The New Leadership
Carol Kinsey Goman

The front page of the Wall Street Journal (2/23/04) had an article about Coca Cola's search for a new CEO. Entitled "Coke Hunts Outside for Chief As No.2 Heyer Draws some Flak." The story talked about why Steven J. Heyer, currently 2nd in command, may not be next in line for succession to the top position in the company.

Here is the stated reason: To many board members, the ideal Coke chairman and CEO is a visionary who commands admiration, delegates easily and communicates well with employees and the public. Mr. Heyer -- while lauded as intelligent, disciplined and dedicated -- was also characterized as blunt, assertive, and self-promotional. This is not to say that Mr. Heyer is out of the running, but Coke is now conducting its first-ever outside search for a new top executive.

All of which confirmed what I've been told by leaders I've interviewed lately: The criteria for the job has changed. In contrast to control-minded authority of the past, today's leaders must exercise power through a shared purpose and vision. An organizational vision is not the same as long-range or even strategic planning. Planning is a linear process, progression toward a goal. Vision is more holistic -- a sense of direction that combines a good business strategy with a comprehensive organizational purpose that declares its own importance. A vision describes a business as it could become over the long term and outlines a feasible way of achieving this goal. People look to leaders for direction. To transform an organization, leaders must adopt and communicate a vision of the future that impels people beyond the boundaries and limits of the past.

Leaders have a visionary mindset. They create a mental picture of the change they want to manifest. Leaders have the vision to forecast what's next and the passion to reach into the future and seek out new opportunities to push for greater outcomes. It is incredibly important that leaders clearly articulate the vision, and set expectations through the images they create and the stories they tell.

Leaders who articulate such visions aren't mystics, but broad-based thinkers who are willing to take risks. Visionary leaders don't have to be brilliant, highly innovative, or incredibly charismatic. But they do have to be intently focused on what it is they are trying to achieve. Fred Smith of FedEx put it in these very practical terms: "If there is any indication that the leader is not totally committed to achieving the vision, then all the sweet talk in the world will not get people to support it."

Remember, though, sharing a personal vision is only the beginning. Unless the leader engages the work force in the process of crafting the vision, they won't truly own it. When Dick Kleine was the general manager of Harvester Works at John Deere, the company adopted lean manufacturing principles -- and totally transformed the way combines were made. "We started with a group of 14 employees -- about half out of the shop and half from the office -- and got them together to write a vision statement about the way we want to be. They came up with 10 parts to that aspiration -- including communication, trust, job satisfaction, and customer satisfaction. That document became the vision that drove employees toward change."

Another leader (Jean Halloran, SR. VP Human Resources, Agilent Technologies) summed it up like this: "Leadership as vision is partly foresight, knowing where you are trying to take the business, and partly the communication skill to describe that future so people can see themselves as part of it. But it's also the process of inviting people to help create the vision, and then listening -- sincerely listening -- so that people really feel included. It's amazing how much people are willing to give of themselves if you ask for help. And there is something inherently creative and motivating about painting a vision together as opposed to just receiving one that's told to you."

Carol Kinsey Goman, Ph.D., is an international speaker who helps individuals and organizations thrive on change. For permission to reprint this article, contact Carol by email: cgoman@CKG.com, or by phone: 510-526-1727. Her latest book, "This Isn't the Company I Joined" - How to Lead in a Business Turned Upside Down, can be ordered from www.CKG.com.