How To Be A Visionary Leader
President John F. Kennedy did one thing that every business owner should emulate. He created his “Man On The Moon” vision to accelerate America’s space program and give it a clear objective. He didn’t tell anyone HOW to do it, but he set a clear target of accomplishing it before the end of the decade. Kennedy declared his goal as he stood before Congress on May 25, 1961. Apollo 11 landed successfully on July 20, 1969.
What’s the business lesson? It’s that successful business turnarounds are driven by a single, highly strategic, business priority. Multiple priorities make it hard for teams to know where to direct their energy. To drive any enterprise toward something great, there can only be one thing that focuses everyone’s attention. All enterprise resources are directed toward achieving that vision. Stray initiatives and people must be quickly and decisively culled from the ongoing efforts.
This vital principle is especially crucial to marketing every business. Significant revenue growth cannot be accomplished when resources are directed in different directions. Any effort to assuage multiple customer groups, investor groups, or employee groups will result in substandard results.
The enterprise leader must establish a single and noteworthy goal. It needs to become the company’s rally cry. It must be why participants get up in the morning. They want to be part of something great and important. If you don’t yet have your “Man On The Moon” rally cry, stop what you are doing and create it.
