Success Impulse: Why you should fly to the moon
Why it pays to have great visions is explained by our columnist Volkmar Völzke in his latest Success Impulse and provides three suggestions.
Fifty years ago we went to the moon for the first time (and 47 years ago for the last time). Many asked themselves, "Why should we go there at all?" And, "Aren't there more pressing problems to solve?" Such questions reveal exactly the problem: they kill ambition in the bud and put the focus on the urgent, not the great.
You can spin it any way you like: truly outstanding progress has only ever been achieved with ambitious - often unreasonable - visions. Everything else is incremental improvement. Of course, this is not about the moon at all, but about the fact that most leaders have forgotten how to think big and believe in extraordinary goals.
"The motto is "Don't take too many risks. Processes are optimized first and the next employee survey is launched. And the days are best spent discussing pending problems endlessly anyway.
A test: look at your calendar. How much time do you have scheduled there for developing and pursuing really big and extraordinary goals? For most leaders, that's far less than five percent - if that.
I miss the big visions, in politics and especially in companies. Here are three suggestions for that, if you're willing to move a little out of your comfort zone:
- New question. Don't ask "Why?", ask "Why not?". This leads to completely different discussions. Examples: "I think we should double our sales in this segment in 3 years." "Why not? How can we do that?" "Let's have huge fun at work every day." "Why not? How can we do that?"
- Courage. Most leaders have unlearned courage. Yes, that's right: courage can be learned and unlearned. And courage does not mean unreasonableness (although even that would sometimes be appropriate to break the ice). Be courageous and develop great visions: Where do you see your company in 3-5 years? What sounds almost unattainable (like flying to the moon with the computer capacity of the time)?
- Emotion. I miss the positive emotion in many teams and companies. Everyone is so "busy" that the spirit gets lost. The good news: emotions can be created consciously. That often requires a change in thinking, too.
So, think with your leadership team about the big journey you want to take. And remember the words of John F. Kennedy in 1962, to wit: "We're going to the moon not because it's easy, but because it's hard. Because it brings out the best in us." A fine reason, I think.
To the author:
Volkmar Völzke is a success maximizer. Book author. Consultant. Coach. Speaker. www.volkmarvoelzke.ch
