Lessons in IT Transformation: Technology Expert to Business Leader

Aligning Your Vision with the Vision of Your People

Once a vision is created, a leader must take the time and effort to align his or her people behind it. This requires time and energy to communicate the vision, answer people's questions, explain the importance of the vision, and help people understand how the vision impacts them and, more importantly, how what they do impacts the organization's ability to accomplish the vision. People must feel inspired by the vision and see a connection between their roles and their beliefs and the accomplishment of the vision. In order to accomplish this, you must first understand what makes a person tick. I have been fortunate enough to lead a number of teams over the course of my career. Many of these teams went on to accomplish wonderful things (for which I take little credit!). I was once asked by an interviewer how I lead people. My response was that I didn't lead people—I led persons. This is not a matter of semantics but, rather, an important way of thinking of leadership. Each person is a unique combination of talents, hopes, dreams, experiences, and desires. The idea that a one-size-fits-all approach to motivating people will do the trick is simply a lazy approach to trying to find a shortcut to leadership. Each person on your team is wired differently, so it is imperative that you take the time and effort to understand your team members as individuals and to reach out to help them relate to the vision in a way that resonates with them. ...