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Leaders who are often enthusiastic about new ideas, usually grab opportunities and run with them. They will raise the spirits of teams to aspire to great things and build collaboration with the group sharing the energy amongst everyone. Their upbeat nature is encouraging for those who are following, presenting a person who is willing to take action and present an element of excitement in their direction.
In the beginning of a strategic cycle this type of leader could be exactly what the organisation is looking for. Someone who is willing to champion change and help them to realize the big picture vision.
A vision however remains in the eyes of the beholder if they are not able to make it a reality. An inspiring leader must establish a deeper commitment of following through and actively championing the execution of a vision if they are to truly succeed.
THE FOLLOW THROUGH
The follow through is as much about establishing and defining your credibility as an effective leader as it is helping others to achieve the vision. In the follow through the leader must be:
Willing to allow time for employees to solve the problems
Promoting a better plan/structures to help employees achieve
Supporting employees and their work proactively offering praise and feedback
On the front foot ensuring employees have the right quality and quantity of resources
Completing their own tasks (as minor as they may appear) to provide the necessary momentum for others
The follow through is about fulfilling the promise and preserving the idea they generated in the beginning – the reasons why others followed. Followers need that sense of achievement. Without it the non-believers begin coming out of the woodwork and slicing into your plan.
So how does the leader ensure a solid follow through?
Master your short game
Making vision a reality takes time, sometimes a very long time. Passionate believers will often stay true to the path provided no matter what, the rest of us however need to and expect to see some form of convincing evidence that all this hard work is not for nothing. Those who are sceptical want to see a sign that the strategies are working and you are not endangering the organisation. Executing a vision without paying serious attention to master the short game can be risky and in some circumstances a disaster.
How to master your short game
Identify 3 key performance improvements that could be tangible in six to eighteen months ahead
Develop a separate plan for each and integrate them into the operational budget
Assign a champion to oversee the picking of the fruit
Monitor the performance with the executive team regularly
Celebrate your short game!
Keep the momentum of the game
Celebrating to early or getting too excited about the great first shot, can be the turning point in your visions reality. The Leader must maintain a sense of urgency, always looking for a better way. They must continue to set high expectation of one’s self and others.
Keeping the momentum of the game is a fluid ongoing motion. In business it is the shared determination to do the rights things sooner rather than later. It is about carrying the team forward in the right direction at the right speed. This behaviour in a leader is infectious and is vital to driving the momentum that will see longevity in the organisations results. It includes:
Leading by example – What you do speaks louder than what you say
Committing your team to their deadlines – a minor fear of failure never hurt anyone
Being aware of the time between meetings – Why can’t we do tis tomorrow?
Challenging the priorities – Urgent and Important
Focusing on the teams most important challenges
Recognise proactivity – new initiatives should be the norm
See our Work of Leaders program for more on how to concentrate on the follow through and make that vision become a reality