“When it comes to the future,
there are three kinds of people:
those who let it happen;
those who make it happen;
and those who wonder, what happened?"

-John M. Richardson, Jr.

In his book, Visionary Leadership, Burt Nanus discusses approaches that businesses can take to achieve their short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals.  Nanus uses a systemic approach, explaining how everything is connected.  Specifically, he says that successful goal achievement involves not only looking at the organization, but looking at everyone who affects or is affected by what the organization does.  This means taking into consideration the needs and interests of all stakeholders and constituencies.  These include internal customers, employees, external customers, politicians, community leaders, and others. 

Nanus recognizes the value of synergistic thinking and behaviors.  That is, successful supervisors and managers know that organizational goals cannot be achieved unless all employees embrace those goals and make a ‘common link’ with individual goals.  In other words, employee goals are inextricably linked to organizational goals and vice versa.  

Creating a Vision is the first step in the goal achievement process.  Your Vision provides your direction.  It tells you where you want to go.  Once you have your Vision, you then create your action-plan, which includes the strategies you will use to accomplish your goals.  Visionary Leadership Skills are essential for both creating a Vision and Goal Achievement.  And since successful goal-achievement involves all stakeholders and constituencies, everyone must possess these skills.  Consequently, “Leadership Is Everyone’s Business.”

Barbara Brown, Ph.D.