Vision Sabotage
Posted by bodybydesign on July 2, 2008
You are a Champion!
Attack It–Criticize and Sabotage The Vision, by John Maxwell, The 360 ° Leader:
“Not everyone is going to buy into the vision of an organization, even if it is compelling, and even if the leader does a fantastic job of communicating it. That’s just a fact, and it isn’t always because the people are bad followers. Take a look at the most common reasons people fail to adopt a worthy vision:
THEY DIDN’T HELP CREATE IT. Let’s face it. Most people don’t like change, and whenever someone begins casting a new vision, change is inevitable. I used to think that leaders liked change and followers didn’t. But as I’ve gained maturity, I’ve come to realize that leaders don’t like change any more than followers do–unless, of course, it’s their idea!
People’s attitudes toward change are different when they help create it. Participation increases ownership. When you’re an owner, you see things differently. You step up. You take better care of whatever it is. If you doubt that, answer this question. When was the last time you waxed a rental car? It just doesn’t happen. People are up on things that they’re in on.
THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND IT. People don’t buy into a vision that they don’t understand. It just doesn’t happen. And just because leaders have cast a vision in a clear and compelling manner, doesn’t mean that their people really understand it. Different kinds and styles of communication don’t connect equally for everybody.
Ken Blanchard once asked Max DePree, author of Leadership Is an Art, what he thought the leader’s role was in an organization. DePree said, ‘You have to act like a third-grade teacher. You have to repeat the vision over and over and over again until the people get it.’ And if a leader is really wise, she communicates it in many ways, in many settings, using many methods.
THEY DON’T AGREE WITH IT. Some people react negatively to a vision because they think it’s impossible to achieve. Others–though it happens much less often–because they think it’s too small. Still others balk because the vision has changed since the time they originally signed on. But more often than not, the real issue has more to do with the leader. If people disagree with the vision, it’s often because they have a problem with the person who cast it. The Law of Buy-In found in the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership says that people buy into the header, then the vision.
If they believe in the leaders, then they embrace what those leaders believe in. Even when their leaders promote a vision that isn’t compelling, the people who have already bought into them continue to support them. However, this variation on the Law of Buy-In is also true: No matter how good the vision is, if people don’t believe in the leader, they will have problems buying in to the vision.“
“You are the message–Every message that people receive is filtered through the messenger who delivers it. If you consider the messenger to be credible, then you believe the message has value” John Maxwell
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