Sascha R. Rowold

Leaders inspire people with clear visions of how things can be done better. The best leader do not provide a step-by-step instruction manual for workers. The best leaders are those who come up with new ideas, and articulate a vision that inspires others to act.

Creating a Vision

In one of his first speeches as CEO, Jack Welch explained that he was not going to lay out an “all-inclusive” grand strategy or step-by-step agenda for the company. Instead, he was going to articulate a vision and a few clear goals for the company. He has always felt that best leaders are visionaries. They do not get caught up in the minutiae or obsess over every detail, but instead inspire others to execute on that vision.
To Welch, there are several reasons why it is better to lay out a general vision and not an exact blueprint. It is the leader’s responsibility to come up with the vision. Once the vision was communicated, it is up to the team to turn this vision into a reality. A leader who spends too much time on the details is likely overmanaging. It is much better to give a general direction and empower the team to figure out the exact route.
Jack Welch believed that the only way to lead is to talk about company’s values, not numbers. Numbers have little to do with creating a vision of fulfilling a mission; they don’t instill corporate values into the minds and hearts of the employees, and they don’t provide much help in living up to those values or carrying out the vision. In short, it’s not management philosophy, it’s just a lot of cheerleading. And cheerleading doesn’t turn a company around.

Create and project a clear vision. Best leaders are visionaries. Give a general direction and empower the team to figure out the exact route. The leader’s unending responsibility must be to remove every detour, every barrier, to ensure that vision is first, clear, and then real. The leader must create an atmosphere in the organization where people feel not only free to, but obliged to demand clarity and purpose from their leaders.

Articulate a few clear stretch goals for your company. Set stretch goals, and if people don’t make them, don’t punish them for trying. The key is helping people reach for the unreachable, and to celebrate when they come close. That will build confidence into the fabric of the organization, and prepare the team for greater challenges.
Make sure you have the very best people to carry your vision out. Hire those most capable of turning visions into reality – ask questions about how they might go about attacking a particular thorny problem. Promote those people who have the best record of making things happen.