Great leaders do 5 things. FIRST, they give clear direction. Giving clear direction simply means you are creating clear openings.
There’s a saying that nature abhors a vacuum. If there’s an empty space, something will rush in to fill it. Great leaders come together on a leadership team to create a compelling vision that provides opportunities or openings for people to step up and into.
The V/TO, Vision/Traction Organizer, is the best tool for clarifying a compelling vision. With or without the tool, you simply need to unite your leadership team around the answers to 5 questions:
- who are you (as defined by a small set of non-negotiable core values)
- what are you focusing on (your passion and your niche)
- where are you going (what’s the big goal)
- how you are going to get there (what are you going to say to whom to advance your cause)
- what does your world look like 3 years down the road
When your vision is clear and compelling, the right people will rush in to become part of it.
Takeaway point for this week:
- Answer this question: I am giving clear direction to every one of my direct reports – yes or no? If your answer is to 6 out of 7, it’s no. To be a great leader every one of the people reporting to you needs to embrace, “step into” the opening created by your answers to the 5 questions above.
Encouragement: It’s never too late to start giving clear direction to your troops. Some may choose to step out, and that’s okay. The opportunity you are creating is only there for people who get it, want it, and have the capacity to do something with it.
