I noticed a peculiar common thread running through many leaders and companies. There seems to be a shroud of secrecy among the leadership team, a secrecy between each other as individuals, and most alarming, a secrecy from the rest of the employees and even customers. (Building Trust between people and within Teams is another item in recipe for success, and we’ll talk about that later.)
Is it true, that there is a right of passage giving an executive of a company the authority to withhold information from others? So many times, when I have been in the Executive Office, or the Board Room, if I waited long enough, some one said…”remember, none of this leaves this room”. Wow, thats pretty powerful. What was discussed that is so important, that no one else should ever know about it? (Until of course, we can surprise the affected parties and they’ll have no possibility of recourse.)
I think that was also a good and effective strategy for some famous war leaders such as Admiral Spruance, a genius in military strategy and tactics particularly in the Battle of Midway, or General Eisenhower where his strategy for Normandy was brilliant. Or how about Admiral Yamamoto, of the Japanese Imperial Navy? Yes, his Pearl Harbor strategy proved to be very effective. Their shroud of secrecy was so effective, the surprise in their attacks rendered their foes helpless in the end.
But, to make their plans effective, they also had to share them. Obviously there was no intentional sharing with their competitors. However, they had to trust their Team. How could they possibly organize a large scale assault without carefully planning goals and action plans from a Vision? What if General Eisenhower took his Vision of controlling Western Europe to begin the downfall of Germany and kept it a secret with only a few trusted officers. How would they have planned? How would they have prepared? How would they have tested their theories? But in reality, he did share his Vision. He did share quite widely to assist in the preparations. Forces were specially trained. Special vehicles were designed for the amphibious attack. Practice missions were conducted. Some planning failed, but tactical plans prepared them for these breaches of confidential details of their plans. In the end, this shared Vision and leading people through a series of goal oriented projects with accountabilities and shared circumstances, led to the ultimate success.
Now, I am not asking you to prepare your company for battle in the same way as Eisenhower, Spruance, or Yamamoto. But, if we take one lesson from them, what can we learn? How effective can you be, operating within a cloud of secrecy and lack of trust? I am well aware, there are some discussions of very confidential topics that take place for all the right reasons. But in this context, we’re talking about sharing and trusting in your Vision.
Vision means nothing, if you can not share it with others in such a way, that you make everyone want to follow you to success. Perhaps it’s your charisma. Maybe it is how you plan. Some tell me it is about being decisive and being driven to release their strong commitment and persistence to achieve. These qualities of a Rare Leader will be imperative. But first, you must share this Vision you have come to be so passionate about. The Vision you believe in, the Vision that others did not see, was just another foggy day until you were able to open their eyes. Your Team, your employees, and your customers depend on you for your inspired Vision. In short…If you see something that’s possible, it is not a Vision unless you share it with others and empower them to join you on the journey.
If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,
or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,