CHAPTER 4

THE IMPORTANCE
OF VISION AND THE
MOTIVE TO LEAD
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Know Know the role of vision for leadership success

Describe Describe how a leader creates and implements a powerful vision

Understand the importance of alignment prioritization and

Understand
execution

Know Know your motive for assuming the tasks of leadership

When a leader wants to make
a difference and strives to
create a thing that never was
before

VISION, 1
The most important function
of a leader is to develop a
clear picture of the future and
secure commitment to the
ideal
 VISION, 2 Henry Ford’s leadership began with a
vision

His strategy for success

A moving Paying
workers Vertical
assembly fair wages integratio
line n

© McGraw-Hill Education
 VISION, 3
Leaders:

Must have intensity,

stamina, energy, and
vitality

Have deep
convictions
and passion

Are seen as animators

© McGraw-Hill Education
 FIGURE 4.1: ORGANIZATIONAL SUCCESS

© McGraw-Hill Education
Suggests future orientation

Implies a standard of excellence

Has the quality of uniqueness and is

an image of what could and should be

Leaders must ask a few questions to test his VISION AS

or her vision
AN IDEAL
Is this the right direction?

Are these the right goals?

Is this the right time?

 LEADER AS VISIONARY AND
MOTIVATOR, 1
Leaders must have:

• Positive and future-focused goal or vision

• Clarity of purpose
• Constancy of effort

Noel Tichy and Mary DeVanna found that

successful leaders use the following steps to help
employees adapt to change:

• Act 1: Recognize the need for change

• Act 2: Create a clear and positive vision
• Act 3: Institute empowering structures
and processes

© McGraw-Hill Education
 LEADER AS
VISIONARY AND
MOTIVATOR, 2
In a major study, the Forum Corporation identified
the leadership characteristics needed for change

• Taking personal responsibility for

initiating
change

• Creating a vision and strategy for

the organization

• Trusting and supporting others

© McGraw-Hill
 KEY FINDINGS OF THE
FORUM STUDY
• Leadership is important from the
board room to the shop floor

• Positions and titles have little or

no
relationship to leadership performance

• Without leadership, organizations falter in

times of change
• Organizational involves
leadership
interdependence more than individualism

• Leaders inspire others to take on the tasks

of leadership

• Leadership is contextual
Initiate and provide constant vigilance by
leaders

Be challenging, yet realistic

Seek significant early involvement by other

members of the organization

Encourage widespread review and comment

VISIONING
PROCESS
Keep communication flowing PRINCIPLE
Allow time for the process to work
S
Demonstrate commitment, follow-through, and
concurrent action by leaders

Maintain harmony of subunits

 KEY ELEMENTS
OF AN OVERALL
VISION, 1
Central purpose or mission

• Broad goals to achieve the mission

• Core values to measure the rightness or

wrongness of behavior

• Stakeholders and what the attainment of the

vision will mean to them

• Analysis of the organization and its

environment, including internal Strengths and
Weaknesses, as well as external Opportunities
and Threats or SWOT

© McGraw-Hill Education
 KEY ELEMENTS OF AN
OVERALL VISION, 2

STRATEGIC initiatives OR CRITICAL Tactical plans and specific

Success factors assignments to support strategic
initiatives, broad goals, and
attainment of the mission

© McGraw-Hill Education
 Elements 1 through 4: Provide general direction
for the organization
Elements 5 and 6: Involve strategic planning
Element 7: Projects and activities that implement
strategy
VISIONING
An important goal in the SWOT analysis is to
identify core competencies in the form of special
CONTENT strengths the organization has or does
exceptionally well
PRINCIPLES
Another goal is to identify opportunities in the
environment that the organization can act upon
 FIGURE 4.2: SWOT ANALYSIS

© McGraw-Hill Education
 VISIONING APPLICATION PRINCIPLES, 1
Honor and live Honor and live the vision as the organization’s constitution

Encourage new-member understanding and commitment

Encourage
through early introduction

Make Make it constantly visible

Create Create integrity through alignment and congruency

Reinforc Reinforce employee behavior that supports the vision

e

Review the vision periodically, revising as appropriate to

Review
reflect changing conditions

© McGraw-Hill Education
 VISIONING APPLICATION
PRINCIPLES, 2

To be effective, a Guidelines to achieve Agreement on

vision must be the objective are direction and
tailored to each process, content, and commitment to
organization application principles succeed is required
IMPORTANCE OF
ALIGNMENT

Sam Walton of Walmart

•Aligned resources to support his stores

Ray Kroc of McDonald’s

• Aligned processes to deliver service, quality, value, and

cleanliness

Attainment of a vision requires integrity through alignment

and congruency
 WHY CREATE A VISION?

Significant vision Image of the future is A nation with vision is

precedes significant shared by leaders enabled, and a nation
success and followers without vision is at
risk
 REQUIREMENTS FOR AN
EFFECTIVE VISION
First: Vision must be developed by leaders, those individuals
Be with the strength and influence to establish direction and
mobilize the organization

Second Second: Vision must be communicated to followers and must be

supported by them

Third: Vision must be comprehensive and detailed, so that

Be every member of the organization can understand his or her
part in the whole

Be Fourth: Vision must be uplifting and inspiring

© McGraw-Hill Education
 SOCIAL Power: Desire to influence,

MOTIVES give orders, and carry

them out

TO LEAD, 1
Achievement: Need to
create build
and
something of value

Affiliation: Interest
in helping others

© McGraw-Hill Education
SOCIAL MOTIVES TO LEAD, 2

Power-oriented: Achievement- Affiliation: Leaders

Leaders focus on oriented: Leaders focus on human
organizing focus on creating relations
 SOCIAL MOTIVES
TO LEAD, 3

• An individual will prefer one or two social

motives over the others

• People exert leadership to satisfy one or a

combination of these three motives

• As either leader or follower, a person will be

most happy and productive in a situation that
allows the expression of personal social motives

© McGraw-Hill