Are You Leading By Vision or Sight?

Are you willing to take short term struggles, or even failures to achieve your vision? As a leader if you reach a point you can see the outcome, the end result you are now in the position where the leading is done and managing to completion is the process.

I compare leadership and management to the process of flying with leadership being under IFR or instrument flight rules. You cannot see your destination or the barriers (other aircraft) around you but you are constantly scanning the environment, your instruments calculating where you are, what attitude and altitude you are in – you can envision the outcome….this takes leadership.

As you get close to your destination the end result can be seen this is where the pilots have the opportunity to manage their flight differently, they can see the target so they leave the IFR process and flip to the VFR or visual flight rules they will proceed by sight.

True leadership needs that individual or better yet like flying the airplane the team of individuals giving constant course corrections to achieve the end result a safe landing. Consider the fact that in a true IFR flight the pilot (leader) will be supported by the co-pilot, and other flight crew, the air traffic controllers and even information form other aircraft crews – the team is huge. Once visual flight rules are possible, the pilot can see the target and control the aircraft to a safe landing.

In today’s world there is far too much time lying in the clouds without ground reference where teams need to be lead by a leader with experience in instrument flight working with the team of controllers and flight crew.

Leaders who fail to grow and develop themselves or their teams will be flying using visual flight rules in the clouds and potentially over dangerous terrain risking the running out of fuel or hitting a barrier where your vision is knocked off the radar screen.

Are you, your team or organization moving toward the vision? Are you leading or managing?

#leadership #leadershipdevelopment #leaderscan #team