Posts Tagged ‘Vision’
October 17th, 2011
Probably a decade ago I wrote a piece for the old Mortgage Originator about the need to lean forward no matter which way the wind blows. Strangely enough I talked about volatility and uncertainty. Times don’t change all that much nor does the message about leaning forward, or moving forward if you like, no matter the circumstances.
There is certainly more than one way to look at change. A view could be that there was a perfect window of opportunity to grow our business and we missed it. Now is not the time to take chances. Let’s do nothing or maybe even retrench. That’s one view but I don’t buy it. I never have.
Of course there are other views. Whether we are in the upside or downside of a business cycle it takes definite action to create momentous results. We need to ask ourselves what will it take to move us forward now? No matter which way the market winds blow, standing still and doing nothing doesn’t usually work.
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Tags: Action, Challenges, Decision Making, Planning, Vision
Posted in Leadership, Strategy and Planning | No Comments »
April 25th, 2011
Imagine flying the Apache AH-64 helicopter, cruising at 165 miles per hour with one eye on what’s ahead and the other eye focused on your helmet’s eyepiece and its sophisticated navigation and armaments systems.
Yes, that’s right! One eye must fly the plane and the other eye, simultaneously, keeps track of sophisticated systems. These pilots are amazing.
It takes that same kind of concentration to lead a team in today’s competitive and increasingly complicated environment. Leaders must keep one eye on the immediate challenges, and the other eye on the road ahead and the strategic adjustments and changes that will be required.
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Tags: Details, Goals, Priorities, Strategic Thinking, Strategy, Systems, Vision
Posted in Leadership | 1 Comment »
January 10th, 2011
Recently, at a roundtable meeting we hosted for CEOs, Coach Barry Engelman offered the group six powerful “C” words that leaders should keep in mind as they start 2011.
Barry has graciously permitted me to share these words with you, and I’ve added my own thoughts as well. I believe that all leaders can use a good dose of “Vitamin C” for the New Year.
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Tags: Achievement, CEO Roundtable, Communication, Goals, Vision
Posted in Leadership | 3 Comments »
December 13th, 2010
As we approach another year, we go through the “exercise” of preparing a new budget, reviewing our vision, and detailing the actions needed to reach our goals.
These are all reasonable and necessary activities, both for our businesses and for us personally. However, these activities are often approached as just an annual exercise … something to do and get done so we can get back to work.
When completed, the exercise goes back on the shelf or the corner of the desk to be reviewed again next year.
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Tags: Expectations, Goals, Planning, Processes, Vision
Posted in Self-Development | 1 Comment »
November 16th, 2010
At the Building Champions Experience in September there were many discussions about finding our “why.” In essence, what is our purpose, and is what we are doing each day as meaningful as it could be?
These are critical and difficult questions to answer. How we think about them can uplift us, shape our attitude, guide our direction, influence the actions we take, and help us improve.
One of my colleagues, Steve Scanlon, pointed out that, “in life there is no such thing as standing still; you are either moving forward or backward.” If we think we can tread water in pursuit of our goals, we are sadly mistaken. The world around us will continue to evolve and move forward, and if we are not advancing toward our goal then we are falling behind.
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Tags: Achievement, Goals, Purpose, Vision, Why
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October 4th, 2010
At the recent Building Champions Experience in Sunriver Oregon, I facilitated a breakout session on the subject of Strategic Thinking. I had several goals for the session: to improve our skills at assessing where we are with our strategy, to become more comfortable with creating a strategy that can make a real difference, and to determine where we need to dig deeper into our strategy and fine-tune our approach to strategic thinking.
To make sure everyone was on the same page, we began by defining the terms “Strategy” and “Strategic Thinking.”
Strategy is a specific game plan that gets you from one place to another and is consistent with your vision. It identifies specific ways to use your strengths and apply them to opportunities in the marketplace.
Strategic Thinking, however, can be defined as a disciplined thought process that assesses the environment and your strengths and weaknesses, and then develops specific categories of actions to accomplish your goals in an intentional and purposeful way, consistent with your vision.
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Tags: Strategic Thinking, Strategy, The Experience, Vision
Posted in Strategy and Planning | 3 Comments »
May 17th, 2010
It’s important to dream big, to create a vision that causes you to reach for something greater. But once that vision is cast, you need to take action if you’re ever going to see it fulfilled.
Too often, big picture thinking and strategies are translated into projects that become too cumbersome and complicated to ever be completed. Actions may be vague and undeliverable, or timeframes may be ill-defined.
When tackling large projects, break them down into manageable pieces, with a clear plan for accountability and measuring results. Think in 100 day or quarterly timeframes, and stay focused on getting these actions done on time. You’ll find that more gets accomplished at less cost.
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Tags: Action, Planning, Projects, Strategy, Vision
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March 22nd, 2010
What we are capable of achieving is often greater than we realize. Don’t buy into the notion that by setting the bar low, you can easily surpass your goals. In practice this almost never happens.
Set stretch goals – for yourself and for the team – and strive to reach them. There will always be barriers, issues and challenges but they can be overcome with a plan, clear focus, strong commitment and persistent execution.
Falling short of a stretch goal will yield better results than if you had aimed lower.
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Tags: Achievement, Goals, Planning, Vision
Posted in Self-Development | 2 Comments »
January 18th, 2010
Most everyone knows that organizations need a vision and mission statement. But for many, they are no more than words on paper, an annual strategic exercise that is done and then forgotten, or a slogan that no one operates by.
Your vision must direct the way you run your business every day, all the time. It is the key that will guide your strategic decisions and the specific actions that follow. It must be specific, meaningful, and represent a worthy purpose that you and your team can embrace and be passionate about executing and achieving.
This applies to individuals, too. The objective is to live an intentional life, accomplishing what’s important to you. If you can envision where you want to go, then you can achieve it.
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Tags: Big Picture, Vision
Posted in Vision | 1 Comment »
December 28th, 2009
This leadership blog is dedicated to sharing specific ideas and actions to help lead and manage people more effectively. I believe that continuous learning from the ideas of others and reflecting upon your own experiences are critically important to your success as a leader.
This is not intended to be an academic exercise, although such books and studies can be highly useful. Don’t expect lofty prose or eloquent reports on management or leadership theory here. What you should expect is common sense wisdom gathered from experience and my own share of mistakes. What you will find is a practical review of management and leadership strategies and actions that have been proven to work over time.
I have seen extraordinary results come from ordinary people who were well led. Leadership is not a one-person, only from the top effort. The real leader knows the difference between “I” and “we.” He or she builds a team that moves together in a common and well-understood direction. Results and success come from many leaders throughout the team who work together to get the job done.
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Tags: Culture, Performance, Recognition, Vision
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Probably a decade ago I wrote a piece for the old Mortgage Originator about the need to lean forward no matter which way the wind blows. Strangely enough I talked about volatility and uncertainty. Times don’t change all that much nor does the message about leaning forward, or moving forward if you like, no matter the circumstances.
Jerry Baker began his career in the management development program at Ford Motor Company, later became a manager of budgets and analysis for Northrop Corporation, then furthered his management development as Deputy Director for the California Department of Commerce when Ronald Reagan was Governor.