ArticlesBase.com - Free Articles Directory
Free Online Articles Directory
24.07.2008 Sign In Register Hello Guest
Email:
Password:
Remember Me 
forgot your password?


Leadership - The Test of a Clear Vision

Author: Mark Shead Author Ranking Blue | Posted: 10-11-2006 | Comments: 0 | Views: 370 | Rating:  (57) Article Popularity - Blue (?) Got a Question? Ask.
Sign Up Now!

Many leaders assume that everyone understands their vision. Often there is a big gap between their vision and what the people they lead see as the vision. Unfortunately many leaders don't take the time to actually find out how well they have expressed their vision to their team. They often assume that because they are in charge people listen and understand what they mean to say, even if it isn't exactly what they really said. They also assume that people will hear the same thing that they said. This isn't always the case. Everyone perceives things differently and a skillful leader recognizes this.

The most successful leaders are those who can clearly communicate the vision in ways that their organization can easily understand. Successful leaders don't assume that what they think they communicated is what people heard. They constantly check to make sure that the vision they are communicating is the vision people are hearing. In many instances there is a large gap between what a leader thinks he said and what subordinates think they hear.

When the vision is uncertain, people tend to default to doing whatever vision seems best to them. In a medium sized organization I heard one of the vice presidents gave his opinion on a branding issue and then casually mentioned how it aligned with the vision. However, the vision he articulated was very different from the CEO's vision. In fact the vice presidents view of the CEO's vision was 180 degrees from what the CEO had articulated as his vision. This was not the vice president's fault. I'm sure the CEO thought he had communicated the vision clearly, but the test of a well-communicated vision is whether or not the people responsible for implementing the vision correctly understand it.

A very simple way to test your organization's vision alignment is ask people to write down the vision anonymously on a piece of paper in a short paragraph. Keeping the process anonymous helps people concentrate more on articulating the vision and less on worrying about getting it wrong or any repercussions from an incorrect answer . Once you get the feedback read over each and every vision statement.

If everyone comes back and states the vision exactly as you feel you've communicated it, consider yourself fortunate. Most of the time this will not be the case. You will probably discover that what people see as the vision, is not what you thought you communicated. By taking this information and attempting to discover the sources of the miscommunication you can prepare yourself to better communicate your vision in the future.

Rate this Article: Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/leadership-the-test-of-a-clear-vision-71950.html

Print this Article Print article   Email to a Friend Send to friend   Publish this Article on your Website Publish this Article   Send Author Feedback Author feedback  
About the Author:
Please visit www.leadership501.com to find out more about examining the clarity of your vision and other leadership topics.
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Comment on this article Comment on this article
Your Name
Your Email:
Comment Body
Enter Validation Code: Captcha


Related Articles

Leadership - The Power of a Clear Vision
By: Mark Shead | 10/11/2006 | Management
The ability to convey a clear vision is one of the cornerstones of leadership. This article looks at how to accomplish that.

Commit Commit! Where Discipline Meets Action
By: Waldo Waldman | 29/04/2008 | Motivational
Do you have the discipline and training to commit to action in your life… The actions you take once you commit will determine the quality of your outcome.

Lose Sight, Lose Fight - How Focused Vision Leads to Victory
By: Waldo Waldman | 17/03/2008 | Motivational
Vision without focus is like a combat mission without an objective. The key…is to establish parameters and boundaries for your activities and stay disciplined.

Teaming With Success
By: Craig Harrison | 14/01/2007 | Leadership
We're surrounded by examples of great, & not-so-great, teamwork. True teamwork takes time & a willingness to contribute to greater good of the team. You too are a part of a variety of teams. How well you work together tells how successful you are. Are you teaming with success?

Cash In On Your Human Capital: Using Personality Type To Optimize Your Team
By: Molly Owens | 24/01/2007 | Management
Can you improve productivity, facilitate effective communication, and create a team that works like a well-oiled machine? You can if you learn how to recognize the resources that are already present in your organization. If you work in a large department, you almost certainly already have: - A talented project manager -...

Mohammad Yunus and the New Revolutionaries
By: Michael Skye | 18/03/2007 | Non Profit Organizations
Could Mohammad Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, be starting a revolution a revolution in culture and consciousness? Could the next generation of youth become inspired visionaries who stand for humanity as he has, and literally change the world?

Ten Strategies for Boosting Productivity
By: Bea Fields | 09/06/2007 | Motivational
Time is a very precious and costly commodity that many of us take for granted. Few people will readily admit that large parts of our working day are wasted through countless interruptions, procrastination, and clutter. Maximize your life through minimizing what is in it by starting with these ten creative strategies for managing and organizing a more successful enterprise.

Leading With the Right Questions
By: Lewis Frees PhD | 18/09/2007 | Organizational
Have you ever noticed how many questions you ask in a typical day? Even the simplest decision can follow from dozens of questions? Most we ask and answer without even thinking about it? They reside just under our awareness in almost everything we do. Sometimes we don't know what question to ask because we don't know what we don't know. Questions lead to answers and answers to outcomes. So, if you want to improve your results, start with the questions you are asking.

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Frequently Asked Questions

Double vision
By: mjmcantrell | 14-07-2008
Please help i have been having double vision out of my right eye every since i had facial truama in nov. I had suergery done on my nose and a deviated septum fixed where i was kicked in the face at work.And the doctors don't know what it is

Vision corrected
By: Di | 13-07-2008
My brother found his vision was corrected to the point he no longer needed eyeglasses, after visiting his optometrist. He had worn glasses forever but now didn't have to wear them.  An optician told me he had heard of the happening but the person usually died with two years of it happening.  My brother did die.  Has anyone else heard of this?

Would there be any harm to a private business ...
By: drabsv | 03-07-2008
Would there be any harm to a private business enterprise if they keep their whole (monthly) budget open to the public?

How online bridge program from lpn to rn works Is ...
By: Lara | 03-07-2008
how online bridge program from lpn to rn worksIs it possible to pay for online bridge lpn to rn program and take final exams after each units right away?

AIM email can anyone help me to get it back?
By: Charlax | 25-06-2008
AIM email was takenit was a free acccount they deleted my passwordcan anyone help me to get it back there is tapes losteye was using it for storage it was supposed to be unlimited 

What is SmartGreenUSA?
By: clm168 | 24-06-2008
What is SmartGreenUSA?

Q&A Powered by:
Powered by Yedda 

Latest Management Articles

Process Improvement Teams For Six Sigma Success
By: Tony Jacowski | 24/07/2008
Very often, the managers of the company devote their time to fighting fires and find little time to carry out daily responsibilities or improvement initiatives. The Six Sigma approach uses cross-functional dedicated teams to initiate improvements in the existing organizational processes.

Guidelines For Six Sigma Healthcare Project Selection
By: Tony Jacowski | 24/07/2008
Six Sigma can be an effective approach to the improvement of services by any health care organization. Its utility can be advantageous to the betterment of services like those of the administration department, housekeeping, emergency and operating processes and so on.

7 Reasons Why Six Sigma Benchmarking Efforts Fail
By: Tony Jacowski | 24/07/2008
Benchmarking is comparing the results of other organizations for the superior processes and results achieved by them with that of your organization. It is comparing your own processes with the best practices of the top-level companies. It is not mere goal setting, but evaluating the approach of these companies to achieve the sustained results.

Imagination.io
By: ryan | 24/07/2008
With the right guidance, an Internet business can start generating income almost immediately. A home internet business can be very successful for people who have the dedication, skills and patience to await agradual increase in business and income. There are several ways how an internet business can be started. However, no matter which internet business is being initiated, it won't make an impact at first.

Commercial Landlords May Offer 1 Month Agreements
By: Gary Howes | 24/07/2008
Commercial landlords have backed a campaign by the British Retail Consortium to offer retailers a helping hand during the economic downturn.

Unknown Facts About Leadership Revealed
By: Steven Sonsino | 24/07/2008
Do charismatic CEOs have any effect on business performance?

Two Questions to Help You Change Your Leadership Style
By: Steven Sonsino | 24/07/2008
There are ways you can overcome resistance to changing your leadership style.

Grow Your Physical Therapy Business With Focus and Clarity
By: Erika Trimble | 24/07/2008
In collaboration with PABC, I recently interviewed clinic owners to determine their biggest challenges in growing their private practice. During these interviews, I learned that the four key challenges are: recruiting physical therapytherapists, time to dedicate to business growth, lack of business, and marketing skills. In this article, I’ll help you tackle one of these challenges.

More from Mark Shead

Debt Consolidation Tarpit
By: Mark Shead | 18/06/2007 | Non-Fiction
Debt consolidation is often marketed as a solution to financial problems. However, it can put you into a downward spiral and actually make you go further into debt. Here is why.

Do It Yourself Debt Consolidation - Making Credit Cards Work for You
By: Mark Shead | 15/05/2007 | Non-Fiction
With a little care you may be able to quickly create your own debt consolidation loan using special offers on credit cards.

Staying Connected in Mexico
By: Mark Shead | 08/05/2007 | Technology
How to put the technology infrastructure of Mexico to good use when traveling.

Home Equity Debt Consolidation in a Crashing Housing Market
By: Mark Shead | 07/05/2007 | Non-Fiction
A look at how home equity loans can cause you a lot of grief in a market where housing prices are plummeting.

Locating a Reputable Debt Consolidation Company
By: Mark Shead | 25/12/2006 | Non-Fiction
Several tips for avoiding debt consolidation scams.

Leading with Integrity
By: Mark Shead | 25/12/2006 | Management
There are no shortcuts to leadership. This article talks about how to lead with integrity and develop a deep foundation for the future

Where did the Mexican Flag Come From?
By: Mark Shead | 21/12/2006 | Travel
A brief look at the history behind the Mexican flag.

Seven Ways to Save on College Education
By: Mark Shead | 20/12/2006 | Finance
Seven tips for keeping down the cost of a college education.

Article Categories






Give Feedback

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below