King’s Legacy For Leaders
Yesterday it was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. If you have never read a biography on Dr. King, I recommend that you do. Particularly if you’re Caucasian like me. It’s quite an eye opener.
He was an extraordinary man with incredible intelligence. He inspired our nation to accept something that is logically simple yet emotionally complex - respect and equal opportunity for all people no matter what their heritage.
Tim Hebert, CEO of Atrion Networking Corporation in Warwick, Rhode Island gave a talk last week at Cisco’s HR Forum on the importance of a company vision. As part of his presentation he showed a clip from Dr. King’s “I have a dream” speech in Washington, DC. It is interesting to note that in this six minute clip Dr. King repeated the words “I have a dream” many times and reinforced those words with strong verbal illustrations.
Just as when Jesus said to his disciples, “A new command I give you, love one another. As I have loved you, love one another. By this man will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.” He was talking to his top students and he still had to repeat himself three times! Dr. King, Jesus Christ, and many great leaders throughout history have realized that even when you have a great vision it still must be communicated over and over again for people to grasp it.
As you continue to move forward this week I encourage you to look at your company’s vision statement. Is it a common vision that appeals to the shared aspirations of your employees? Is it simple in its message, like Dr. King’s “I have a dream” vision? Is it something that inspires passion so your employees become fully engaged in what they do in your business?
How is your vision? That’s my thought for today. If your company has a great vision statement then proclaim it everywhere you go and reinforce it with powerful, passionate stories of how your company is positively impacting lives of others. If your vision statement needs to be more clear, then there is no better time than this week - NOW - to improve it.
Remember, our goal is to make 2008 our best year ever. Without great vision, how can you see your way to success? Have an awesome day!
