100 Miles Ahead of Reality
We are a couple of weeks into the New Year and it's that time again...YOU know it....time to dust off your SWOT analysis....stress test your vision...update your strategic initiatives...and do something ah-mah-zing to delight your customers, partners and colleagues!
In one of my recent blog posts (Sales is Hard...But Meetings Don't Have to Be) I highlighted a couple of sayings that I learned from a former boss. Today we are going to double click into Vision.
100 Miles Ahead of Reality
I always said...
Loz's vision of the future was 100 miles ahead of reality and... if you did even half of what he wanted... it would be 10 times more than he thought was possible (not that he ever told you that)
He is the best example in my life of someone who could inspire a shared vision. It was this gift that was also his Achilles heel. When I met him back in 2004 he was running our International operations from our UK offices. He had executive presence down to a science and was truly one of those people that you knew when he entered a room. He was also very approachable, down to earth, caring and passionate.
Selling the Vision
Having said that...Loz was also on an aggressive journey to get to the top and to be “the man” that single handedly skyrocketed Keane to untold success and riches. To that end, he was masterful at painting a vision of the future that had everyone eating out of his hands. It was that ability to focus on the future and ignore reality that ultimately closed a $367M fixed price deal to implement a micropayment system for the city of Melbourne.
I can still hear the pitch and the story he told of the incredible way this touchless technology was going to transform the world…and our world! It was by far the biggest deal the company had ever won and resulted in a separate company being created in Australia. To be honest…Keane did not have the skills, expertise or capability to deliver on the promises made in the fixed price deal. Loz figured convincing others that he had the vision to do it was hardest part….figuring out how to deliver on it was the BEST PROBLEM anyone could have.
Turns Out Delivery IS Hard
I remember when he won the deal and all the plans he had to involve the Canadian operations as well as the Indian Development Centers to do the work. I was on conference calls from Toronto trying to figure out how we were going to staff up with expertise that we didn’t have (nor did we know if it existed). Loz had created such a compelling vision of the future that it was everyone’s job to figure out how to deliver on it. As it turned out, Canada did not get any part of the contract (we were slated for integration and user acceptance training). At the time it seemed like we were getting a raw deal but in the end it was a blessing that we had nothing to do with the disaster that followed. Loz had sold the deal with no idea how to deliver on it and despite having some really smart people on the project, the end result is that this failed project pretty much brought the government in Melbourne to its knees and crippled a city. Check out an article on it here.
Visionaries Move On Quickly
The other thing about Loz... like most visionary executives...he moved on very quickly to the next BIG thing . His personality profile centered on dominance...quick sound bites and impatience for details. As a result...once he sold a deal or a vision...he was ready to do the next thing while the previous things were in flight. While I am sure he kept an "eye" on what was happening with the Australian deal...he quickly moved on to the next visionary project which was a big acquisition of another outsourcer Caritor. As it turned out...the acquisition "went sideways" and rather than Keane acquiring Caritor it ended up the other way with "the little fish buying the big fish". That acquisition had a BIG impact on my life and career...but that is a story for another day.
In Closing...
I guess you could say that over the years my experience has unconsciously made me a stickler for balancing vision with a healthy dose of reality. Maybe I have pivoted too much from time to time because not everything is a Myki Ticketing System or a sideways acquisition. I will say that I am hyper aware of the size and complexity of projects and when the company needs to rally around a BIG idea versus being able to continuously build on small innovations or wins.
My lesson learned (among the many from my Keane experiences) – is to finish what you start…or at least…make sure what you have started CAN be finished BEFORE you move on to the NEXT big idea or VISION! If YOU don't YOU will spend way too much time...money...resources and energy trying to remediate or mop up from the lack of understanding of what it takes to deliver. Also...don't underestimate the damage to YOUR brand if the VISION doesn't pan out. Timing is everything so find a way to balance the team's time around vision...reality and execution.
Agree?
Leadership Questions of the Week for YOU:
Who is the most visionary leader YOU have ever worked with or for? What are your top lessons learned or mantras you carry with you?
How do YOU balance Vision with Reality or do you believe that we should always separate the two?
Can YOU think of a time when the Vision was "100 miles ahead of reality" and what was the impact on YOU and YOUR organization as a result of that project?
How important is having a plan (and budget) to deliver on the vision?
Is it ok to rally around a team at key moments so they can make big progress or achieve key milestones to accomplish the Vision already in progress BEFORE distracting them with NEW visionary ideas?
Thanks for reading and remember...YOU make a difference!
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