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Building Cathedrals
Good companies are focused on themselves. They know their own strengths and they operate in those strengths every day. There’s nothing wrong with that, Gary Krahn says. But if you want to be a great company, you have to take it a step further.
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Look Inward for Your Vision and Goals
Don’t define your vision and goals by looking at the outside world. Look inside instead.
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Live Your Vision
You need to live your vision all the time, wherever you are.
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Achieve Your Goals By Looking Ahead
Following a straight line to reach your goals happens rarely; be prepared to reset as needed to reach your destination.
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Why Vision Statements Fail
Vision statements fail because they paint pictures of the future that appeal only to leadership. Vision statements leave out the people who work there.
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A No-Barriers Mindset
People are quitters, campers, or climbers. We know who the quitters are. Campers stop when they hit an obstacle. Climbers have a no-barriers mindset.
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Align Your Goals with a Vision
Goals can be fragmented and lead us in different directions. A vision should come first, a vision of how we want to live our lives—what kind of legacy we want to leave behind.
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Be a Pioneer
Erik Weihenmayer sees himself as a problem solver, a modern day pioneer motivated by a sense of discovery, not a crazy risk taker.
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The Most Important Leadership Practice: Inspire and Share a Vision
The most important practice for leaders is to envision the future and communicate that vision in a way that others can see themselves in the vision.
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Envisioning Paris France
“Paris France” conjures concrete images and emotions in people who haven’t been there, because they have seen pictures, movies, etc., over a long period. Similarly, leaders should repeat a phrase, over and over, that triggers images and emotions of a shared future.
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The Difference Between Responsibility and Accountability
Compliance means that you follow rules and regulations; but on the other hand, accountability means that you try to enhance the common good, that you are interested in the interests of a higher purpose, interested in the interests of a higher purpose.
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Start with Financial Performance Discipline
Focus on Clients, Colleagues and Financial Performance means at Marsh that when considering any initiative or activity, every associate at Marsh must ask if it fits into at least one of those three pillars of focus.
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The Meaning of Work
Knowing there is a higher goal raises success rates. The Manhattan Project was falling behind schedule until its purpose was revealed. Then two-thirds of the work was completed in one-third the time. A higher meaning brings greater job satisfaction.
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Aligning Vision with Priorities
If you know where you’re going it’s a lot easier to get there. Leaders who are struggling don’t have a vision and 3-5 key priorities.
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Focus on the Mission
Marshall Goldsmith describes the value of abstract thinking and recognizing the mission, not only the task.
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Your Personal Vision Statement
Helen Keller said it’s terrible to be able to see and not have a vision. A vision statement is the intersection of your strengths, what is meaningful to you, and what gives you sustained happiness. Benham Tabrizi’s vision is to transform a hundred million people.
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The Value Of Setting A Long-Term Strategy
When implementing a long-term strategy, connecting the overall vision with day-to-day operations is essential. Anders Dahlvig explains how setting such a strategy can provide for a comprehensive plan while creating a sense of stability.
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Five Principles of Employee Engagement
Capture the heart, open communication, create partnerships, drive learning, and emancipate action.
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Creating Commitment to a Vision
"Roll down" the vision; ask people below where the gaps are between where we are and where we want to go. Hone the vision; refine it. Use the vision — with customers; in considering promotions; talk about it.
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The Formula for Strategic Planning
Brian Tracy explains how the ability to think and plan strategically in business is the hallmark of leadership.
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Conscious Leaders
Conscious leaders know who their stakeholders are, and are willing to go to places they had not imagined. For example, you need a healthy relationship with your suppliers. Ask how you can engage stakeholders to help you get to a better place. Tom Gardner gives examples.
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Without Vision, Companies Will Perish
Companies without a purpose will perish. Merv Hillier shares how to take an organization from “good to great,” all by starting with a purpose.
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Organizational Purpose: Start with Why
Many organizations know what they do and how they do it, but not why—their purpose, why they exist.
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The Role of Senior Executives in Leading Growth
Senior executives should define how new business units should be different from their competition.
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How to Communicate a Vision
Communicating a vision doesn’t mean talking to the masses; it means energizing and engaging people in the future.
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Back Pocket Leaders
To be the kind of leader that others want to follow, leaders need three stories in their back pocket.
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Your Values Are Your Actions
According to Antonio Carrillo, your set of values are your guiding light.