Am I BOLD enough?
That is a question that is constantly pops in my head.
And, I hear answer the voice in my head speak, “NO!”
Am I BOLD enough in my life, in my vision, in my dreams, in my ambition?
I watched “Jobs” this past weekend – the movie with Ashton Kutcher. Steve Jobs is the Benjamin Franklin of our time. I have seen various movies, read his biography, and am always drawn to his story.
I love seeing & learning from real life examples of people who have such clear visions & such BOLDNESS.
“Comparison is the thief of joy…” Unknown
There is truth to that quote, and I still believe there is also value in comparison.
Steve Jobs saw the possibility of things before they were so…
He not only saw the possibility…
He BELIEVED his vision was not only possible, but NECESSARY in the world,
And that anyone standing in his way,
Anyone not willing to buy into what he saw fully,
Needed to be removed from the equation.
Wow, I envy that clarity, that passion, that courage.
What is MY vision? For my life? For my company?
Steve Jobs for much of his life lived in disharmony.
He lived frustrated by the limitations of reality and people and the status quo.
He was disliked by many, and as he aged – he seemed to find a much more Zen approach to his ambition. It probably happened AFTER he started bringing his vision to life. When people started to realize if they followed him, they would likely be part of something amazing.
After his vision started becoming real through his products and success,
the fear of failing was propped up by his genius,
and all you needed to do was work hard and believe and not get fired ;-)
Steve Jobs was a true genius, and he was an imperfect man. We share the “imperfect man” part, and I figure that’s as good a part to start as any ;-)
What VISION am I passionate about? ...do I believe to be NECESSARY in the world?
I have a vision for my life, and it is slowly and steadily my reality. I have a vision for being a father and a husband, and it is slowly and steadily my reality.
What is my VISION for my company?
Not just the one that I write into the presentations, but the one that I believe is NECESSARY and POSSIBLE? Because, I am getting old enough to know THAT ONE is the one that I will make our reality. People can tell the difference.
This is why a “hired gun”, someone from the “outside”, of a company so rarely accomplishes true breakthroughs and greatness…
It is impossible to borrow a VISION.
It is almost impossible to define a VISION that compels you from research or diligence.
The VISIONS that change the world are born within our souls…
VISIONS are not FOUND, but rather ACKNOWLEDGED and ADMITTED.
VISIONS are not FOUND, THEY FIND US... would be more what Lee Thayer would say.
So, to be effective leaders of companies - to truly lead transformation and bring to life breakthrough VISION - we must find the direction within our FIBER...
To be completely honest – there is the VISION of my company that I put on the presentations, there is the VISION of my company that I hold in my heart, and there is the VISION of the company that I believe to be possible – and they are different. They all share some of the same components – but they create different pictures.
It is the inconsistency between those three visions that unsettles my soul and, at times, makes me question my own integrity. NOT because I lack integrity or purpose, but because I aspire to a fantastic level of it.
I EXPECT of myself a pure alignment between those three visions. I believe I owe it to myself and my colleagues. And, that is a very high expectation. Per our conversation from yesterday, I should attempt to make that my inspiration, not my expectation.
I should be INSPIRED by the possibility of fully aligning the vision of my company with my passion for strategy and human beings and doing right, and I am.
I watch “Jobs”, and I am both inspired and humbled…
I understand the importance and the power of VISION more clearly than I ever have.
VISION IS THE FUTURE VERSION OF MY COMPANY THAT IS POSSIBLE, COMPELLING AND NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE & BRING TO LIFE.
I understand the criticality of my role as CEO with respect to VISION more clearly than I ever have.
MY ROLE IS TO MAKE THAT VISION NECESSARY, TO ENSURE PEOPLE SEE IT & UNDERSTAND IT, and TO PUT PEOPLE WHO GET IT OUT IN FRONT and REMOVE ANYONE WHO IS NOT FULLY COMMITTED TO IT.
I am not going to bring to life the next ianything.
I do not have Jobs’ brilliance, creativity, genius… but I can help bring to life an amazing company, a unique place to work, a truly valuable proposition for companies that own lots of properties…
I have a huge opportunity to influence and change the world around me by creating a one-of-a-kind company…
And, for ME, my ultimate VISION for the company embraces fully the concept of HARMONY. For me, HARMONY is what I see as POSSIBLE and NECESSARY, to make real in the world around me... and it is HARMONY - the POWER of IS, the value of QUESTIONS, the value of HONESTY that wraps into and around my vision of the company's value proposition that I know will produce something amazing...
IF I AM HONEST with myself - there is ABSOLUTELY a clear VISION that I have, that I am compelled to bring to life...
AM I BEING BOLD ENOUGH?
Is my VISION slowly and steadily becoming our reality?
Are YOU?
In harmony,
Nesto