Visionary leaders recognize the importance of investing for the future. They balance short-term results with actions that ensure future success. These leaders realize that a myopic focus on the immediate future will only lead so far. A longer time horizon is needed to achieve more than just immediate gains.
Thomas Jefferson (Louisiana Purchase), Walter Wriston (Citibank’s Consumer Bank strategy), Vince Lombardi (player development), Maggie Thatcher (privatization of British Petroleum) – to name just four leaders from different eras – all initiated major investments for the future. Imagine the world if these individuals and others like them had chosen to pursue more short-term oriented paths. Continue reading…
April 15th was tax day for most, but for women leaders in construction, architecture and engineering, it was day 1 of Groundbreaking Women in Construction, a conference sponsored by the Women Builders Council and McGraw Hill. I had the pleasure of leading the first event of the day, a workshop on Visionary Leaders, the New Champions in Business. Here’s what I did and what I learned.
My premise was simple: 1. Visionary leaders, the New Leader in business, will be the most successful executives in the next decade. 2. There are major differences in the way these new leaders operate to create their unique approach. 3. Once leaders embrace the hallmarks of this new paradigm, they have a clear vision of success and a way to get there. 4. As soon as we begin to shift our mindset and expose our organizations to the hallmarks of the new leader, we go beyond hierarchy and power to unleash the real potential of our businesses, colleagues, and leaders. Continue reading…
Steve Jobs built an extraordinary business called Apple. Its tag line, Think Differently, says it all. Apple enjoys an energized customer base, impressive earnings, and a growing market share. Apple is on fire.
Jobs’ ideas and actions are driven by his Steadfast Passion, a term I use to describe the mind-set and actions of leaders who are Visionaries and Agents of Successful Change. Steadfast Passion is more than passion or loving what you do. It defines the leader’s focus and how he approaches challenge and change.
For those who seek robust growth, Steadfast Passion is a competency of enormous consequence, and the hardest to master. It is the Hallmark that distinguishes the most admired business leaders, the likes of Rupert Murdock of News Corp and Jeff Bezos of Amazon. Continue reading…
