Leadership Styles - The Visionary Leader
“Without strong visionary leadership, no strategy will be executed effectively.” ~ Robert Kaplan
This week on Learning to Lead live we covered the last leadership style from Daniel Goleman’s 6 most common leadership styles, the visionary leader. This is one of my favorite styles, but it is also a very challenging one to apply successfully. The full replay of our live discussion is included below, and here is a summary of key concepts:
What is Visionary Leadership?
Daniel Goleman defines visionary leadership as “the ability to take charge and inspire with a compelling vision” and suggests that this type of leadership is best used “when changes require a new vision or when a clear direction is needed.”
Visionary leaders truly understand the big picture and set a long-term path for the organization, often using powerful metaphors, and scenarios of storytelling to ensure buy-in of the vision.
Characteristics of the Visionary Leader:
A leader by nature is expected to be visionary
“To me, a leader is a visionary who inspires others. This definition of leadership has two key dimensions: creating a vision of the future and inspiring others to make that vision a reality”. - Vince Lombardi
An ability to have a clearly articulated vision that aligns with the company’s objective and influences all members of the organization
Charismatic, strong communicator who connects authentically with the team and organization and can motivate large groups of people to do extraordinary things
Sets a vision that excites, stretches, and includes everyone
Examples of visionary leaders: Walt Disney, Gandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Bob Iger
The benefits of this style:
Sets a clear idea of the overall goal that everyone is working towards
Team focus is on what ultimately matters to make the goal a reality
Innovation and creativity are valued and help teams to thrive
There is a willingness to take risks that will push the organization closer to the overall goal, embracing and teaching through failures
There’s a high value in acknowledging each team member’s achievements and making them feel valued
Inspires unity and inclusion
Can be a catalyst for big changes and inspire new ways of thinking and working
Innovators are at their very heart visionaries who also have determination, dedication, passion and motivation. ― Pearl Zhu
Risks with this style:
Can lose sight of the present due to a great emphasis on the future
Vision may be lost if too intertwined with the leader’s personality
Fixation on the vision can lead to other potentially good ideas being tossed aside, or continuous change which can be distracting and unproductive
No objective outlook on the need to either revise or abandon the vision for something better
Team can be easily excited about a project but often loses this momentum because of the lack of follow-through
Vision can be too big or wide to make any real progress
How to use this style:
Create a comprehensive visionary statement with a detailed plan of action to ensure unity of vision and plan to move forward and make it a reality
Meet with the team to create a comprehensive vision statement so that the org has direction. A good vision statement:
Should be no more than two sentences
Describes a unique outcome
Includes clear & simple language that’s easily understood by all
Aligned with the core values of the organization
Identify key players to lead the charge in executing the key pillars of the vision including timelines, objectives, teams responsible, and how to measure success
Be proactive in addressing issues related to the overarching vision before they materialize
Communicate frequently and with transparency, both reiterating the vision and also why pivots may be occurring; use pivots and changes as teaching moments
Develop strong emotional intelligence so you can inspire and connect with others, speaking to what motivates them authentically
Display optimism, confidence, and belief in the vision
Remember, visionary leadership is not just about a vision statement, it’s a style. It’s about how you show up, how you help your team think bigger, remove barriers, and do the impossible. As we have learned these past several weeks, no one leadership style is best. We flex between the styles as the situation requires, but the more that we understand the styles, the more effective we can be at practicing self-awareness and growing as leaders, as well as teaching our future leaders.
Next week we will do a fun exercise applying the leadership styles from Daniel Goleman to pop culture characters. This will be a great way to test our knowledge and better understand each style. Join us live on Saturday from 9:30-10:30 am PT on Clubhouse.
Being a visionary leader is not about giving speeches and inspiring the troops. How I spend my day is pretty much the same as how any executive spends their day. Being a visionary leader is about solving day-to-day problems with my vision in mind. -Bill O’Brien
Listen to the Full Replay
Resources
Leadership Styles discussion and takeaways from a past live Learning to Lead event
The 6 most common leadership styles covered in Daniel Goleman’s book, Leadership That Gets Results
Leadership lessons from Ted Lasso - a part of our discussion was about Ted Lasso as an example of an affiliative leadership style
What is your leadership style quiz - a short quiz to assess what leadership style is
Book Simple Numbers, Straight, talk, Big profits by Greg Crabtree - covers clear and transparent communication
Newsletters I read daily to stay informed and get inspired: The Hustle, Morning Brew Emerging Tech, Atlas Obscura, Oprah Daily
Events
Courage to Lead - April 27: Simon Sinek is teaching a virtual class based on his latest book, Infinite Mindset. In this 25 minutes course, you will learn how to have the courage to lead.
FORTUNE Brainstorm Health 2022 - May 2022: Join the Brainstorm Health community-- a powerful gathering of leaders at the crossroads of business, health care, technology, and innovation.
Future of Work 24 Hours 2022 - May 2022: We want to move from a place of talking about the philosophical aspects of new ways of working to doing it. From theorizing about it to practicing it, to embracing it, experimenting, tweaking. We want the power of perspectives from around the world, from different industries, and different functions to learn and build shared ideas from and with one another. Let's gather to show the power, potential, and beauty of opening a space with very few restrictions to truly capture the wisdom of everyone present.
2022 Leading Entrepreneurs of the World Conference - June 2022: As one of the most comprehensive entrepreneurial events, the LEW Conference features 5 days of virtual business presentations, digital interviews, discussions, and roundtables with the world's leading entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Learning to Lead LIVE
The next Learning to Lead Live event will be on Saturday, April 23 @ 9:30 am PDT. The topic will be shared on Wednesday (April 20) so be sure to subscribe for updates and reminders!
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