Lessons in IT Transformation: Technology Expert to Business Leader

Making the Vision Real for People

In order to make a vision real for people, they must feel a part of the movement. As a leader, it is imperative that you work with people to help them understand the vision, feel a connection to the vision, and feel a real sense of ownership for the attainment of the vision. Perhaps the most important thing you can do to accomplish these objectives is to help incorporate the vision in a person's daily life.

This has two aspects. The first is to work with individuals to craft their objectives and deliverables in such a way as to have a connection to the overarching objectives associated with the vision. Let's look at an example. If part of the vision is to drive new revenue opportunities, you must help the person understand how what they do on a daily basis supports this objective, either directly by driving revenue or indirectly by supporting the people responsible for driving revenue. The other thing you must do is make the person feel a part of the larger team and a part of achieving the vision. One approach I have used is to have key executives at my staff meeting to explain what they do, how it ties to the vision, and how the work my team performs supports them in this endeavor. This has a number of positive benefits. It helps educate my team on what these leaders are focused on. It helps them see a connection between the work they do and the achievement of the leaders' objectives. Perhaps most importantly, it makes people feel a personal connection ...