Anybody who has taken a long car trip to Disney Land with young kids can understand the importance of having a vision and setting goals for reaching that vision. Kids see the vision, Disney Land, Mickey Mouse, Space Mountain, games, and fun. However, kids do not recognize the goals and objectives necessary to reaching that vision. In other words, kids do not recognize the things that must happen between leaving the house and arriving at Disney Land. Consequently, parents spend three days, in the car, listening to their kids ask, “Are we there yet?”
Leaders must keep this same scenario in mind. Leaders must be able to portray their vision to their followers and provide them with the “road map” or objectives necessary for reaching this vision. If the leader is unable to accomplish this task, the leader will be unsuccessful in reaching their vision and their followers will be asking, “Are we there yet.” In the Disney Land example, the goals and objectives might look something like this. First, leave the house and drive along this road. Second, pass by this landmark, this landmark, and this landmark. Third, after eight hours of driving, reach “such and such”, stop for the night and get some sleep. Fourth, get up in the morning and begin the above process again with different landmarks and a different destination.
Although the Disney Land example is very simplistic, it gives the kids specific landmarks to look for along the road and helps them to recognize the fact that they are coming closer to realizing their vision, Disney Land. Just as the parent benefits from breaking the long trip down into smaller, manageable segments, a leader can benefit from breaking massive tasks down into smaller manageable goals and objectiv...
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... the steps needed to realize a vision are well defined, progress can be measured, and everybody involved understands there is a finish line and exactly what is required to reach that finish line.
Having a vision is important in any leadership position. Possessing the tools for realizing that vision is also important. However, using the tools for their intended purpose will ensure the success of both the leader and his/her team. Properly implemented, the six steps described by Clark will eliminate doubt in the eyes of the team and propel them towards achieving the intended vision. “Are we there yet?” will become “Yea! We made it!”
Works Cited
Clark, D. R. (2004).The Art and Science of Leadership. Retrieved Sept 25, 2011 from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadled.html
Rohlander, D. (1998). Industrial Management, 40(5), 4. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Envisioning goals: Focus on the right direction to help the group manage the organization in both long term and short term goals.
Leaders: Strategies for Taking Charge is an organizational management book written by Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus for those who aim to become better leaders. The authors emphasize that having executive positions or being a manager does not automatically make one a leader. A leader is one who inspires his staff, helps them find purpose in their work, and effectively implements their plans. They separate the book not quite into chapters on different topics, but rather by four strategies that they have determined are vital for any leader to take on. The strategies are effectively defined as attention through vision, meaning through communication, trust through positioning, and the deployment of self.
Disney’s life can teach us many life lessons. People can learn from his life that life is full of happiness, just go get it. Courage is the main quality of leadership. Walt Disney once said, “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all the troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me.” He means that challenges and hardship can’t keep you down forever, they help you get better and stronger. Disney made very inspirational quotes.
Each time I run through a different scenario, I become more aware of the process and I go through personal growth in my journey to become an effective leader. The Project Management Hut blog entry reminds me that I need to have constant, transparent and effective communication with the stakeholders. I need to be willing to invest my energy and time to effectively plan ahead and provide solutions to my team when I am delivering hurdles. Most importantly, it is crucial to be flexible, lead by example and stay positive throughout the whole process because realistically, my team is going to be relying on me to guide them to the finish line. (Mercer, A.
Children and adults crave for the magical experiences Disney has to offer. Always something new, continuous theming, and attention to detail are all essential components that make Disney. Everyone knows the reason people keep coming back to Disney is due to all the new attractions they have yearly. Whether it is a different concert, ride, or show Disney is always trying to bring new attractions to their parks. Looking at the rides at Disney parks, they are like most theme parks, besides the fact that each ride at Disney has a theme linked to a Disney show or character. Other theme parks ' rides have different names; however, Disney does not just put a picture on the ride, they link the ride to a specific theme. The theme continues from the entrance of the ride to when the individual exits the ride. Detail, is also, a major component within Disney. Walking into a Disney theme park, you would recognize how much time and effort they put into the detail. "Even the street signs on Disney properties pay attention to detail. They are rabbit ears with arrows on them." Creativity in detail is a major part of the innovation success at
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A vision devised by senior leadership of an organization is often carried out by goals set by managers, and achieved through the work of their subordinates. In the reading, Clark (1997) states the six steps to goal setting: vision, goals, objectives, tasks, timeline, and follow up. Once an organization has developed a vision, goals should be established in order to reach the final destination (The importance of vision,...
Setting goals is the most important thing you can do in your life. Without goal's you are going to have no direction, no ambition to be successful, no drive to stay in school, and trouble finding a career that will provide for you. Without these three things, achieving your goals is going to be one of the toughest tasks in the years to come.
Create a vision – that provides a clear understanding of what the change is all about.
Lussier, R.N. & Achua, C.F. (2010). Leadership: Theory, application, skill development (5th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western.
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A person needs to achieve certain goals in one's life before you can call them successful. Success is to achieve goals, you have set. I have set certain goals I would like to achieve in my lifetime. Some of these goals are personal while others are professional. My professional goals in life are to find a good job that makes me happy, get a good education, find a job that makes enough money for me to support my family, and help people. Goals it is very important for me to receive a good education. Most job fields require a descent education. If I don't have an education I would not be able to function properly at the work place and I would not understand what to do. To maintain a good job that will make good money will require me to go thorough schooling or training and maybe even both. Education is the first and foremost way to become successful, because the job I will choose will need me go to school and maybe even beyond college. My happiness in what I do is also a goal for me I my life. There is no way someone can become successful if they are not happy with what they are doing. ...
Vision plays an important part in a leader’s life, in fact in anyone’s life. Without something to aim for we will always hit the target of missed purpose. Outlining a vision is essential for leading others and yourself. Within this paper, I will give a summary of the “Developing a Personal Vision Statement” assessment by Hackman and Johnson (2013), convey what I have learned from this exercise, how my self-understanding has increased, and what this reveals about my strengths and weaknesses as a leader. Lastly, based upon this assessment, steps to become a more effective leader will also be considered.