I went to hear Carlos Brito, CEO of AB InBev, speak last week at Washington University.  It was his first public appearance in St. Louis, and I was excited to have the opportunity to hear him speak.

This town went nuts when it heard that our beloved Anheuser Busch was going to be bought by InBev.  It was as if the crown jewel of St. Louis was being stolen.  Washington University sent out notices before the event regarding its intent to have an open conversation and to not bring in signs or protest the event.  That made it all the more intriguing.

I was reading another post by Michael Hyatt this morning, and it struck a cord with what we do at Dialect and why I wanted to start the company.  Michael was asked a simple question in an interview: “Which is most important – mission, core values, or vision?”

Michael answered that they are all equally important and interconnected.  They are distinguishable but inseparable.  You can read the post here.

Then the comments came rolling in.  One comment on Michael’s post says that he has heard that values are defined first.  Another person was more animated about the need for values to come first.

In my experience, leaders start from many places.  We’ve done work with companies were the leader sees purpose as being the glue for everything else.  In other situations, we’ve had leaders emphasize shared values and the strategy.  In other situations we’ve seen leaders who start with strategy and return later to what it will look like when they get there (vision) and what beliefs and behaviors will be necessary to accomplish it (values).

What do you start with at your company?

I had a great conversation with Mark Sylvester yesterday during a webinar on promoting organizational sync.  Mark has a company called introNetworks that helps connect people via smart social networks.

I first used introNetworks software when I attended the TED Conference (Technology, Entertainment and Design).  The software allowed me to choose attributes that best describe me and then view the attributes of more than 1,000 people at the conference. Being part of this smart network allowed me to quickly recognize people, gave me ideas for conversation starters, and help me find people with common interests.

I hope that if you participated in the webinar today you found the conversation helpful.  If you missed it, you can listen to it here.  I think there is great potential to promote organizational sync with a resource like introNetworks.  Anything leaders can do to facilitate different ways to connect like minded people is helpful in promoting sync.

I came across an insightful quote about vision from Michael Hyatt who is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers.

“This is where great leadership makes all the difference. Leadership is more than influence. It is about reminding people of what it is we are trying to build—and why it matters. It is about painting a picture of a better future. It comes down to pointing the way and saying, “C’mon. We can do this!”

When times are tough, vision is the first casualty. Before conditions can improve, it is the first thing we must recover.

I thought this was well said.  Having a strong vision is one of many ways to lead an organization, and I think it’s a powerful motivator when leadership can paint a clear and compelling picture of the future.

And of course, sometimes the path ahead isn’t so clear.  Then what do you do?  Be disciplined and step back and thing about the horizon.

Of course, it isn’t everyone’s style to create a compelling vision.  Direction is only one aspect of an organization that needs to be in sync.  Still, I believe it’s important to let others who tend to think this way participate in setting a compelling direction.

Seth Godin‘s new book, Linchpin:  Are You Indispensable?, proposes that there are three teams in every workplace: management, labor, and a new team — linchpins.

Linchpins, Godin suggests, “invent, lead (regardless of title), connect others, make things happen, and create order out of chaos. They figure out what to do when there’s no rule book. They delight and challenge their customers and peers. They love their work, pour their best selves into it, and turn each day into a kind of art.”

Godin challenges us to “make an indispensable contribution to something you care about.”  We think that’s a great challenge.

• What do you care about in your organization?  Are you excited about the direction your organization is headed?  Are you building a culture that engages your customers?
• Do you understand your personal strengths well enough to know where you can make a unique contribution?
• Have you connected your strengths to the challenges and opportunities your organization faces?

Let us know where you see this happening.  Tell us about the Linchpins in your workplace!

You’re sitting in a meeting and someone starts talking about “vision.”  You immediately start looking at your Blackberry.  Not only are you frustrated that you and your colleagues left your Buzzwork Bingo cards in your office, discussions of vision just aren’t what floats your boat.  ”Vision” never helps you get things done.  It’s just a waste of time dreaming about something that isn’t going to happen anyway.

You’ve just experienced your “lizard brain” kicking in.

Seth Godin has a blog post that discusses some of the effects of the lizard brain, and it reminded us of what we call “filters.”  Read the post and let us know what you think.  What creates resistance in you?  What does leadership announce that makes your amygdala fire?

Our next post will be about Seth’s new book, Linchpin:  Are You Indispensable?