A Bigger Vision
Blake was anxious to attend the next meeting with his new CEO friends. He wanted to hear the progress they had made on the talent front.
They met in the same hotel banquet room. DĂ©jĂ vu: each leader once again lamenting the state of talent and sharing the same difficulties he or she had shared in their first meeting. Honestly, Blake was shocked at the lack of progress. Then, it was his turn.
âWeâve been busy. We really are convinced our organization can become a Talent Magnetâa place so compelling, Top Talent will line up to work for us.â
Earl Bannon interrupted and said, âSounds like the youngster has been smoking something they donât sell at the corner store.â A few laughed at Earlâs attempt at humor.
âNot tonight, sir. But I can tell you what weâve been doing. Weâre trying to determine what it takes to build a Talent Magnet.â
âDid you figure it out? Donât keep us in suspenseâIâm not a young woman,â said Mrs. Livingston.
âWell, I think we have.â
âDo any of you know what Top Talent really wants?â Blake asked.
âCash?â someone asked.
âThey do want to be paid a fair wage, but that is not what really excites them, and it is not what will keep them. Top Talent wants three things: A Better Boss, a Brighter Future, and a Bigger Vision. Thatâs what weâre working to give them. The extent to which we are successful in this endeavor will determine our organizationâs success over time.â
Blakeâs brief comments sparked a candid and often heated conversation. There were many questions. Blake answered the ones he could; others, he admitted he didnât know the answersâyet.
âStill sounds crazy to me,â Ed said.
âIâll tell you whatâs crazyâhoping things will get better.â Blakeâs energy ticked up a notch. âHope is not a strategy.
Iâll tell you whatâs crazyâhoping things will get better.
âMy son is sixteen years old. If he were graduating from college today, Iâm fearfulâno, Iâm confident he would not want to work for my company. That is unacceptable to me.
âMy organization needs more Top Talent. Iâm thankful their demands are simple: to be led well, to live with the hope and promise of a better future, and to be part of a bigger vision. We can do this!
âAnd when we do, weâll attract Top Talent from our city, our state, and beyond; weâll create such a compelling force, weâll find men and women from around the world will want to work with us. Thatâs what weâre building.â
At Charlesâs next team meeting, the first item on the agenda was to continue clarifying the components of a Talent Magnet and the leadership behaviors that would make it all real.
âWhatâs next? I guess we should tackle the Bigger Vision today,â Ben suggested.
âSounds good to me,â Kim said.
âHow should we approach this?â Rose asked.
âAny ideas?â Kim turned the question back to the group.
âLetâs go back to the data on this one. There are focus group comments, but the data is clear and, frankly, surprising to me,â Charles said.
âWhy would you say that?â Gary asked.
âHereâs the truth: if you had asked me before we did this research what Top Talent values, I would have guessed that both leadershipâBetter Boss and personal growth, Brighter Futureâwould be at the top of their list. But I would not have predicted that a Bigger Vision would be that important.â
âWhy is it important?â Ben asked.
Kim pulled out the data file and projected it for everyone to see.
As they sat looking at the screen, Ben said, âWho can interpret this for us?ââ
Rose said, âI can. As it relates to this facet of a Talent Magnet, there were two things that stood out when comparing top and typical talent.
âFirst, when asked to rank the factors that would attract them to work for an organization, the mission and values of the organization mattered significantly more to Top Talent than they did to typical talent.
âThe second thing we see regarding the Bigger Vision is that Top Talent wants the opportunity to make a difference. We have interpreted that to mean a difference in the world.â
âYes, the actual question on the survey pertained to âmaking a difference in society,ââ Gary added.
âTop talent has more of a future orientation than their counterparts,â Kim said. âIt comes through over and over again.â
âSo, when we combine these findingsâthe importance of mission, values, and the desire to make a differenceâa Bigger Vision appears to be a good way to represent these ideas,â Rose concluded. âI think Clint and his friends got it right again!â
âDoes this make sense to everyone?â Ben asked.
âI think so. Let me try to play it back a little differently,â Kim said. âTop Talent wants a real connection with their employerâmore than just a paycheck. They want to be part of something with their employer. Thatâs why the mission and values matter to them.
âRight,â Rose said, adding, âThey want a personal resonance with the organizationânot just a transactional relationship.â
âAlso, if youâre a person who wants to make a difference in the world, wouldnât you want to be part of an organization that feels the same way? It feels like an alignment issue to me,â Gary said.
âSo how do we communicate what we just talked about in a few words?â
âIâm struggling a little with how to proceed,â Kim said.
âWhat if we start with the leaderâs role in creating, sustaining, and achieving a Bigger Vision?â Gary asked.
âOkay, who has something to kick us off here?â Kim asked.
âAssuming you already have a vision, which we do,â Peggy began, âI think one of the things leaders do is Ensure Alignment.â
âI think thatâs clear, but say a little more,â Ben probed.
âWell, it seems to me the real power in a vision is harnessing the collective energy of an organization. If everyone is not in sync, you lose a lot of energy, productivity and impact. I think creating alignment is one of the most important things leaders do.â
âAny questions remaining on this one? Can we agree, one of the key leadership behaviors to make the Bigger Vision a reality is Ensure Alignment?â Charles asked.
Creating alignment is one of the most important things leaders do.
Everyone nodded.
âWhat else?â Rose asked.
âHow important is vision to people, really?â Gary asked.
âWell, according to the data, it matters a lot to Top Talent,â Ben said.
âReally? Iâm still not sure. I know, I know, we have the data; but seriously, Iâve worked in places where I never even heard the vision. Honestly, Iâve worked in a few companies that Iâm fairly sure didnât even have one,â Gary said.
âI think youâre on to something,â Charles said.
âI am?â Gary said.
âYeah,â Rose nodded. âA vision is of no value if people donât know it. I think thatâs a candidate for our next leadership behavior.â
âMaybe, but thereâs something more important than knowing,â Ben added. âPeople must feel connected to itâpersonally.â
âWhat about Foster Connection as our second leadership best practice?â Peggy asked.
âI like it,â Rose said. âThank you, Gary, for helping us see that. I would have missed it.â
âWhatâs next?â Charles asked.
âI think thereâs a big idea we havenât discussed yet,â Peggy offered. âI think a Bigger Vision must be far-reaching.â
âIsnât that why we call it a Bigger Vision?â Gary asked sarcastically.
âSure, I get that,â Peggy replied. âBut hereâs what the data indicates: top performers want to make a diffe...