Category Archive for ‘Vision’ at DrivenLeaders.com

Archive for the 'Vision' Category

Creating Your Personal Career Vision

Published

on May 20, 2009

in Advancement, Personal Development and Vision

. 1 Comment

career vision4 Creating Your Personal Career Vision

I know this sounds easier said than done, trust me. I was that kid who never had a straight answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I had new idea every few weeks, feeling that it was too hard to pick just one thing to do for the rest of my life. As time passed and experience came to my aid, I quickly learned that without a defined goal, vision, or endpoint for where I wanted to be later in life, the road to getting there was going to be that much tougher to travel.

Since those early days, I have become strong advocate of setting goals and creating a vision for one’s future; career ambitions included.

Even in a tough job market there are opportunities, perhaps reserved for the most talented, best networked, or best prepared, but they do exist. For many, the difference between being in that group verses being on the outside, is having an unyielding personal vision. Defining your career goals and developing a plan to reach them is the first step to achieving them. Expectedly this is only part of the equation; the execution is what will ultimately determine its level of success.

For Gen-Y, achieving our career ambitions will take much longer than we had once hoped; a blatant fact that may be discouraging, but is nevertheless true. This creates a perfect time to revisit (or create) your own Personal Career Vision and figure out where you truly want to be later in life. i believe we each need to define this vision before we can take the correct action on it.

“Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” - George Washington Carver

Creating your vision - Where to Start

Like most things, getting started is often the hardest part. Steve Bohler, Director for the Oxford Program of Career Change, offers some suggestions on how to approach creating your personal vision. If done correctly, this exercise may be a little eye opening. Get started today by asking yourself the following:

What is my CORE? Your core defines how you are hard-wired - your natural abilities and personal traits. Using these traits is required for a fulfilling work life. If your work makes it impossible for you to express these essential aspects of yourself, self-actualization will be just about impossible. The best way to understand your core is through a “triangulation” of objective testing, reflection, and external validation.

Objective Testing: Results from a sound interests/personality assessment can help you identify your role in life. For example, at work are you supposed to be a “creator” or a “doer?”
Reflection: Look over your employment history and identify themes that run through the jobs you’ve loved and those you’ve hated. Does the objective testing help to explain why those themes exist?
External Validation: What do others who know you well suggest are your greatest, natural talents?

What is my AMBITION? No Personal Career Vision can exist without getting intimately in touch with what you really want, now and in the future. Your ambition builds off of your core and paints a picture of your ideal destination. If you know where you want to go, you’ll have a much easier time getting there. Make a list on paper:

What time do you want to start work? What do you want to wear to work?
What organizational style do you find most compatible? What setting? Profit vs. non-profit? Summers off?
What are your lifetime goals? Retiring early? Becoming a homeowner?
Imagine being on your death bed. What are the things you must do or achieve in your life to feel satisfied? Becoming prominent in your field? Writing a book? Somehow making a difference in the world?

Then ask yourself, which of these are important enough to wait, create or fight for? Which of these will be a part of my Personal Career Vision?

What are my TRADEMARK ASSETS? Your assets make up your competitive advantage. They are your source of success and meaning as well as your greatest value to the world. Think about:

What are you really interested in? Do you look forward to reading the trade magazines for your job, or do you dread it? If you were stranded on a desert island and could get one magazine subscription, what would that magazine be about?
What gift (or gifts) do you have that you haven’t fully acknowledged?
What makes you more naturally suited to a profession than 95 percent of the population because you bring a unique passion, experience, or talent to the table?
What do you know a lot about, or know a little about and want to know more about?
What do you really love doing? Think about those tasks where time flies by and you don’t even notice because you’re truly in the moment.

The answers to theses main questions should tell you a great deal about yourself and your personal ambitions. Once you’ve created your vision, start exploring avenues that will help you turn these desires into reality. It’s unrealistic to expect all of these “wants” to happen quickly, but now that your vision is taking shape, you can figure out what it will take to make it reality. Share your vision with a trusted mentor and begin to formulate what steps you need to take to fulfill these goals. It may involve a career change, switching industries, or perhaps accepting an interim position as a stepping stone to a future career. Though it may not be your favorite position, it could play a crucial role in reaching your ultimate goal.

Remember, “Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” So take a moment, look inside yourself, and outline your Personal Career Vision, you’ll thank yourself in the future.

Career Transition Tips for Success (halliecrawford.typepad.com)
A Gap Year Can Get Gen Ys’ Groove Back (blogs.harvardbusiness.org)
How to recognize bad advice about work (penelopetrunk.com)

5 Attributes of Inspirational Leaders

Published

Anthony Portuesi

on April 19, 2009

in Leadership, Motivation and Vision

. 0 Comments

inspirational leadership1 5 Attributes of Inspirational Leaders

Have you ever wondered, “How do some leaders seem to excel at inspiring their people, while others continually have trouble rallying their troops?”

It’s a question that adds to the debate as to whether the ability to lead and inspire is innate or developed. While that discussion is continually defended by both sides, few will disagree with the power and presence of inspirational leaders provide. The amount of influence they hold and the results they routinely achieve are the envy of aspiring leaders at every level. Interestingly enough, it’s not just other leaders that long for this skill; studies continue to show that employees crave it as well.

“In a survey of more than one and a half thousand managers, people were asked what they would most like to see in their leaders. The most popular answer, mentioned by 55% of people, was ‘inspiration’. When asked if they would describe their current leader as ‘inspiring’, only 11% said yes.” – Source: UK Dept. for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

Inspirational leadership is the purest expression of leadership because it creates a sense of intrinsic motivation within the follower; a vital concept that Jack Hayhow spoke to in our interview earlier this year. Benchmarking successful leaders across business shows that the stereotype of the inspirational leader as someone extroverted and charismatic tends to be the exception rather than the rule. Looking at their best practices, some inspirational leaders certainly do fit this mould, however a large number are just the opposite. Many are quiet, almost introverted in their approach. This leads to the conclusion that being inspirational is more than just a vision, speech, or event. It’s more of an attitude, a mindset, and a process that needs to be honed and committed to with everything you do.

In developing your own approach to inspiring your employees, one place to start is with the teachings of John C. Maxwell. Maxwell, a renowned leadership guru, has published his thoughts on the 5 Attributes of Inspirational Leaders. I have found these to be an excellent self-check and framework for personal development in this area.

5 Attributes of an Inspirational Leader by John C. Maxwell

1. Attitude of Service

To be an inspirational leader, you must adopt an attitude of service toward those you lead. This requires laying aside selfish interests to add value to another person. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” When you serve, you awaken something magnetic inside of you. People are drawn to follow you because they know you’ll find ways to make them better.

2. Affirmation

To inspire means to have a positive view of others. If we’re not careful, we become fault-finders, magnifying the flaws in everyone around us. Instead, leaders should emulate gold prospectors - always on the lookout for potential gold mines. When they find traces of ore, prospectors assume there’s a rich vein to unearth, and they start digging. In the same fashion, leaders ought to search for the best traits within a person and commit to uncovering them.

One of the best applications of this idea is expressed in what I call the 101 percent principle: Find the one thing that you believe is a person’s greatest asset, and then give 100 percent encouragement in that area. Focusing on a person’s strengths inspires them by promoting confidence, growth, and success.

3. Attentiveness

Great inspirers know the desires of those they lead. As much as people respect the knowledge and ability of their leaders, these are secondary concerns for them. They don’t care how much their leaders know until they know how much their leaders care. When leaders attend to the deeply felt needs of their team, the determination and commitment of each team member skyrockets.

4. Availability

Leaders inspire by intentionally investing time in the people they lead. They make themselves available. People cannot be nurtured from a distance or by infrequent spurts of attention. They need a leader to spend time with them - planned time, not just a conversation in passing.

In our fast-paced and demanding world, time is a leader’s most precious commodity. While it feels costly to give up, nothing communicates that you value a person more than the gift of your time. In addition, investing time to develop others has a way of reaping dividends. As Ralph Waldo Emerson remarked, “It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.”

5. Authenticity

To inspire, leaders have to be genuine. More than anything else, followers want to believe in and trust their leaders. However, when leaders break promises or fail to honor commitments, they reveal themselves as being inauthentic, and they lose credibility. Trust rests upon a foundation of authenticity. To gain trust, a leader must consistently align words and deeds, while showing a degree of transparency.

What do you think are the keys to being an inspiring leader?

Distinguishing the difference: Leadership vs. Management

Published

Anthony Portuesi

on August 12, 2008

in Leadership, Managing, Teamwork and Vision

. 0 Comments

Distinguishing the difference: Leadership vs. Management A conversation that has been discussed from many angles and will undoubtedly be the topic of future posts on Driven Leaders. I came across an interesting article by Bob Selden, where he examines this issue with the following perspective:

“Management can be taught. Leadership cannot be taught or learned, it must be earned”

Through his research, Bob suggests that the true “essence of leadership” revolves around creating the four conditions that encourage others to follow: