Spend time influencing the team visionaries to accept a common vision that then becomes part of everything done.
This influencing process will take many guises and requires a great deal of patience. It will not always be direct and quick. It will require placing notes under the door, circulating information, sending messages, having meetings and encouraging team members. It will require a great deal of repetition.
It will also require being prepared to detour from one’s direction and shelving the vision temporarily while immediate tasks and emergencies are dealt with. However, you must never lose sight of the endpoint.
Here are a few examples of the quotes I used to encourage and inspire the vision for the Australian Cricket Team:
• Aim to have history record this team and this era of Australian cricket as one of the great periods of world cricket.
• Become a great side, not just a very good side.
• Take the game to a new level by changing the way the game is played.
• Have all sides in awe of the Australian Cricket team (for the 2003 World Cup)
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• Be the best skilled team the world has ever seen (for the 2007 World Cup).
• Be the first team to score 400 in One-Day International cricket.
• Be the first team to have truly multi-dimensional players (i.e. can use both sides of their body).
The vision must be inspiring to the team. It must be extremely challenging so it becomes a real test of the team’s abilities. It must be exciting due to the possibility of achieving something that has not been done before. And quite probably, the vision may seem too big, too difficult, but nonetheless, it may also seem within reach.
The leader or coach must constantly monitor the progress of the vision, accelerating the climb to Everest whenever possible. If the climb has become too difficult, the coach must be prepared to ease the ascent to a ‘base camp’, until the time is right to begin the climb again.
KEY MESSAGES
1. The leader or coach must have a clear vision for the team or organisation.
2. The vision must be inspiring, exciting and extremely challenging.
3. The vision is designed to take the team outside its comfort zone.
4. In order to achieve a vision, it must be shared and owned by team leaders.
5. Invest time in influencing team leaders to agree on a common vision.
6. The role of the coach or leader is to constantly monitor the journey towards the vision.
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