Becoming the Vision Leader: Part 1 – Be Clear

Leading an organization, new venture, or small business requires one critical element—a leader. Not just any leader; it must be someone with vision and the skill to direct that vision into reality.

After consulting with hundreds of business owners over the past 17 years, I’ve been astounded at the lack of vision that exists in companies. Oh, I hear lots of dreams, but I seldom come across people with real vision. My primary goal was to help those businesses get clear on what they were trying to build.

It takes vision to grow a concept from idea to a multi-million dollar enterprise. Vision is the ability to see the picture simply and clearly against its realities. Then you have to be able to communicate that vision is a way that others can clearly see and believe.

The realities of your market cannot be overlooked. When you have a dream, it is easy to say to yourself that my dream will materialize no matter what. The world wants your widget. I remember showing one of my mentors a product idea I had and asked if he thought it was a good idea; he simply stated, “Do people buy that kind of stuff?”

I walked by a rack of calendars and saw one titled Depresories. I had to laugh at one of the photos that had a man with his head stuck in a haystack with a caption that read, “PERCERVERANCE – When you’re too dumb to quit.” If the idea is bad, get rid of it. If the market doesn’t want your product, stop trying to sell it to them. You’ll go broke if you persist.

A successful vision is fastened to an objective (verb), not a tangible (noun).  For example, “My Company will teach 40 million illiterate people in third-world countries to read,” Verses, “Forty Million people will purchase my reading software in third-world countries.”

In the first instance you have a clear vision that has a clear objective. In the second, you are assuming that your product is the solution to the objective. In most cases you will be sorely disappointed and really broke. In the first example, you have flexibility to discover a true solution. In the second example, you are fixed in your solution, committed to a result that may not be realistic.

Vision is the way you are looking, not the shoes you are wearing, or the path upon which you are walking. Companies will go the direction they are looking, but the shoes may wear out or may not be appropriate for the path and the path you are on may not be the best one.

As the leader of your business, you must develop a clear vision. You must know what you want to accomplish—the result, not the means. To practice becoming a vision leader, look at the problems that need to be solved and write down the world as you see it with the problem solved (not how you are going to solve it—how the world is, as a result of the problem being solved). This is the first step in beginning to clearly describe your vision to others.

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The Next Structural Change, The End of Wal-Mart

The other day, I went into a Wal-Mart store to make a purchase. Why do I go there? Because it’s cheap!

“I wonder how you ever overcome this model,” I thought. “This and franchising have to be the end-all of innovation! The crescendo! It will overcome eeeeverrrryyything (insert wicked laugh)!”

As I looked around, I was observing the loads and loads of useless crap lining the isle ways. You know… the six colors of dumb stuffed animals, trinkets, and things… the kind of stuff no one would ever buy if they didn’t see it.

While observing, the thought came to me, “I wonder how much of this junk is never purchased?” Then I thought what a massive amount of waste must occur. Then the shift: THIS CAN’T BE SUSTAINABLE!

As I pondered this thought, thinking about human behavior and inserting the innovations and public discussions that have transpired over the last few years, I started to see a picture of a very different world—a world that is not overrun with franchises and big box stores. It is the next revolution: One-demand production.

Could you imagine the retail footprint disappearing? It’s a hard picture to imagine when a big part of our life is fighting traffic to go to the store.

Picture this: the new consumer purchasing model begins online. You order what you need and want (no more cheap garbage and no more waste). State of the art facilities, located all over the world, each specializing in specific products produces your items. Then a revolutionary distribution model rapidly distributes every order over night.

Here are some things that have begun to happen that illustrate this change: 1) The saturation of Internet search and ordering; 2) the advent of digital delivery and on-demand book printing; and 3) the awareness, limited supply of, and frustration with fossil fuels and its effect on environment and health. I even saw a company that can deliver on-demand vitamins based on your specific needs (mass customization).

What would we do with all that new free time? If our focus was shifted off of consumption, what would we do? Would we focus on Greater Causes and Higher Purposes? I don’t know. Maybe it would cause more wars with all the bored people standing around! In either case, the change will come. Maybe not in my lifetime, but it will come.

States Make Declarations of Sovereignty

Pushing the constitutional envelop seems to be in the air with our new Washington occupants. To make matters worse, 9 States have felt compelled to make declarations concerning states rights and the upcoming social agenda. It’s probably a time to take personal responsibility to monitor the activities of the federal government closely to avoid dissolving a great Union.

The reckless financial miss-management by our elected officials and radical changes in political philosophy could easily erode our world power status. Remember that the USSR dissolved essentially by becoming bankrupt.

The business lesson here is to note that you cannot make radical changes to an operating business system and survive. It’s one of the fundamental principles in business management. If you want to kill a company, make a radical shift. I never cease to be amazed that we would elect people with absolutely no business acumen or understanding to run and influence the largest business organism on the planet.

Here are the links to the individual states declarations:

Washington
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?year=2009&bill=4009

New Hampshire
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2009/HCR0006.html

Arizona
http://www.azleg.gov/Formatdocument·asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/1r/bills/hcr2024p.htm

Montana
http://data.opi.mt.gov/bills/2009/billhtml/HB0246.htm

Michigan
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(21rmjiv1sl0wvw55yxurwl55))/documents/2009-2010/Journal/House/pdf/2009-HJ-01-22-002.pdf

Missouri
http://www.house.mo.gov/content.aspx?info=/bills091/bills/HR212.HTM

Oklahoma
http://axiomamuse.wordpress.com/2009/01/07/state-legislator-charles-key-wants-to-limit-federal-power/

Hawaii
http://www.hawaii-nation.org/

http://halturnershow.blogspot.com/2009/02/something-big-is-happening-9-us-states.html

If No One Heard You, You Never Said It

If no one heard you, it was never said.

It doesn’t matter what you say, it only matters what was understood; therefore, our unintended intentions are often conveyed.

Executive Excellence therefore is the mastery of delivering precise understanding.

Improve Your Follow-up

It’s said that 48% of sales people never follow-up on a lead. But wait… it get’s worse. Twenty-five percent make 2 contacts and stop. Twelve percent make 3 contacts and only 10 percent make more than 3 contacts.

Why is this important? Watch my short video newsletter message to find out the answer.

Watch now at: http://www.edgesuccess.com/ExcellenceEdge/Video_ImproveYourFollowup.html

Your Behavior Affects Your Results

A group of kittens graced our farms in Wisconsin and naturally captured the hearts of my daughters. I noticed that each kitten had a distinct personality… kind of freaky human like if you know what I mean. Some were curious; some were friendly; and some would hide and hiss.

There was one kitten that was particularly cuddly. She was always seeking your attention. She loved to be held and would purr lavishly when you carried her around. It was no mystery which kitten became the favorite. Great efforts were made to befriend the scaredy cats — efforts that often resulted in scratches and blood. Soon, they would be forgotten.

The kittens were largely identical. Each was the same size, equipped the same, and was born in the same place. The only thing different was their individual behavior that determined what the world would give them.

What result is the world giving you? There is a lot of emphasis on “just being yourself;” however, certain fundamentals of personal excellence will determine your result. A smile verses a frown will immediately impact the reactions others will give you. Sharp dress verses casual, sloppy dress causes others to make a judgment about you.

Little habits, personality traits, and appearances greatly impact your personal results. Take time to master elements of etiquette and pay special attention to how others react to your behavior and dress. If it isn’t what you want, then look to make some changes.

Automate Your Marketing; Learn to Leverage!

As a small business owner… o.k… as any business owner, one principle that cannot be ignored if you plan to grow is that of Leverage.

Leverage, simply stated, is the use of time, tools and resources that magnify your power beyond your own ability. You cannot expect to progress economically without Leverage.

Consider this: I estimate that your personal efforts can produce between $15,000 and $120,000 annual personal income. If you work for someone, you are providing a function in a larger Leverage System. Your personal efforts with you in control of applying the leverage can produce between $50,000 and $500,000 annually, which ironically is the range of revenue for over 90% of small businesses.

To cross into the Million-dollar annual revenue mark must be accompanied by serious Leverage of people, capital, and automated processes.

All revenue to an organization comes through Marketing and Sales. By my definition, Marketing is the process of doing business. To create profitability, you must have sales volume. With sales volume you can manage expenses to profitability.

To illustrate this concept, imagine your business like the engine of a car. The engine must be carefully organized to allow the process to rapidly repeat itself. Fuel is provided, the ignition occurs and the effects of automated Leverage result.

In your business, you must build a Marketing Machine that can generate a volume of qualified leads for your Sales Engine to process. You do not have enough personal capability to produce and process leads to cash fast enough.

For further insight into how to automate your Marketing and Selling process, I wish to refer you to a stellar system that I personally use in my companies.

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