Advice Line | Bob Lewis » Overcoming barriers to vision

August 29, 2006 | Comments: (0)

Overcoming barriers to vision

TAGS: General

Dear Bob ...

Regarding your recent article, "Barriers to Vision," (Keep the Joint Running, 8/21/2006): So I'm guessing you are not sponsored by Toro or Carnival Cruise lines ...

It is interesting to read your article/comments and think about how it relates ... another quote I like "In the end, a vision without the ability to execute is probably an hallucination" – Stephen M. Case, Former Chairman, AOL Time Warner ... I wonder if execute should be modified to "execute effectively".

Side note – The gap I find in the article is that once you point out the various "vision faults" ... then what do you do with it. Say you have seen one or more of the items listed ... how do you either adapt to it, work with it, change it, coach around it ... etc ... the easy part is identifying the "types" ... the difficult part is working with it and helping others work with it that are impacted by it further. Make sense?

- Looking for Guidance

Dear Looking ...

Sponsored? That would imply revenue. An intriguing concept. I'll have to pursue it one of these days.

First of all, Mr. Case - probably unknowingly - borrowed his insight from Ainsley Throckmorton, President, Bangor Seminary, who said, "First management had plans, and then strategic plans. Now we have vision, and we're only one small step from hallucination." It's a favorite quote of mine.

But to your comment:

You're right that I didn't pursue what to do about it. I generally write with business leaders in mind as the target audience, so the point of this column was, "Don't do that." If you're on the receiving end of this sort of genius, the answer is long, complex and uncertain. Book-length, in fact, and I'm not entirely qualified to write it since it involves such subjects as psychopathology.

The short version is, figure out how to manipulate them by learning their hot buttons, massaging their egos, filtering the information they receive, and otherwise putting to use some of the ideas Machiavelli wrote about. But be careful as you do so - many of these characters achieved their current status by knowing how to learn hot buttons, massage egos, filtering the information they provide, and otherwise put to use the ideas Machiavelli wrote about. If they recognize what you're up to, they're more likely to view you as a danger than to admire your technique.

- Bob

Posted by Bob Lewis on August 29, 2006 11:17 AM

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