Leadership Skill #2: Finding and sharing your dream
Great leaders inspire us, creating passion and belief through exciting shared dreams and causes about which they have strong convictions.
Do you have an exciting shared dream and a strong cause for you and your team?
This post is to help you develop one, or, if you already have one, to bring it more to life. If you do this well, it will totally set you apart as a leader.
Why? Because unfortunately, we have too many bland professional mangers at the top of big companies (you might work for one!). These professional managers are often stuck in their heads, churning out generic near-term visions and mission statements for their company or department, which have little or no impact or energizing effect on those around them.
What Do We Mean By A Dream?
Defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “a cherished hope or ideal; a fantasy,” the best leaders will have immensely challenging dreams that can eventually move from fantasy to reality.
August 28th will mark the 50th anniversary of the most famous dream speech, made by Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1963 March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom. Significantly, this combined inspirational forward thinking with a grounding in and a nod towards the current reality:
“I can truly face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, but I still have a dream… A world where we are not judged by title and color but by the nature of our character.”
Some of the most talented people are driven by a dream. Michael Jackson’s grand dream also had a foundation in where he was starting from:
“My goal in life is to give the world what I was lucky to receive, the ecstasy of divine union through my music and my dance.”
In the corporate world, dreams are just as valid a source of inspiration. They are really needed by us all, and can especially bring meaning to people who feel trapped in a job or organization.
In China, a whole new generation of entrepreneurs are now free to pursue their economic dreams. Kaifu Lee, Founder of Innovation Works, has become a cult figure. He told me:
For me it’s all about making the greatest impact in one’s life. I try to see which way to make an impact. I think about how the world would be different if I didn’t exist and it’s not by what I do in life, but by what I leave behind.”
Like many other Chinese CEOs, Kaifu has made his own personal fortune and is now thinking about the broader social purpose, China’s role in the world, and making a wider contribution:
“My legacy is that I want to help young Chinese people find their voice or dream (not to be nationalistic, but to realize this is a country where I have a larger influence). I want to help bridge the gap between East and West. Finally I want to make interesting hi-tech things that can be used by anyone.”
Part of you must be in your dream. It must be driven by your deepest motivation and not just end up sounding like another corporate mission statement. Steve Jobs frequently that said that he wanted to “make a dent in the universe through technology innovation”, a personal ambition that he was able to realize through Apple. It’s worth remembering that it was making a dent and great products which drove Apple, not a corporate mission statement.
Walt Disney was possibly an ever bigger dreamer, and had a process to make them come true. He said:
So a dream should bring to life and capture your imagination of what could happen in the future. To take it out of the realm of fantasy, it is important to build a system to turn your dreams to reality. A dream should:
- Be pioneering or very challenging
- Appeal to deeper motivations than just money or winning: your team should be able to see how they can play their part
- Neither be impossible nor too obviously achievable: your team has to be innovative, give their all and do something special to make it happen
- Come with a system or a map on how you might achieve it
Exercise #1: So What Is Your Dream?
Matching Your Dream With A Great Cause
A cause is the reason why you should pursue the dream. It should be the source of your conviction to make it happen.
Some leaders have a very clear and specific cause, e.g. “make air travel cheaper for the general public”. In other cases, leaders are more driven by a particular philosophy: they draw strong conviction from a philosophy for leadership in the way they believe how things should be done.
Richard Branson is a good example of a CEO whose big dream is perfectly complemented by a strong cause. In the foreword to my book ‘The Secrets Of CEOs’, he says, “I have always had the dream that Virgin would one day become one of the world’s most respected brands. As we expand outside of the UK across America, India, Australia, Asia and the Middle East, I feel that dream is getting closer to becoming a reality.” When we think of his daredevil pursuits and private desert island, I think we can safely add that living a dream life is also core to Sir Richard's vision.
So far so good, and lots of companies would like to be among the world’s most respected, but why? Richard has very successfully attached a strong cause to Virgin that has made it a true “challenger brand”. He has aimed to stake up established industries and make things better for customers, with greater quality, innovation, value for money and a sense of fun. “I love tackling lazy industries,” he said, and frequently positioned himself as “the people’s champion” as he went about challenging the music, airline, financial, rail, bridal and now space industries. This challenger cause is a rallying cry that inspires both his employees and customers alike.
BP’s mission statement says that, “We help the world meet its growing need for heat, light and mobility. We strive to do that by producing energy that is affordable, secure and doesn’t damage the environment.” It is laudable that looking after the environment is part of the cause of a big oil company, but when it fails to deliver on it, as BP did so publicly with the Gulf Of Mexico disaster in 2010, it really damages a company’s reputation.
An even more emotive cause is Google’s motto “Don’t be evil”. This really captured people’s imagination, particularly in the early days, reassuring customers as they agreed to let Google scan the content of their messages so that they might receive targeted ads within Gmail. There are times when Google can really be seen to have lived its cause, as when it chose to withdraw from mainland China rather than accept onerous government restrictions and give up the search histories and personal details of dissidents and protestors. The challenge is that this almost self-flagellating motto can set a very high standard that has to continue to be met on daily basis, even as the company gets bigger and more global. Chairman Eric Schmidt has had defend Google against the “don’t be evil” standard as he has sought to explain the company’s controversial corporation tax arrangements.
As mentioned above, your cause can also be a philosophy. JetBlue’s mission is “to bring humanity back to air travel” and its brand strapline is “You above all.” Its employees are central to this cause and must play their part in bringing it to life. It seems to be working, and in June 2013, JetBlue was awarded its ninth consecutive customer satisfaction honor by J.D. Power & Associates.
Henry Engelhardt, founder & CEO of Admiral Group, a British motor insurance company, also put happiness and an employee and customer focus at the heart of his cause:
“ People who like what they do, do it better. Happy staff will create happy customers, happy customers will increase profit and increased profit will make happy stakeholders. Happy stakeholders will want to grow the business and the circle starts again.”
So these are some examples of a strong cause, which have resonated at some of the world’s biggest companies. How can you be sure that your cause is appropriate and that it’s going to work for you and your team?
There are four tests of a cause:
Exercise #2: Conviction & Belief
Can I Have A Dream & Cause If I’m At The Middle Or Bottom?
Offsite “dream days” in grand locations sound great, you may say, but what if I’m not a CEO or in the executive team at my organization?
The good news is that if you have any people who work with you, in a team, departmental business unit or function, be it IT, finance or operations, then yes, you can have a shared dream and a cause.
Remember that dreams begin with you, and then depend on your passion and energy to share them and make them happen. So start with your team. Then go to your line manager to bring them on board by sharing your shared dream and cause.
If you feel that you’re not being heard, or indeed, if the ideas which are coming out of the process are working and could have a wider application, start to engage the senior people in your organization. Speak to the people above you, and ask them candidly, “Could you please explain how your future vision/mission is relevant to me? Why should I be interested?” Also ask, “What would you love to create here? Why is it so important?”
If they struggle to respond, you can then share with them your thoughts, and your own dream for your team, your department and the wider company. You can start to influence your boss, and their boss’s boss. If your ideas are good, and you set it up right, then people may be surprisingly receptive, and bring you in on the project. Be prepared to pitch in to get things moving, asking them, “How can I best help?”.
Homework: Create An Experience With Your Team To Create A Shared Dream & Cause
Learning Recap
So, by now you will have built the trust foundation (Leadership Skill #1) and you will have mastered Leadership Skill #2 alongside your team, creating:
- A shared dream (what you would all love build together)
- Conviction around a shared cause (why this is really important to you)
- The passion, energy and will to make it happen
If it gets tough, remember the words of Martin Luther King Jr.:
“I can truly face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, but I still have a dream.”
In the next postings in this exclusive series of the 12 Leadership Skills, I will focus on how to be a leader in your own way and also how to deal with difficult and dysfunctional people.
Do follow me here on LinkedIn to ensure that you receive the other 10 parts in this weekly leadership skills series.
Over To You
I would love to hear more about your dream and causes. Do you have a really strong shared dream and cause that is spurring your company and team on to great things? Or does your company have a really poor “management speak” mission statement that is ridiculed or ignored?
*COMPETITION* I will be awarding a signed copy of my book ‘The Secrets Of CEOs’ to the most inspiring dream and cause – and another copy to the worst one. Please share them below in the comments section by Friday August 23rd, or if they are just too embarrassing or politically sensitive, send them to [email protected] with ‘Dream & Cause Competition’ in the subject line. Good luck and I look forward to hearing from you!
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By Steve Tappin
Chief Executive, Xinfu, Host BBC CEO Guru & Founder, World Of CEOs
Steve is a personal confidant to many of the world’s top CEOs. He is the host of BBC ‘CEO Guru’, which features in-depth, on-the-record interviews with the CEOs of General Electric, Lenovo, WPP, China Vanke, Wholefoods and Unilever.
Founder Of WorldOfCEOs.com, Steve is the author of ‘The Secrets Of CEOs’, which interviews 200 CEOs on business life and leadership. His latest book, ‘Dream to Last’, was published in Mandarin in December 2012, by Beijing University Press, and will be released in English later this year.
To receive Steve’s weekly ‘CEO Insider’ email, sign up at:
Superintendent at Berea Community Schools
10 年Be resilient, open-minded and courageous. The manner in which you approach your goals will determine how far you go in achieving them. To transform dreams into reality set the bar high, focus your time and energy wisely. Be prepared for disappointment along the way. Never give up while working collaboratively with others to achieve your goals. Today’s opportunities are the result of expectations and predictions of achievements created by those who refused to give up on their dreams.
Excellent article. I believe that our dreams and goals not only inspire us and help us get through the rocky times (they sadly still exist), but our belief in our dreams, and our ability to achieve them, is subconsciously communicated to our families, friends and mostly importantly the children in our lives. Watching those around us build their strength of character and self-conviction, and their dreams, tells me that the most important part of "having a dream" is that dreams are contagious.
Ritch & Dawbarn/Whitecharcoal Ltd JV
11 年I couldn't go in to the compete as I got this post after the date line ended. However, it's been inspiring. I am stucked with the fact that dreaming isn't enough. The conviction to the cause and the passion to see it to reality inspite of all the vageries of life circumstances is it.
C- suite Coach for Communications Skills & Career Progression
11 年MLK's speech works because he personalises his mission ("my four little children"), uses repetition ("I have a dream" x2 in the same sentence, and above all employs the power of the pause. There are a full 4 seconds between saying "I have dream" and then continuing with his speech. Powerful stuff!!