Leaders create a vision for others to
follow
On May 25,
1961, John F. Kennedy stood before Congress and proclaimed “This nation should
commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man
on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” He did not say we
would like to; nor did he say it would be a worthwhile project to
look into; nor did he say we will try to
accomplish. John F. Kennedy stated the USA would complete this task by the end
of the decade. He spoke confidently creating a vision, he made others believe
would happen and then he told them when it would happen.
Leaders create visions for
others to believe will happen and then the followers make his vision happen.
The “HOW” is easy when you have a “WHY.”
When the speech was made,
NASA had just been created. Even more remarkable, the USA had not been able to
launch any type of rocket of any size without it self-destructing.
But, at the time the USSR
was far ahead of the USA in the space race and John F. Kennedy needed to do
something to get things moving forward. And fast. He needed to mobilize the
entire country on a single-focused event, which was tangible, measureable, and
understandable by every American. Nothing motivates people like competition.
Which is just exactly what JFK did, he threw down the challenge to the rest of
the world, including what the USA was going to do and when. Great leaders
confidently provide a vision; they are smart enough to allow others, who
possess the specific talents and skill with the freedom and creativity to
figure out HOW the actual project will be accomplished.
JFK did not talk about what
type of rocket booster would be used, nor did he explain in details. He didn’t
create the idea of stages of development through separate programs such as
Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. He had no idea HOW it was going to
happen, which was up to the scientists, engineers, and business people. What he
gave Americans was a clear vision of WHAT needed to be
accomplished and WHEN. Leaders are good at motivating their
followers toward a common goal and keeping them focused to achieve that goal.
Page 282 Book “How to Treat Your
Employees Like a Dog”
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