walk around the streets and allowed my mind to wonder. Suddenly I found myself in front of ‘The Thinker’, sculpture that I had visit many times at the Musee Rodin when I was living in Paris. To my surprise, I was in the middle of ‘Rodin’s art in the street’ exhibition in the center of Barcelona, an initiative organised by La Caixa Social Work Foundation and the City Council and this felt a true Chritmas present.

I sat in a bench in the street observing people passing by and noticing how they interacted with the sculptures which were much bigger than real size. ‘The Thinker’ inspired me again making me realise that this aspect of leadership needed to be the core of my blog  ’Empowering Visionary Leaders Blog’ with the vision of creating a space for Leaders to Slow Down and Reflect. 2009 brought us plenty of learnings and reminded us once more that doing, doing, doing is not always the best way to achieve our outcomes. Far too often we put our focus of attention in the doing and not enough in the thinking, reflecting and being.

“Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.”- Peter F. Drucker

1. What sort of leader do you need to be in order to make 2010 the best year so far?
2. What qualities do you need to exhibit to be the leader your employees, customers, stakeholders and family want to follow?
3. What is your vision for your company, your employees, your customers, your family, your community?

My vision for my company is….
My vision for my employees is….
My vision for my customers is….
My vision for my family is….
My vision for my community is….

4. What mark do I want to leave behind 2010?  in the next 3 years? 5 years? 10 years and beyond?

At the end of 2010 I want to be able to say that 2010 was a year of……..
At the end of 2013 I want to be able to say that 2013 was a year of……..
At the end of 2015 I want to be able to say that 2015 was a year of……..

When I look back on my life I want to be able to think that I was able  to  do/create (action verbs ‘x’)……………………………. for myself and others because in 2010 I committed to ………..

We invite you to share your answers and comments to connect with other leaders. Two minds think better than one and a shared vision can achieve much more than a single tunnel vision view of the world.

Have a great week ahead!

Posted by Maite Baron. www.maitebaron.com