Colin Gautrey

Leaders Don’t Have To Be Visionary



Posted: Sunday, January 24, 2010

by
The Gautrey Group

If you pick up any book on leadership these days, nearly all of them will tell you that you need to be a visionary. Their argument is convincing. They say that you need to be visionary because

These books back it up with brilliant anecdotal stories of the likes of Steve Jobs at Apple, Richard Branson at Virgin etc. Good stuff and it is almost impossible to argue against it. In fact, as impossible as it is to believe that mere mortals can achieve it!

And here lies the first problem. True visionaries are generally born not made. They happen to have an inbuilt eye for the future. A talent for seeing the impossible or as some would put it, they're dreamers. As we know, dreamers don't get far unless they can convince others that the impossible could be possible. Sure, it is certainly possible to develop creative and innovative thinking techniques but it gives rise to a second problem.

If you're not a natural visionary, you're unlikely to be convincing with your vision. If you have added creative thinking to your skill set great, but it is unlikely to be able to replace your natural logical or tactical approach. This is because the two modes of thought are incompatible. You can't do them both and the strongest one will probably win out. So in a leadership position, you'll be a minimalist visionary and revert back to the here and now every chance you get.

This gives us a third major problem with the argument that you have to be visionary to be a leader it's futile. If gurus run around saying this is what you've got to be like to be successful, and you realise that you're not able to do it, how does that affect your self motivation. Hopefully most people will realise that they have other qualities and just get on with things leaving the gurus words safely in their books. However I do wonder how many people do get discouraged and disheartened.

Finally - and here's the interesting bit. Take a look around you at the successful leaders, those who have risen to top positions in your organisation and are considered to be successful. Are they visionary? My bet is that by far the majority you'd need to stretch the definition of visionary quite a long way to get them to fit. In my experience - and I've coached thousands of leaders around the world - visionary leaders make up less that 1% of the current leadership population. Put the other way, 99% of leaders, most of whom are very successful, are not visionary!

So please don't accept that you have to be visionary to be a leader, because clearly you don't. Sure it helps - but it is the exception rather than the norm. Better by far is that you focus on your own natural talents, make them exceptional and find a place to deploy them, where they are prized and will allow you the opportunity of a leadership position that suits you perfectly.

Colin Gautrey is a specialist in the practical use of power and influence in the workplace. He combines solid research with deep experience in corporate life to offer his client critical yet simple insights into how to get results with greater influence. Find out more about his work at The Gautrey Group.

The essence of his work is helping people with integrity to influence effectively, particularly in complex global organizations. He helps people through one to one coaching and mentoring, workshop facilitation and often presents at company conferences.

As a researcher, his practical questionnaires are now licensed by professional leadership experts around the world. Take a look at how they could help you.

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