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.
Pierce, Jon L. and John W. Newstrom (2011) 6th edition. Leaders and the Leadership Process.
Kouzes, J., & Posner, B., (2007). The leadership challenge, (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-
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.
Envisioning goals: Focus on the right direction to help the group manage the organization in both long term and short term goals.
Northouse, P. (2010). Leadership: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
...he solution. Instead the solution is to develop richer and more complex processes of accomplishing the leadership tasks. Project Managers facing a complex challenge should focus on how to set direction for the team, create alignment between them, and generate their commitment and ignore how many people are, or are not, leaders. Making the accomplishment of the leadership tasks at the core of leadership raises new questions: What are the barriers or obstacles project managers should clears in order to set a clear direction, create an effective alignment, and generate a solid commitment? What resources exist in the organization that project managers could tap in for creating direction, alignment, and commitment as a complex challenge is being tackled? Answering these kind of questions can assist organizations avoid the traditional problems of distributed leadership
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.
Create a vision – that provides a clear understanding of what the change is all about.
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
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.
A leader must know what their goals are and be prepared to take the appropriate steps to achieve them. Great leadership has the capacity to make the vision a reality. Having a vision is more than an image of the future. It is also a tool used to inspire and motivate people. It makes people believe that change can occur and that anything is possible. Even if it the vision is farfetched and outlandish, it stills creates a solid foundation for possible success and growth. Gostick and Elton (2012) believe that effective managers manifest their commitment to mission and values in everything they do- their actions, their dreams, their example, and certainly their speech
Lussier, R.N. & Achua, C.F. (2010). Leadership: Theory, application, skill development (5th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western.
Creating a vision, carefully crafted, can help the team know who they are and who they are not. Miranda was able to get buy-in to her vision through her reputation and strategic thinking. Creating a vision for Runway proved to be very effective for Miranda to motivate the organizational member and get them to perform well.
In the video, being a leader is shown mainly in how one reacts to the society and environment as a whole. A leader must have clear mission and sense of purpose so that he can foster guidance when chaotic opinions and situations arise. Members’ roles must be clearly defined and the relevance of each must be disseminated. A leader emphasizes the vision so that the team can imagine and follow what they wanted to fulfil in the long run. Also, a leader must set short term goals and track progress of each member or of the team. Adherence to the strategic and tactical plans requires perseverance to attain the desired outcome. Constantly achieving the weekly goals will enable the leader to track the performance of the team, effectiveness of his leadership, and how far they are from the objective. Further, competence is an important factor of successful leadership by showing that a leader must be experienced or specialized in the field of interest they have chosen in order to quickly grasp the needed information and react responsively to solve concerns and constraints. But not all are born competent leaders; some gain their expertise along ...