So, what’s the Rubber Band about? When a Visionary and an Integrator walk into a bar, it’s likely they'll order different types of adult beverages. Visionaries and Integrators are just that way: different. Sometimes, the Visionary and Integrator™ (V/I) relationship is close and harmonious, yet sometimes it can be quite different – especially when the Visionary won’t "let go" and allow the Integrator to be the deciding factor for the Leadership Team.
The Dynamic Tension of the V/I Relationship
Once, during a conference (unrelated to EOS®), I sat next to a Visionary and, coincidentally, the conversation morphed into both EOS and the V/I relationship.
This particular Visionary was wrestling with what seemed to be different views on the two roles. And, perhaps indicative of his High D behavior, he was using his hands linearly to describe where he, as Visionary, was perplexed. “The Integrator," he said, "was pulling too hard, trying to usurp the Visionary’s forward-looking decision-making, his executive privilege.”
Attempting to "talk him off the ledge," I referenced his hands. Imagine one hand representing the Visionary and the other hand representing the Integrator. Now imagine a rubber band is wrapped around the outside of each hand.
Each hand, individually, stands alone. Yet the two hands are, collectively, bound by the rubber band. The rubber band is emblematic of the dynamic tension existing between well-functioning Visionaries and Integrators. Each pulls the other – to another product/service line, to more focused efforts, or to a different, improved position. The "dynamic tension" between the two creates a better position and outcome to the whole, forcing each to challenge the other and grow while the tension keeps them together.
Without being on the same page, if either person pulls too hard and too far apart, the relationship snaps, just like a rubber band. The necessary dynamic tension is lost. Trust is broken. In contrast, not pulling hard enough forces the Visionary and Integrator to be too alike, simply existing as a mirror image of each other. Neither of these two positions serve the organization well.
The Power of EOS
Consider the power of EOS and the Same Page Meeting™ (from the book, Rocket Fuel). Each month the Visionary and the Integrator spend four hours getting on the same page. The Same Page Meeting is critical in allowing a healthy dynamic tension to focus our efforts.
How is your relationship (and the organization) benefiting through your dynamic tension?
Next Steps
- Download a free chapter of Rocket Fuel to learn more about the Visionary and Integrator relationship.
- Check the strength of your company with the Organizational Checkup™.
- Download a copy of the EOS V/TO™ to help you clarify, simplify, and achieve your vision.
