Visionaries are passionate people, often, but not always extroverted and tend to be emotional over their ideas. They are creative and most times they are the founders of their respective organizations. Some can talk for hours about their concepts seeking support and feedback for improvement, but mostly their mission is to proselytize. For some, there is little concern about “people” because they are idea/ product centric. They focus on moving forward and people can get in the way.

While Visionaries burn with intense heat, their fires often go out as quickly as they started… particularly when they fall in love with a new mistress. Visionaries get bored easily! They are also fantastic problem solvers who love to solve business puzzles. Many are excellent with starting and maintaining “big” relationships in the business.

The second type of business leader is the executor or Integrator whose mission is to make sure the entire leadership team works harmoniously in executing the business plan. Gino Wickman, creator of the Entrepreneurial Operating System, in his most excellent book Traction: Get a Grip On Your Business contrasts the Integrator and the Visionary. From his experience, about half of the companies he works with have both a Visionary and an Integrator, while the other half has a single individual working both roles.

Integrators are detail conscious and systems oriented. They live for organizational clarity and value discipline, accountability and team unity. They instinctively know “who” is to be doing “what” in their organizations. They keep a close eye on the scorecard and can solve operational problems quickly and effectively while Visionaries often don’t see the problem till it is too late or struggle to bring the right people together to solve it. Integrators are the “tie-breakers” in the business.

Now, let me admit that I may be oversimplifying with my descriptions. All leaders have some measure of the two “types” I have described. In fact, it is not unusual to find a leader who demonstrates many of the characteristics I have described (particularly in entrepreneurial companies) but with scrutiny, you will see that they predominantly lean in one direction or the other. In fact, if you observe behavior under stress, their underlying drives and motivations distinguish themselves from one another.

While I am using the terms Visionary and Integrator to create a distinction, it is important to note that these two types of leaders have much in common. From a behavioral perspective, both are dominant, assertive individuals. They are problem solvers who often speak in the “I.” “I know how to solve that.” “Your ideas are good, but I believe mine offers the best solution.” These leaders are confident and independent and they are sure of the value of their opinions, decisions and ideas. They are competitive and determined to do more and do it better than others.
Another characteristic they share is their sense of urgency (and yes, not all leaders exhibit this trait- many are very stable and intensely focused, working on one thing and only one thing at a time). Most, need to get things done now and will drive themselves and others to do exactly that. Strong leaders are normally excellent at multitasking… and the demands of their jobs often require this behavior. You will find that some of these leaders are extremely tense and driven to release that tension in action. Some will be intolerant of delays. I am sure you know leaders that are just like this and in fact you may be one!

So the Big Cheese basically comes in two forms: hard cheese or soft. But there are an infinite number of varieties and flavors based on the unique personalities, needs and underlying drives. Knowing and understanding the distinctions of the two main types can be invaluable to you. An organization needs different types of leaders and of course it needs a great diversity in its work force as well, but the focus here is on leadership.

In a separate article, a friend of mine and fellow EOS Implementer- Ed Callahan wrote:
“Every company needs a great Integrator.” He went on to say, “In some companies, both roles exist in a single person; although he/she is probably more comfortable in one of those seats (roles) than the other. Steve Jobs for much of his 2nd coming at Apple was both Visionary and Integrator. To the extent that the leader of the company is almost completely a Visionary, then that company needs an Integrator.”

Here is a list of Visionary/Integrator pairs that come to mind,-
• Steve Jobs and Tim Cook (As CEO now, Cook probably needs to find a Visionary partner)
• Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer
• Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger
• Jack Welch and his wife Susie

If you are a Visionary who recognizes that he is not a strong Integrator then you need to find one and keep him or her by your side. Most importantly, you need to understand their contribution and how different his or her thinking may be from yours. And if you are an Integrator without a Visionary, find one in an outside advisor or bring one in to join your organization. Remember, the Cheese Stands alone but the Big Cheese has choices! Cheddar anyone?

Do you, as a CEO or senior level exec ask yourself these questions? Maybe at one point in your career you did… when you were starting out – embarking on the journey that has led you to where you are today. But, most likely, today, these questions and those along a similar vein don’t cross your mind any longer. In fact, for you, work may be your life… life may be your work and they are completely entangled. They are one and the same. You may have the freedom to sleep in on a Monday morning, yet you choose not to. But simply having that freedom of choice removes the burden of going to “work.”

Your employees, on the other hand, are faced with the question of “How does it feel to go to work?” all day long. And, their answers should not be ignored. Their answer is something you, as a leader, should focus on. Their answers have a surprising impact on productivity, creativity and retention. Generally speaking, when employees are happy about their work environment, they are more productive. While the majority of employees will fulfill their minimum performance expectations, getting that little bit extra out of your team is something you strive for as a CEO or manager. I am not solely referring to work product, but to new ideas, innovation and overall excitement. Our employees consciously choose how much extra time, energy and effort they will spend working after meeting their job expectations.

When employees are in an engaging environment… when workers feel connected to the company, their work and their co-workers… more effort is put in to produce. Whether it’s putting together ten more widgets, making five extra phone calls or moving a dozen heavy boxes – engaged employees are happy and willing to go the extra mile because they are invested and want to make positive a difference. Engaged employees care and don’t see it as “your” company, but as “their” company too.

Creating and fostering a sense of community amongst employees is a tremendously powerful way to increase employee engagement and productivity. As human beings, our nature almost guarantees employees will create a sense of community with or without help from management. However, with a bit of tweaking and encouragement, the sprouts of community that may grow organically can be transformed into a fabulous garden of growth and possibility.

Consider the following techniques to increase community in the workplace:

Gather employee input – first and foremost, as you consider how to build community, ask your employees what community means to them. After all, it wouldn’t be a “community” if it were all up to you, as CEO or manager. Consider holding small meetings, distributing questionnaires or creating a discussion board on a company intranet. Find out what is important to your team, what they would like to see at work. Ask what they currently like and dislike. Make it clear there are no repercussions for disliking the way something is currently done and that smart, creative suggestions are what you are looking for.

Share company values and goals – George Bernard Shaw said — “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” Sharing key corporate values and goals should be one of the first things you do as a CEO to build community. It is a simple yet often overlooked task. By holding a company gathering and getting everyone on the same page, in terms of company values, goals and expectations, the roots of a community will begin to form. In their book Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, the authors write that people perceive themselves as part of a community when they believe that their goals are cooperative and that they share a common purpose. The sharing of information amongst the team allows employees to assign more value and meaning to their work; in turn, boosting morale, increasing motivation and helping you to retain key team members.

• Have bonding time — Try organizing regular events both in and out of the office in which the company participates. Encourage team members to get involved. Try supporting a local charity, forming a softball team or hosting a pot luck day. No matter the event, the end result is the same – it strengthens community. It allows employees to feel like they are part of something and working toward a common goal. It is surprising how often I hear from employees at different organizations that they feel their workplace is a lonely place. I wonder how they can feel alone when surrounded by an office full of people and activity. The answer is simply a lack of community. And a lonely worker is most likely not a motivated worker.

It’s truly fascinating… the concepts of community in the workplace and employee engagement date back thousands of years… before traditional offices even existed. Aristotle said, “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” These nine words sum up the importance of having employees engaged. When employees feel energized by their surroundings, enjoy what they are doing and are doing it with a known purpose, they will expend discretionary effort and be happy about it. A happy employee is not only a productive employee, but one who will stick around. This is an area where small changes in corporate culture and philosophy can reap great rewards.

From time to time, I have clients ask me if I can do anything to help them with personal time management. The typical reason is that they have put too much on their plate and they can’t figure out how to get everything done. So here’s my response, and this comes from a lot of personal experience transitioning from a poor time manager to a more effective time manager.

There’s a big difference between time management and effective time management. For many of us, time management boils down to managing our To Do Lists – trying to get more done and checking it off our lists within prescribed deadlines, but doing more doesn’t mean we are achieving what we want. Many of us are caught in the hamster wheel, running as fast as we can and not really getting anywhere.

The problem is that life will hand us a hundred more things we can do today. There’s an endless supply of possible things to do. In contrast, effective time management is more about prioritizing. It’s deciding what we want – and that can be really hard for some of us – what we will do towards that end and even more important, what we will not do.

As with any hot topic, there are scores of books offering lots of time management techniques. My aim here is to simplify the matter rather than adding even more tasks to our already full To Do Lists.

Effective time management is about pausing to answer 2 questions:

1) What outcome do I want to achieve in the given period of time and
2) What must I do in the precious time I have to produce that desired outcome?

Most of us will never experience effective time management because we won’t stop running. We convince ourselves that the only answer is to run faster and longer. “It has to get done,” we think, “and I have to do it.” The tyranny of the urgent ensnares all of us, so the first and most effective time management step is to pause. Stop voluntarily. Don’t wait for the heart attack to stop you and force you to reprioritize. Break out from the reactive, mechanical doer mode.

Okay, now that you have stopped “doing”, take a few deep breaths and look ahead. In the day, week, quarter, year ahead of you, choose the outcomes you want to achieve. These are the outcomes that are most important to you. Everything else is less important and a distraction to your achieving what you want most. Set aside regular times to get and stay clear on what matters, even if it feels foreign at first. This clarity is essential for effectively managing your time and activities. The clearer you are about what you want and why you want it, the more impervious you will be to distraction.

With your outcomes vividly clear in your mind, answer the second question: “What must I do in the precious time I have to produce each desired outcome?”

Sounds so simple – and the process really is – but it’s not easy and absolutely impossible without the pauses. The tough part is choosing between all the things we can do to isolate the few things we must do to achieve the outcomes that matter most. Follow the process regularly – pause and answer the two questions – and I promise it will get easier and you will become an effective time manager.

As the years went by, I came to feel quite differently. “Dave” just wasn’t acceptable. It was a nickname that implied a level of familiarity reserved for a select few who rarely used it unless they were trying to command my attention. Certainly, none of my staff called me by that name. Business associates didn’t use it and if they did, I corrected them in my mom’s absence.

In stark contrast, I have a mechanic, named Mike, who works on my car. His name is Mike not Michael. His business card says Mike and his closest friends call him “Mikey.” For some reason, however, I call him Michael. He told me today, out of the blue, that I am the only who calls him Michael. I asked him if that bothered or upset him and he quickly responded, “Not at all! I actually like it…makes me feel grown up like my dad, whom I was named after.” I told him that I would see him later in the day to pick up the car and he said, “Have a great day, Dave.”
At the time of this conversation, I didn’t think much about it but later in the day I started to think it was a little strange. Here I was calling Mike the Mechanic, wearing overalls covered in grease, “Michael”- in my attempt to show him respect and to elevate him through the use of his formal name while Mike was calling me Dave as a way of being my equal- a buddy using my colloquial name.
I realized this was not an isolated incident and certainly no accident. The way we address our fellow associates can be quite telling. When we first meet someone and learn his or her name, we use it in speaking with them directly and when referring to them when speaking to others. As time goes by, the formality fades and we may use a different name such as a nick-name or the person’s initials thus expressing the closeness that has developed. If you are speaking with a direct report about a serious matter and you want your tone and content to come through loud and clear, the use of the formal name sends a clear signal that you are not fooling around.

On the other hand, if you are attempting to close a gap between you and another individual calling them by a shortened version of their full name can be a great tool to imply a closeness and comfort that may be growing between you. A nickname is sometimes considered desirable, symbolizing a form of acceptance, but can often be a form of ridicule. How you address a coworker sets the tone for the message. A nickname is playful; a formal name means business. Do you recall how you reacted when your mom used your full name vs. a nickname?
It’s important to get this right – when you first meet someone, ask them how they prefer to be addressed. If they tell you to use their proper name, then do so. Always look for ways to elevate those who report to you. Show them respect by asking their opinions and listening to what they have to say. No one gets tired of hearing his or her name used in a respectful, positive way. On the other hand, be aware that you could be damaging relationships and negatively impacting someone’s ability to “hear” you if you are referring to them in the wrong way or if your tone is condescending.

You can invest a small fortune in tools and techniques to motivate your employees and co-workers and it can all go down the drain if you don’t show respect for their name.

No matter what your definition – take the time to think it through and write it down. Then, review it daily. By taking pen and paper to your definition, it becomes tangible… something you can look at on your nightstand … something you can carry in your wallet… something you can put down next to your morning coffee. By reviewing it each and every day, it becomes a part of you… ingrained in your head. Then you can begin to create goals around your definition and your journey towards success truly begins.

I will leave you with one of my favorite poems by Ralph Waldo Emerson, entitled “Success”:

“To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.  This is to have succeeded!” 

Leave a comment on what success means to you.

It fit.  Like a glove. And the fabric draped as only silk can drape. Gentle folds with quiet ripples.  Beautiful stitching.  Classic four buttons with a modest lapel. Buttons on the sleeve that slightly overlapped one another for a subtle detail.  I couldn’t resist .  The suit had me at hello! And then…

I caught view of the contents tag that describes the fabric- what was this… 100% polyester?  This couldn’t be.  This must be a mistake! I knew the feel and look of silk and this must be silk. Certainly Fendi, a name only spoken of in the world of haute couture, wouldn’t so base as to use lowly  polyester- a fabric invented by scientists for the masses. But the sales man told me that, yes, it was 100% polyester but woven so fine as to create the illusion of silk without silk’s wrinkling nature and sensitivity to humidity.  How could I pay $750 for a polyester suit?

I thought it over and looking in the mirror I was convinced that this was going to be my suit.  The tailor came out of the tailor cubby behind the tri-fold mirror (where all tailors hide) and marked the hem for the pants.  The jacket needed no alteration, as if Fendi himself had known my dimensions and made the suit just for me.  Less than one week later I wore the suit to a trade show.  It was then that I discovered the suit had magical properties… and no, it didn’t write any business for me, but it sure helped!

I had accustomed myself, as a trade show veteran, to unpacking and ironing my suits and shirts immediately upon arrival at a destination. I had learned to iron as a young boy-thanks mom- and I actually enjoyed the mindless act as I pressed out the wrinkles formed by my travels.  But the Fendi jumped out of my bag wrinkle free, like a marathoner getting out of bed the morning of the big race… like the face of a sixteen year old Swiss girl.  You get the idea.  Not a single wrinkle.  This was interesting.

That night, I wore my navy suit with a crisp, lightly starched white shirt and beautiful “trade show tie.”  My ties for trade shows were always colorful and expressive.  I received many flattering compliments that night on my appearance in my new suit.   “Silk?” they would ask.  “What else?” I would say.  That night, when I removed my suit and went to hang it up, I was again shocked to see that it had once again shrugged off even the hint of a wrinkle.  It looked as fresh as the day it came from the tailor?  Clearly this was a magical fabric.  I wore it again two days later and of course, as I am sure you know by now, it looked totally fresh

And so, the years went by and the suit and I became best friends.  It took a place alongside my many other suits but they would seem to come and go but old Navy stayed on. It looks nearly as good today as it did then.  I know that sounds hard to believe but the tailoring is classic and navy never goes out of style.  I have worn the suit 100’s of times and the fabric refuses to show wear except from the dry cleaners who tend to abuse any fabric with chemical treatments.

I made many efforts to find another Fendi in the same material but my efforts came up empty.  I often wondered why everyone wasn’t making magical suits.  Who would want ordinary wrinkle fabric when you could choose silk, oops, polyester.  And that’s when I realized that high-end polyester was an oxymoron and consumers couldn’t make the paradigm shift in their own minds.

We are all missing out on magical suits and maybe our businesses are missing out on opportunities that we cannot see because we are trapped in an old paradigm!  A paradigm is a pattern or a model.  We build systems and processes to run our businesses.  We build processes to drive innovation.  We look for patterns in our marketing and our or sales programs.  These are all examples of paradigms that govern our business lives and our personal lives as well.

Are you trapped in a paradigm?  Can you shift?  Will you wear polyester?

Let me give you an example:  I have a beautiful home entertainment system in my den that I designed and had made by a custom cabinet maker whom I knew and trusted.  He did a beautiful job on all of the cabinetry.  All of the cabinets were made from either solid maple or maple veneers.  I even picked the “flitches” of wood myself.  The end result was exactly what we wanted.

About two years after the installation, a light purple discoloration started to appear on one of the built in sections.  The mysterious stain grew and grew and darkened until it was about 8 inches in diameter and an angry purple in color!  No one could figure out what was causing it so we called the cabinet maker in for a looksee. Well, he said, I have never seen anything like that… perhaps your dog has been rubbing his butt on that spot and you haven’t noticed?

How does one respond to that?  I remarked that our little 8 pound dog would need a step stool to get his butt up that high.   Well, David, he said, this is really special.  In 30 years, he continued, I have never seen this happen.  I am so lucky!  If I am so special, why can’t I win at lotto?

I have had this specialness pointed out to me many times:  I have a brand new car that has been reported to be one of a half dozen sold nationally with a flashing “tire pressure light” that remains unrepairable- next month they promise when the techies reprogram the master chip!   I am the only one I know whose very pricey stainless steel, name brand watch was made out of “bad batch of stainless” that was too soft and scratched too easily. (This, they replaced with a sheepish grin on their faces.)

I could go on and on with my “specialness,” but I am coming to believe that being “special” is just a line that is handed out when a manufacture or service provider has failed to meet their commitments and they are trying to wiggle out of fixing what is broke.  It seems that I am becoming more and more special as the years go by.  How about you?

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Please feel free to respond to any of my stories, ramblings or articles.  I will publish the responses with your initials only (or your name if you like).  So many of you make comments when we meet face to face and many are worth sharing, so please write back.

Red Herring magazine once ran an ad that stated “Even leaders are led.” It’s a pretty thought provoking statement. If you really think about it and dig deep, who or what leads you as a leader? What are your motivating factors? There is no simple answer to this question – for the answer to the question may not be known.

Take a moment and think about what leads you as a leader – is it a vision or a goal? Is it a desire to create better products or offer better services? Or, is it that childhood dream of great profit margins? Maybe it’s the sense of pride you take in seeing the team, that you built, doing great things, growing and changing the world. Do you have a fear of failure that is driving you towards success? Or maybe it’s a need to be in control of what is done and how it’s done?

 Search within yourself and determine what makes you the leader you are. Often the reasons for your drive will impact the effectiveness of your role as a leader.

To avoid this situation, begin by setting priorities. In creating priorities, more is not better. A refined list is more effective than a laundry list. Establish those few vital priorities each day or each week. Begin by listing everything out, and number each task by order of importance. Focus on the first four or five. They get the highest priority. They become your goals. Set a time frame, set smaller tasks that need to be accomplished to complete the bigger task at hand and keep in check. By putting the importance on the big picture stuff, you will find time for the smaller stuff in your day. The converse is not true.

So, use your calendar in Outlook or on your blackberry, purchase a planner, utilize an assistant, and create to-do lists. Utilize the tools around you and begin to take control of the tasks ahead of you by prioritizing. It is the first step towards successful leadership and taking control of your life.

I would love to read your comments on how you prioritize and set goals and the tools you use in your daily life.

For the purposes of this anecdotal tale, I will refer to the two associates as Will and Grace.  Now, as it happens, Will and Grace know each other fairly well, having worked together for over three years.  Grace is the Chief of Operations and Will is the VP of Marketing, reporting into Grace.  Will has tendered notice that he has accepted an offer from a non-competitive company in a nearby city.  He really doesn’t want to leave but he feels that Grace fails to support his initiatives.  He has weighed his options and believes that in leaving he will finally gain the respect that has eluded him- they will all miss him!  Grace hates the thought of losing Will and wants to keep him at all costs.  She is considered to be a very cool, unemotional business person who rarely says more than she has to.  Even though Will’s decision has been made and his notice has been given, he agrees to have dinner with Grace (at my prodding and intervention as a consultant to the executive team) to meet and discuss if his decision is irrevocable.

Grace is troubled and pensive.  If Will wants out then maybe it is best to just let him go.  On the other hand, Will is damned good at his job and it is not going to be easy to replace him… and the cost for recruitment, the time wasted and the loss of his experience all add up to be quite significant. Will, on the other hand, is feeling confident.  He does have his other offer that he has accepted.  It pays as well if not better and there is plenty of room for growth; but he does enjoy his current job and the people on his team who have been hand selected by him at great expense and effort.  And so, they go to their dinner, each having received encouragement from me to be open and generous with one another.

7:00AM the next morning my cell phone rings in the kitchen pulling me out of bed.  By the time I reach it, it has run out of steam and stopped ringing my name.  I see a missed call from Grace.  I wait a few minutes to give her time to leave a message and so I can get my thoughts in order before calling her back.  Her voice is terse and quick and tells me of the three hours she spent the prior night with Will and that the time confirmed for her that he was determined to leave and further efforts would be fruitless.  She shares some of his comments “verbatim,” providing evidence in support of her case.  I don’t call her back.

It is now 8:30AM, and my office phone rings.  It’s Will. He thanks me for setting up the prior night’s dinner but goes on to tell me that it was abundantly clear that Grace was actually pleased that he was leaving.  She thought the move would be a good one.  Over the next 10-15 minutes he filled me on some of the dialogue from the prior evening.  I do not tell him that I have received a detailed voice mail message from Grace or that I have a call set up with her later that morning.

Grace did not hear what Will said and Will did not hear what Grace said.  How is it possible that two such bright, talented and accomplished people could spend so much time together and fail so drastically to communicate?  I suspect that each of them was filled with their own preconceptions about each other and the situation they were in.  Will knew that Grace was tough and pragmatic and he did not expect her to care about his needs or even consider them.  He believed that her reaction to pressure would be pressure in kind.  For Grace’s part, she believed that Will was being driven by his own self interest and his own agenda.  She felt that it was Will’s responsibility to unravel the mess he had gotten them into.  He expected that she, as the boss, would remedy the issue.  Both were wrong.

So I met with Grace and discussed what I thought was going on.  With her permission, I invited Will to join us for a brief meeting.  I spoke to both of them as equals and gently shared examples of what was said and what was heard.  I asked them to try an experiment.  I would leave them alone and each of them would tell the other what they were really hoping to accomplish- what they desired and what they feared.  And they were instructed to really listen to what the other was saying,  not to interrupt.  I asked them to restate what they had heard so that they would have acute clarity.  They were not to be judgmental.

One hour later, Grace called me to say that she had come to terms with Will and he had decided to stay.  Will’s decision was not based on a change to his financial package.  In their meeting he had told Grace that he always had a vision for his team and that he felt it wasn’t being realized and feared that it would never come to be.  His voice wasn’t being heard.  (Imagine that!) Grace liked his vision and realized that she hadn’t given him a real opportunity to share his ideas.  She promised him that if he stayed she would support his program idea and would make an effort to be a better listener.  She also said  that didn’t mean she would just agree with everything he suggested but she would really listen and consider what he said in the future.  And he agreed that he would be a better listener as well.

Why are we such poor listeners?  What does it take to be a great listener?  First, you must be present and attentive- you must be “there” in the moment.  It takes discipline to really pay attention to what someone else is saying.  Our own voice is screaming in our head- we want to interrupt, to jump in, and to offer our counter thoughts.  We nod our heads in agreement and finally there is a pause and we leap.  We must fight that urge.  We need to really understand what is being said.  Is the speaker done? Is he pausing before completing his thought?  Once he or she stops it is good practice to repeat back, in your own words, what you have heard.  Then pause and ask if you have heard correctly.  If you receive a positive acknowledgement you can offer your own thoughts

Look at the person you are talking to.  Make eye contact when you speak as well as when you listen.  Don’t answer your cell phone or your office phone when they are speaking- shut it off.  Answering your phone tells someone that they are not important. (I was notoriously bad with this- driven by my sense of urgency, I felt compelled to pick up the phone when it rang and often pissed off people whose support I was seeking… not smart!).  Asking questions is a great way to demonstrate that you are engaged in the conversation and that you are really listening.  Framing your questions with phrases such as: “Help me understand…”, “Could you explain that in more detail…” and so on, creates an interactive conversation and moves away from a monologue.

Ask someone to slow down and to go over something they have said that you may have missed.  In most cases, they will now find a new way to express their ideas and help build clarity.  Active listening is a skill that can be learned and must be practiced.  It is not natural for most of us but it is achievable.