Leader to Leader

We can all probably agree that we didn’t expect the pandemic to be affecting our professional and personal lives as we near the beginning of 2022.

Most organizations today seem to have a vision and mission statement. The question is: Do they truly have a vision of what they aspire to be.

Every company wants and plans for growth, but when their offering verges on the ho-hum or borderline irrelevant, they usually need a group behind them whose culture and structure can create something new and better for their customers and marketplace — now!

On June 2, the day the mask mandate was lifted for Dane County, I did something I haven’t done in over a year — I went grocery shopping without a mask!

I have a colleague in Canada who shared the following story with me. He talked about a very successful businessman who used to be part owner and CEO of a large company.

Of all the topics in management, leadership, sales, and team training, one of the most challenging to truly grasp is the subject of motivation. Part of the reason is the lack of a fundamental understanding of the meaning of “motivation.”

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to listen to hundreds of speeches ranging from the ho-hum to the incredibly inspirational. Regardless of the quality of the speeches themselves, one thing that is fairly consistent is the quality — or lack thereof — of the speaker introductions.

With all that has happened since early last year, the need to pivot, to sell new ways of doing business, and to survive and thrive has never been greater.

Sound goal setting always starts out with an almost magnetic vision of what the future should look like. When I say magnetic, that future vision should be powerful enough to pull you in its direction, in spite of whatever obstacles present themselves.

In this season of giving thanks, it will probably be tough for many to be thankful after the last eight months — and who knows how many more — of the coronavirus.