Supporting Another Leader's Vision (Part 2)

Continued from yesterday... There are a number of ways people respond when leaders cast their vision and attempt to enlist them. The following represents a progression from the most negative to the most positive: 2. Ignore It – Do Your Own Thing: Some people may not attack the vision, but they don’t support it either. Instead, they pretend it doesn’t exist and they do their own thing. Leaders cannot do this and still maintain their integrity and effectiveness. One possible example: A manager has an employee who comes to work in clothing that violates company policy. The manager is asked to confront the employee. But the manager does not agree with the policy. This manager needs to confront the employee in a way that supports his leader, despite the fact that he agrees with the employee. 3. Abandon It – Leave the Organization: If the vision violates your principles or doesn’t align to what you value deep down, leaving the organization may be an appropriate action for you. Sometimes that is the best option – to leave with honor. That way, the leader in the middle is neither undermining the vision, nor is he endorsing something with which he cannot agree. However, if the leader leaves for the wrong reasons, he may find himself in a similar situation in his next organization. He should always make sure he is leaving based on his values and not for selfishness, pride, or ego. 4. Adapt to It – Find a Way to Align with the Vision: A good employee finds a way to align himself with the vision of the organization. This can often be the case when an employee is given a task that he does not feel significantly contributes to the company’s vision. Instead of sulking or complaining, he should approach his leader to talk about the issue. Together, they may discover significant ways his job function can add greater value to the organization. Perhaps it is a way to do the task in a more cost efficient manner. This will not only further the cause of the vision, but can also add greater fulfillment to the employee. When the vision of the leader in the middle of the organization doesn’t align with that of top leadership, low job satisfaction is always the result. When the two do align, the opposite is true. If you are in the middle of an organization and struggling to support and implement someone else's vision, Truth@Life can help. Call 248-396-6255 or email me at curtis.songer@gmail.com for a FREE consultation. For more info on help I can provide check out http://truthatlife.com/