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Charting Your Course: How a Faraway Future Shapes Your Present

As a leader, you navigate a relentless sea of deadlines and short-term goals. The pressure to be agile and decisive is immense. Yet, amidst the daily chaos, a powerful tool often gets neglected – the long-term vision. You might believe it’s a luxurious indulgence, a distant dream with little bearing on the here and now. But what if I told you that fostering a vision for a faraway future can have a profound impact on your company’s immediate performance?

Beyond the Transaction: Unlocking Deep Inner Motivation

Think about the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. Many managers rely on the former – bonuses, commissions, and other forms of immediate rewards. These tactics can get results, but they fail to tap into the wellspring of human drive that lies beyond mere compensation.

Consider the most inspiring individuals you know. They may dedicate years to raising children, contribute to charity, or pursue long-term educational journeys. These actions highlight the power of delayed gratification, where the inherent value of the goal fuels sustained effort.

Unfortunately, most companies fall short of harnessing this power. When every task is framed as a transactional exchange – “I give you money, you give me work” – employees become conditioned to expect a tangible reward for every action. This transactional approach stifles intrinsic motivation, leaving them feeling uninspired and disengaged.

But imagine if you offered your team a chance to invest in their own futures, a future inextricably linked to the company’s success. Here, we’re not talking about vague pronouncements about “balanced sheets” or “customer benefits.” You need to co-create a compelling vision of the future, one that resonates with everyone on board.

Think about the GraceKennedy 2020 Vision and Vision 2030 Jamaica projects. These initiatives, crafted collaboratively with hundreds of people, charted a course spanning over two decades. Despite their extended timeframes, they demonstrably ignited immediate action.

In some companies, employees are so energized by their shared vision, they even volunteer to sell products on their own time. This illustrates the power of a long-term vision to motivate and inspire immediate action.

Navigating Storms with Purpose: Focus During Emergencies

In today’s volatile business landscape, agility and adaptability are crucial. You need a workforce that can respond swiftly to unforeseen challenges. However, relying solely on a reactive, adrenaline-fueled approach has its limitations. Chronic stress can lead to burnout, and a workplace solely focused on solving the immediate problem at hand lacks direction.

This is where a long-term vision steps in. It provides the necessary context that goes beyond simply “getting through the day” or “surviving the crisis.” It allows your employees to remain two-headed, addressing immediate challenges while keeping the long-term vision in sight.

Let’s use customer service as an example. Reactive customer service often prioritizes every single complaint, regardless of its validity. But a strategic vision, informed by a long-term perspective, can create a framework for prioritizing customers. Remember Michael Porter’s quote: “Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different.”

When your employees understand the invented future, it shapes each customer interaction as a strategic choice, not just an obligation. They can use the vision to guide their decisions, prioritizing interactions that align with the company’s long-term goals.

These are just a few examples of how a long-term vision can positively impact your immediate performance. A forward-looking vision acts as a test of your leadership clarity – the ability to inspire action today by painting a compelling picture of tomorrow. When you plant the seeds of a distant future, you cultivate a more engaged, motivated, and strategically focused workforce that can weather any immediate storm and navigate towards a brighter shared future.

This revised version maintains the use of the second person (“you”) while offering a more professional and engaging tone. It emphasizes concrete actions you can take and highlights the practical results of fostering a long-term vision.

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Choosing and Ranking Your Corporate Vision

Similar to most organizations, your company also has a vision or purpose statement. The initial idea was meant to ignite inspiration, but lately, it seems to have lost its allure. What interventions can you implement to foster a collaborative environment and encourage your staff to go above and beyond? And how does this statement support the goals outlined in your corporate strategy?

It is easy to comprehend the reasons for creating a compelling vision.

As we human beings look to the future, our imaginations run wild with the anticipation of what lies ahead, just beyond the corner. As such, while sitting at work on a Friday afternoon, we’re happy, feeling the anticipation of the weekend ahead.

By mid-day on Sunday, our energy levels plummet and a sense of unease settles in. Why? Monday looms ahead, and with it comes the familiar routine and the anticipation of the weekly grind.

Our psychology is wired to have an addictive tendency to anticipate what lies ahead. Sadly, this fact goes unnoticed by most individuals. The lack of understanding about the future, even among progressive companies, is the reason why social media has such a powerful draw for the average employee.

A company vision is management’s way of providing an alternative, and they offer five options to choose from.

1. **The Invisible Vision**: This form of vision exists solely within the mind of the company’s top leadership. While these individuals may be passionate about their vision, they fail to share it with the rest of the organization. Communication barriers or a desire to maintain control often lead to this secretive approach. As a result, employees are left in the dark, lacking a sense of direction and purpose.

In this first category, if no one besides the top leader knows where your organization is headed, it may be the case.

2. **The Vague Vision**: Perhaps the most common form, vague visions lack clarity and specificity. These statements are often found adorning office walls or buried within corporate documents. While they may sound lofty and inspirational, they fail to provide actionable guidance. Without clear goals and timelines, employees struggle to connect their daily tasks to the overarching vision, resulting in disengagement and apathy.

To determine if your company’s statement is vague, try this simple test. Reflect on whether a rational employee could perceive that the objective has already been fulfilled or is on the verge of completion. Is it done?

Additionally, is there a specific year associated with it? If the answers are simply “Yes” and “No”, it can be considered too vague, leaving room for people to only pay it lip-service.

Honestly…it would be more accurate to call it a slogan.

3. **The Squeezed-Up Vision**: In an attempt to avoid ambiguity, some organizations opt for short-term visions. However, these compressed timelines often lead to unrealistic expectations and limited scope. Employees may feel overwhelmed by the pressure to achieve short-term goals without a broader long-term perspective. As a result, motivation wanes, and morale suffers as employees become disillusioned with unattainable targets.

4. **The Strategy-Less Vision**: Even with clearly defined goals, a vision can falter without the support of a comprehensive strategic plan. In this scenario, organizations set ambitious targets but fail to provide a roadmap for achieving them. Without alignment between the vision and strategic objectives, employees are left to navigate uncertain terrain on their own. As a result, initiatives lack direction, resources are mis-allocated, and progress stalls.

But above all, they realize the groundwork has not been done because it fails to confront reality. As such, they believe the vision won’t be implemented.

On the flip side, there is:

**The Ideal Vision**: This represents the pinnacle of corporate visioning, combining clarity, inspiration, alignment, and engagement. An ideal vision is clear and concise, providing a roadmap for the organization’s future. It inspires passion and commitment among employees, fostering a sense of purpose and belonging. Moreover, it is aligned with the organization’s strategic objectives, ensuring that every action moves the company closer to its goals. Finally, it engages employees at all levels, soliciting their input and fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation.

In conclusion, the strength of a corporate vision lies in its ability to provide clear direction, inspire action, and drive meaningful progress. By understanding the various forms of corporate visions and striving for the ideal, organizations can chart a course for success in today’s dynamic business environment.

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The Problem with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – A preview

Why they lack rigorous strategic thinking but can still be rescued.

You are someone who is aware of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) announced in 2015 by the United Nations. Their value is not in question – they are objectives the entire world hopes to realize.

But recently, Secretary General Antonio Guterres declared that the SDGs are on the path to failure.

Launching a special edition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) progress report, he warned that their collective promise made in 2015 of a more green, just and equitable global future, is in peril. 

“Unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda will become an epitaph for a world that might have been,” he said. 

Like others, he offered a number of prescriptions. However, they aren’t likely to move the needle on disappointment looming on December 31st, 2030, the date on which they are supposed to be achieved.

Those of us who know about long-term strategic planning are horrified by the lack of progress, similar to everyone else. But for us, there’s more. This failure was inevitable due to fatal design flaws. By violating the fundamental principles of our narrow discipline, the UN cannot avoid the unfortunate situation it finds itself in.

Despite the tireless work by thousands of well-meaning people, a slow-moving disaster is taking place in real time.

However, with six years to go between 2023 and 2030, there is a vanishing opportunity to declare victory at the end of the decade. How? Continue reading to understand why a “hard reset” could save the world from disillusionment.

Click here to read the rest of this complimentary issue of the JumpLeap newsletter.

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Creating the Future

Have some people in your company become reaction-machines? In other words, do they run around all day responding to the latest crisis? Deep down, you know they are inefficient, but what can you do to shift to a culture in which the future is created rather than feared?

There is a debate raging within C-suites about the way companies should be led. Some believe that the world has become more VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous.) As such, it’s not possible to plan for the future.

Instead, all you can do is react to the latest disruption. And if you have any energy left over, look ahead…but only for no more than five years. COVID has made this opinion popular.

But I think it’s an excuse.

The opposing point of view is that individuals and companies need a vision of the future.

If you believe in the latter, and prefer to create the future, here are ways to persuade others who feel the activity is a waste of time.

1) You can’t stop creating the future

Fact: in any company, the leadership team is always shaping the future. It may be disjointed, muddled, and hidden from view, but there is a destination being realised with every decision. This can’t be helped.

The only question is, is it being done well or badly?

In essence, a future being realised badly is one that lacks definition, so no-one can put words to it. In fact, two managers might say opposite things when asked. “Survival” may be the only commitment they have in common.

So it’s a free-for-all, with some people playing football while the rest are playing cricket.

As such, there’s a lot of drama, with balls flying everywhere. At the end of the day, when everyone is exhausted, the action stops. Some balls will be near the boundary, others lie in the back of nets, but no-one can tell the score.

Consequently, when good employees sense that the vision is poorly defined, they leave.

2) Things will always change

Another excuse given to avoid planning for the future is that conditions alter too often. Why create another disappointment? Instead, desist from planning because it would only add to a string of prior letdowns.

I think our experience in Jamaica with Vision 2030 is instructive: a country which is “the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business.” Even though governments have changed, and mishaps have occurred, it remains a single point of focus for our citizens.

Even though we have much to accomplish with limited time left, the reality is that it is still our shared goal…whatever comes to pass.

This puts things in perspective, and allows us to lift ourselves from the most recent shooting, drought or political conflict. As a leader, you can also give your workers a sense of purpose.

They need not surrender to the latest drama unfolding in their email inbox.

3) You don’t know how

But perhaps the most salient reason companies get stuck in the short-term is that long-term planning is too hard. It takes too long.

Furthermore, they see the end-product as overly detailed and rigid.

In my firm, we recently began a study of 50 past long-term strategic planning retreats. Based on two decades of experience, I am able to declare that the old point of view is outdated. Fortunately, both short and long-term strategies may be completed together in a few days.

This means that with the right skills, there should be no obstacles.

But don’t take my word for it. Chances are, you belong to an organisation which does not have a 15 to 30-year strategic plan. It could be your place of work, church you attend, or even an alumni group.

Make this practical – gather people together in a meeting to create a big vision, and a multi-year strategy to underpin it. As you engage in the process, follow the steps outlined in my Gleaner columns from February 5, 2023, and November 3, 2019 as guides.

Remember that the point is to inspire your team with the possibility of a breakthrough result.

This exercise will take you one step closer and help reverse the myth that life today is more uncertain than ever. It’s not true. In fact, the end of World War II was more hectic, but it led to the creation of a number of long-term institutions such as the United Nations and World Bank.

Our challenges in 2023 pale in comparison. Take practical steps to give your organisations an inspiring future today. Don’t hold back because you are scared or misinformed.

Francis Wade is the author of Perfect Time-Based Productivity, a keynote speaker and a management consultant. To search his prior columns on productivity, strategy, engagement and business processes, send email to columns@fwconsulting.com.

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Why Rising Executives Sometimes Never Find a Real Mission

Why is it that some fast-rising corporate professionals get stalled on their path to the top position? Or, why do they fail to fulfill their potential when they assume the top role? The answer: sometimes, they neglect to revoke unproductive ways of being that operate behind the scenes. 

There’s an invisible transition that should occur during an executive’s ascent to their ultimate destination:  the big corner office. They work hard – that’s not in question. However, by mistake, they rely on two weak “skills” for too long.

Weak Skill #1. Being Liked
Most of us want to be managed by people we like. Those who are seeking to be promoted quickly learn that being a nice person who gets along with others is a key skill. 

Unfortunately, managing effectively is not the same as running in an election. In the better companies, measurable results are more important than popularity. However, when metrics are hard to come by, likeable people wind up being promoted. It’s only human. In the absence of concrete data “how he/she makes me feel” becomes decisive.

Of course, this can end in disaster. A top executive ends up making decisions that keep his/her likability intact, but are in fact poorly made. By sacrificing results for this lower-level achievement, they put their organization at risk.

Weak Skill #2. Looking Good

The other invisible monster that drives the behavior of would-be executives is that of looking good. It starts in small ways, with the accumulation of tangible goods (house, car, etc.) and the refinement of one’s physical appearance.

Unfortunately, looking good rarely stops there. Eventually, one’s work, team, relationships and other items are added as further objects to defend by the individual’s ego. 

The reason this monster grows so fast is that the real driver behind this skill is a fear of looking bad, or rejection. Executives who are wedded to looking good actively try to control anything or anyone who might be associated with their reputation. They go to great lengths to protect their image, even throwing others under the bus. For example, some managers, driven by this fear, will publicly blow up at an innocent mistake made by a subordinate.

On the flip side, these powerful drivers of individual accomplishment help get individuals noticed by those above them in organizational hierarchies. A few will, in fact, boast they are the true secrets of their “success.”

However, enlightened companies know better. In fact, they quietly track a future executive’s development up the ranks, noticing if or when they made the transition away from these two weak skills. If progress seems slow, they intervene and offer training or coaching, hoping to produce a transformation. Their intent is to develop the following two positive traits.

Strong Trait #1 – Mission and Vision

These smart companies wish to promote employees who care about a wide community of stakeholders. They want to see them grapple to fulfill the combined needs of fellow staff members, stockholders, residents of surrounding neighborhoods, customers, suppliers, regulators, and more. Balancing the requirements of all these groups isn’t easy and future CEO’s should begin to struggle with the dilemma long before being promoted. By the time they are elevated, it’s too late.


Strong Trait #2 – Self-Reflection

Few managers realize that the higher they rise in the company, the less quality feedback they will receive. They may get a greater volume of complaints, but the number of people who understand the help they require to be a top executive and are willing to speak up dwindles sharply. As such, they must develop an ability to coach themselves.

This trait is not a matter of second-guessing. Instead, it has to do with a capacity to accept oneself as a work-in-progress. For example, I have met immature executives who would deny that they ever indulge in being liked and looking good. As they read and comprehend these two weak skills, their mind instantly searches for examples which demonstrate where they have transcended both behaviors.

Unfortunately, this rush to exonerate oneself is actual evidence of the ego in action.

The best executives do the opposite, willingly sharing examples of their struggles to overcome being liked and looking good. They realize that the price of leadership is constant vigilance. These two unwanted ways of being are always there, just waiting to cause trouble in new, hard-to-detect forms.

As a result, they engage in self-coaching and self-reflection with a frequency and honesty that can shock others. But it’s not an idle pastime. They willingly sacrifice their ego’s machinations, using this approach as their main method of staying true to their mission: the accomplishment of a lofty vision which serves all related stakeholders.

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/business/20200112/francis-wade-mission-failure

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When Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals Produce Poor Performance

If you lead an organization you may have asked yourself: what is the effect of setting big goals? Most leaders know that such objectives can be empowering in some circumstances but produce the opposite result in others. If so, some recent research might help the next time you sit down with a subordinate to set performance targets.

The management bestseller “Built to Last” by James Collins and Jerry Porras coined a phrase that is now used widely: BHAG, a “Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal.”

Most Jamaican executives have heard the term in the past and try to use stretch goals to awaken their organization from stale, static patterns. Once enlivened, breakthroughs become possible.

As a result, managers who have accepted the idea, encourage employees to commit to difficult goals.

Some push hard, using the force of their personality to get direct reports to acquiesce. Sales managers, for example, try to inspire their people to leave their comfort zones to accomplish big revenue targets, sometimes refusing to take “No” for an answer. Their occasional success leads them to repeat the tactic as often as they can, especially with fresh recruits.

However, new studies show that there are actually two different kinds of goals which should be set. Gary Latham from the University of Toronto has studied the question for the past three decades, concluding that it’s easy to set goals which end up doing more harm than good. Here are the strategies he recommends to avoid this problem.

Strategy 1 – Create targets which are not too hard, but not too easy
Scientists call it the Goldilocks Effect. The most effective goals need to be challenging enough to get someone’s attention, but not so difficult that they believe it’s impossible and therefore give up. Leaders must calibrate targets carefully.
For example, in the 1930’s, Manley and Bustamante didn’t immediately strive for the objective of complete independence. While they probably saw it as the ultimate objective, they took their time. The Jamaican people were shepherded through a long struggle which started with earning the right to form trade unions. It continued through the formation of political parties and the fight for Universal Adult Suffrage which eventually led to self-rule.
In retrospect, their strategy of taking one step at a time was probably best. It’s a lesson for all managers who want employees to produce extraordinary results, and it happens to be supported by empirical research. Don’t ask for “too much, too soon” or its opposite: “too little, too late”.

Strategy 2 – Distinguish outcomes from learning
In Latham’s work, he further distinguishes between “outcome targets” and “learning goals”. The former relate to end-results, such as a salesperson’s total sales per month. They are easy to understand and define because in the end, measurable accomplishment counts the most in any business.
However, managers are not usually aware of his major finding: outcome targets are only suitable for employees who have mastered their jobs.
By contrast, most employees are still developing critical abilities. His research recommends a different approach for this cohort: the use of “learning goals.” These are defined as targets which are linked to the acquisition of new knowledge or skills. They focus employees on “discovering, mastering, or implementing effective strategies, processes, or procedures necessary to perform a task.”
For example, new salespeople barely understand their product, the market, or required sales tactics. They should concentrate on setting learning goals related to mastering the fundamentals of their specific craft.
Latham’s work shows that managers who fail to make the distinction court failure, producing frustration and anxiety. In the worst case, people end up blaming themselves, then quitting, experiencing a drop in self-esteem. They have no idea that their manager should have explored an alternative.

Strategy 3 – Shifting Expectations
The above finding indicates a level of nuance most organizations don’t realize. Instead, those who employ salespeople often kick off the year with over-the-top “Rah Rah” sessions. They are entertaining but do little more than produce hype.
What’s a better choice if you are a manager? Skip the use of such blunt, short-term instruments, and train yourself to understand the two different kinds of targets. With this skill, you can set learning goals, look for the early warning signs of employee maturity, then shift your approach to targeting outcomes at just the right moment.
If you commit yourself to developing these surgical skills, you won’t get stuck on the one-size-fits-all thinking which permeates companies and demotivates employees. Instead, it may be the key to moving each of your direct reports to higher levels of performance.

Francis Wade is the author of Perfect Time-Based Productivity, a keynote speaker and a management consultant. Missed a column? To receive a free download with articles from 2010-2017, send email to columns@fwconsulting.com