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“The scarcest resource for today’s business leaders is no longer just land, capital or human labor, and it certainly isn’t information. Attention is what’s in short supply..” - Thomas H. Davenport and John C. Beck, “The Attention Economy: Understanding the New Currency of Business” (Harvard Business School Press, 2001)
In other words, it’s not about managing time effectively, its about managing attention….! In the book “Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge” Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus discuss the practice of managing attention through vision.
The management of attention through vision is about the creation of focus. Leaders are results-orientated people, they know what they want, they’re committed and focused on outcomes. It’s this intense focus and commitment to results, draws people to them. Effective leaders have a clear vision of the future. A clear vision guides effective action as it provides the all important bridge from the present to the future. Vision provides the necessary focus required to limit distractions and drive meaningful action. The intensity of the leaders vision coupled with the high levels of commitment in making the vision come to pass, creates a powerful force of momentum that draws people into the flow. It’s this passion and commitment dynamic that grabs attention.
This vision becomes shared by the organisation and drives action as Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus state that…
“A shared vision of the future also suggests measures of effectiveness for the organization and for all its parts. It helps individuals distinguish between what’s good and what’s bad for the organization, and what it’s worthwhile to achieve. And most important, it makes it possible to distribute decision making widely. People can make difficult decisions without having to appeal to higher levels in the organization each time because they know what end results are desired.”
Vision is central to leadership success, without it leaders and their teams are flying blind!
- Do you have a clear vision of your future?
- Does your team understand and share this vision?
- Are all your plans and actions aligned behind this vision?
Technorati Tags: Vision ,Attention, Focus, Priority, Action, Execution, Management, Leadership, Business
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I think you nailed it when you said the following: “Vision is central to leadership success, without it leaders and their teams are flying blind!” I cannot stress enough how important a vision is to the success of the leadership process. Without a strategic vision, you don’t know where you are going or how you intend to get there. And, how do you expect to influence others to buy-in to your vision when you don’t even have one? Good points.
Indeed vision and focus are essential leadership skills. In addition, the leadership challenge is developing followers as partners in a shared vision. The highest form of leadership is helping a team or group find it vision and focus.
tom@leadingtoserve.com