The One Thing that Distinguishes a Leader

---

Vision is everything for a leader.

JOHN MAXWELL

---

I just read a few days ago that for over 30 years, Harvard Business Review has been asking thousands of executives and board members globally to define success using the "champagne question."

If we were drinking champagne on New Year’s Eve because your organization had just completed an outstanding year, what would have been accomplished?
How would you measure that success?

Coincidentally, in the Purpose-Driven Leadership Program, I ask a slightly different version of that same approach as one of five steps in helping leaders get to the same thing:

Imagine it is 3-5 years from now. Your team has been awarded the ‘Team of the Year’ award.
What are people saying about your team?

A Shared Team Vision
I'm talking about a Shared Team Vision.  Whereas a Shared Team Mission defines your team's purpose or 'why' and values are the underlying beliefs or principles that motivate people to act one way or another, a Shared Team Vision is a statement of what you hope to achieve in the future.  Usually, strategic, project, and/or action plans are created to support and implement that vision.

Why should this be important to you as a leader?
Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, the bestselling authors of The Leadership Challenge and creators of the Leadership Practices Inventory assessment have been asking people around the globe a different question for over 30 years.  “What are the characteristics of the most admired leaders ?”  Respondents are asked to rank order leadership characteristics from a list. 

Four of these leadership characteristics have been selected by more than 50% of the respondents across time, across industries, and from around the world ever since Jim and Barry began their research.  In fact, throughout most of the survey time frame, these four have been selected by more than 65% of respondents.  They are (rank ordered):

• Honest
• Forward-looking
• Inspiring
• Competent

Forward-looking
While all of these characteristics are important for the most effective, purpose-driven, and admired leaders, it is forward-looking that distinguishes a leader.  Anyone can be honest, inspiring, and competent without necessarily being a leader.  Leaders are expected to communicate a forward-looking vision that points the direction, lifts the fog, and quiets the noise and distractions of everyday work life.  A Shared Vision—one in which team members and stakeholders have a voice—enables them to have greater buy-in and to respond with greater focus, and more quickly and safely, in a changing environment.

Another reason this is so important for leaders and their teams also comes from Kouzes’ and Posner’s research.  When direct reports were asked about the frequency of how often their leader displayed a list of leadership behaviors, those key behaviors that characterize a leader as being forward-looking, are consistently rated at the bottom of frequency for the population of leaders at large. 

Leading through meaning and purpose with a Shared Team Vision is one of the most challenging competencies for most leaders.  So, if you're experiencing any challenges around this key leadership competency, you're not alone.

Thankfully, the Purpose-Driven Leadership Program will not only help you get better at it, it will skyrocket your ability to be a forward-looking and a forward-leading leader.  It will walk you through a step-by-step process that will guide you and your team towards painting a compelling picture of the future that drives results.

All of the great leaders of the past have had a great purpose (authentic & inspiring) and got things done (competent) .  They were also all forward-looking; envisioning the future and gazing across the horizon seeing greater opportunities to come.  Join me on this journey of leading with and through meaning and purpose.  Amplify your leadership effectiveness.  Achieve yours and your team's goals and dreams.  Lead with purpose-driven leadership.

---

Have an amazing journey today!

---

Alan Mikolaj is a seasoned coach and leadership development consultant with nearly 20 years of experience.  He is passionate about helping leaders transform their leadership, their teams, and their organizations.  He has an impactful, professional approach driven by a passion for meaning and purpose, a growth mindset, and a commitment to excellence and service in order to drive change and results.

Alan holds his Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology and Associate Certified Coach credential with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and maintains their ethics and standards of behavior, including the standards regarding confidentiality.  You can learn more about them on the ICF website.

Transformational change starts with a conversation!
Alan is on a mission to partner with like-minded leaders who want to make a positive difference in the world.  Schedule your free, one-hour session by clicking here: Discovery Conversation with Alan
Or call or email: Contact Page

---