Our culture seems to accept that it is important to “plan for the future”. By planning, you can adjust your path and identify needed resources.   

Nike says to just “do it”. Action or execution makes things happen. Consultants talk about a “bias towards action” as an element of successful organizations. Our sound bite and advertising culture attempts to pluck at our feelings and cause emotions so we will purchase an idea, product or service. Tweeting attempts to grab us to push us to a website. 

All of the above elements are important parts to running a great organization. Organizations have a tendency to be very good at the Vision, the Emotion or the Execution part of the recipe, but miss out on the need for the other key elements. Or, they get the mix right for a time and do not adjust it along the way. The right ingredient is needed at the right time. In the same way, to run a great organization, you need to have the right elements in the right mix. If you are missing an element, your organization will fail to produce optimal results.  

Mistake #1:  Vision without Execution is Hallucination
After being in business 25+ years, we have seen a number of leaders with great dreams and plans.  Every year we hear about what is going to happen. It all sounds good. The difference between now and 25 years ago is that their people are tired of hearing what they heard over and over again every year. The day-to-day tasks are the same. The organization, the team and the individuals may be incrementally improving, but the job is essentially the same one in the same field with the same customers, the same suppliers and the same goals. Your organization begins to lose the best people. No longer can you take advantage of the best opportunities. The culture begins to doubt what is being said. It’s a vision too far away since there appears to be no progress. It is only a mirage! Everyone is dying of thirst in the desert! Worse yet, fear is on the horizon as the world continues to change more swiftly than your organization changes. 

Mistake #2:  Execution without Vision is Chaos
Some leaders are busy doing, doing and more doing. The team is busy at work with their heads down accomplishing tasks. If they took a step back to watch what they were doing, they might realize they were being tactical. In fact, they might notice different members of the team were going in different directions altogether and pulling against each other. They have been wasting energy doing and undoing pieces of each other’s work. While it may feel like progress is being made, it results in wasted energy, time and money. When a big problem or opportunity approaches, they do not understand why they can’t solve the problem or utilize the opportunity since they are all working so hard. An outsider looking in would say, “This seems to be much ado about nothing!”

Mistake #3:  Vision without Emotion Reinforces Inertia
We are all already going somewhere. Not changing our course is deciding to continue on that same path. While a well crafted vision may logically sound better, without emotion, feeling,  heart, soul, resonance, etc. it simply feels easier for your audience to allow inertia to continue moving them in the direction they are already headed. “It looks better over there” at the vision, but the feeling is “why not stay here a little longer”. Without the emotion to motivate us toward a logically better vision, we will not get out of our old habits or try new ways in order to risk making that next big step that needs to occur. Since it does not feel better being “there” than “here”, you end up with similar results to Mistake #1. You end up doing what you have always done, which means you and your team just get more of the same!

Mistake #4:  Emotion without Vision is Venting
If we simply use emotion, then we create feelings in those around us. Much like the explosion of a bomb, there is no focus, no direction, no destination…only energy moving outwards and creating a movement outward and away from you. While it may feel better to you that you shared your feelings (regardless of how everyone else feels about it), it does not create clarity of actions, direction or destination. It has no thoughtful target. Maybe you took a good first step if you are not used to sharing, but you quickly need to share the destination with your partner, team, family or organization (your audience). If you do not, you have wasted your time and energy, and that of your audience. After a while, those on your team will get used to watching you “explode” with positive or negative feelings. It may be interesting to watch, but does not efficiently focus energy in the right direction. 

The Comprehensive Independence Builder 

If you are interested in learning more about the right mixture of Vision, Emotion and Execution and the tools that that can help you avoid mediocrity, please contact us. 

You may also wish to learn more about our unique process for leaders called The Comprehensive Independence Builder^TM, in which we address all of the obstacles you face and help you use innovative strategies to protect and enhance your organization, improve your quality of life and better achieve your goals.  

To schedule your Independence Exploration Session or for more information on our platform, please contact us at 800-786-4332 ext. 108, or dhadley@appliedvisionworks.com.