Too many people in leadership positions have trouble with the "vision thing," as President George H.W. Bush once called it. Boston Globe columnist Joan Vennochi urges Boston Mayor Marty Walsh today to "develop a real vision for Boston's future." It's too bad that presenting a cogent, actionable sense of a shared, strategic destination is painfully elusive for too many leaders today. It's lamentable that even those leaders with crisp, meaningful and well-considered visions remain frustrated that their employees or constituents don't know or understand the vision. Mayor Walsh undoubtedly now regrets sharing with Vennochi that, "What's my vision for Boston for the next 10 years? Who the hell knows? I'm not going to lay out a vision." It's a rookie mistake, and a particularly uninspiring one.
Interestingly, Nicholas Burns' column above Joan's piece today urges President Obama to move from articulating "what we should not do in the world," as he did at West Point recently, to "a clear sense of what we can and must do to fulfill the exceptional nature of America's continued leadership in the world." Indeed, visions must paint an articulate, animating sense of direction that should help every employee or citizen understand where their enterprise is headed, why, and what their roles are in achieving that outcome. Until and unless we move visioning beyond the generic fluff that pollutes most strategic plans, we will continue to hear justifiable laments about the lack of vision.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/06/05/marty-walsh-nice-guy/5AIWRbDxaKG0KPfVc3nkCM/story.html
Interestingly, Nicholas Burns' column above Joan's piece today urges President Obama to move from articulating "what we should not do in the world," as he did at West Point recently, to "a clear sense of what we can and must do to fulfill the exceptional nature of America's continued leadership in the world." Indeed, visions must paint an articulate, animating sense of direction that should help every employee or citizen understand where their enterprise is headed, why, and what their roles are in achieving that outcome. Until and unless we move visioning beyond the generic fluff that pollutes most strategic plans, we will continue to hear justifiable laments about the lack of vision.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/06/05/marty-walsh-nice-guy/5AIWRbDxaKG0KPfVc3nkCM/story.html