I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”

Perfection paralysis is a condition that keeps many leaders from obtaining their best results. You may know someone or it may be you that is guilty of making sure everything is perfectly in place before taking the first step to implement a goal.

When Napoleon Hill interviewed Andrew Carnegie he captured the quote from Carnegie, “Any idea that is held in the mind and is emphasized, that is either feared or revered, will begin at once to clothe itself in the most appropriate physical form available.” Hill discovered that the most successful Americans that Carnegie introduced him to had many things in common – one key factor stands out – they all set specific goals and began to move toward the goal without having to figure out all the details.

Foundations is about clarity in your vision and specificity on your goals. It does not, however, mean that you must plan until you run out of energy and time to implement your goal. Define the goal and then begin at once to move toward completion of that goal.

TIP: Consider perfection to be the enemy of good. Perfection might just keep you from ever achieving your goal. It’s is worth it?

If you lead an organization or are preparing your self to lead the organization of your dreams, then be in touch with your passion. When I question leaders about their vision and then ask them to define their passion for that vision, I often get responses describing the desired results for others. Many times it takes quite a bit of of questioning to arrive at a definition of the passion that resides in the heart of the leader. Once we arrive at that moment of clarity in the discussion, then it is possible to move forward and describe desired outcomes and know that there is a good chance of achieving those outcomes.

There are way too many leaders that feel trapped in a position for reasons other than following their passion. When I shop in a store, eat in a restaurant, or receive a service, I am impressed, feel more engaged, and am better served when I can sense the passion in the person that is providing me goods or services. I feel fully engaged with that person. How important is that? Apply that perspective to leadership. If the people you lead can sense your passion, don’t you think that they will be influenced by that passion?

TIP: The passion you share is the passion you will receive in return.

Here’s the part of the interview that deals with clarity:

Willimon: One of my Cabinet members, a District Superintendent who is retired military, brings a perspective from the military. If while we do our work, I can like you, great. If while we are doing our work, I can respect you, great. But, we’re all clear, none of that is as important as getting them mission accomplished.

Ballou: Absolutely! It supports the first piece we were talking about, clarity in the vision.

Willimon: I was just thinking about that. I love your stress on clarity. This week, this is my thing – clarity. I’ve just read a good book by Bill Brosen, The Preaching of Jesus: Gospel Proclamation, Then and Now. And Bill says there, that when he listens to sermons, the biggest problem is clarity, just simple clarity. You can’t figure our what the preacher is talking about. Bill says that it’s a kind of theological problem and a sense of decision not being able to say, “I’m going to go with this, I’m not going to go with that.” Expanding that to leadership in the church, I’d say that one of the problems we have in the church is that we have these ridiculous broad, multi-faceted expectations – ‘increase of love of God and neighbor, we want to have a loving, caring congregation, you can just feel the love, we want to welcome newcomers who may threaten that, but we also want to change the world and transform America into a Christian society, we also want to challenge sin when we see it…” It’s a receipt for never accomplishing anything and never feeling that God has done something good through us. So, therefore, clarity becomes a huge thing – what is it that you most want to do.

To read the entire interview or to download the audio file, go to the interview at Monday Morning Email April 12.

In my work with entrepreneurs, church leaders, leaders of non[profits, and leaders in the corporate world, I find similar issues holding leaders back from achieving their dreams – lack of clarity. Clarity comes in many forms. All these forms of clarity are written. Yes, it must be written down to be clear. Otherwise, your thoughts will continue expanding, changing, or moving forward in an uncontrolled and unclear manner. In fact, if your goals are not written down, then they are still in the dream phase. Dreams are essential to building a vision, however, at some point the dream must be written down in order to facilitate effective implementation. An unwritten goal is simply – a dream.

Clarity brings you to a state of knowing. You begin with believing that your vision will be reality. In creating documents, you move from simply believing to knowing – an essential step! If leaders work with teams (committees, boards, staff, etc.) the importance of written documents goes to a higher level of importance. Strategic plans fail about 95% of the time in the implementation stage – the plan is completed, but nothing, or little happens.

As documents are created, clarity comes to the leader. Clarity in the final result – clarity in the steps to get to the result – clarity in the sequence of the steps to get to the result – clarity in the actions needed from team members. All these are essential to effective results. The documents to be created include: Statement of Core Values, Definition of Long-Term Objectives, Development of Short-Term Goals, Creation and Implementation of Action Plans for the Goals.

For more information on creating clarity with effective documents, see Hugh’s Book Building High Performance Teams: Systems and Structures for Leading Teams and Empowering Transformation HERE

Create your own clarity today by defining the end results you want achieve and defining a way to get there.

The Transformational Leader is the champion and cheerleader of the cause. The cause itself must be worthy in the long term or the transformation and the organization will suffer. This becomes apparent as the process unfolds and the process will break down. For example, the current economic situation in the world is not about faulty economic systems, it is about failure in leadership!

It is of primary importance for the Transformational Leader, in order to prevent conflict in the workplace and team conflict, to be clear on the foundations for the vision. The vision must come from the core values of the organization and resonate with the core values of the leader himself or herself. If there is a conflict in these core values (the personal values of the leader vs. the core values of the organization) failure is inevitable. Creating a solid foundation is a way to validate and clarify the leader’s vision for the organization and to create systems for others to follow. The Transformational Leader empowers leader on teams to utilize their varied leadership skills, talents, and perspectives to be successful and transform the organization as well as the lives of the people involved both internally and externally.

A solid foundation consists of the following: 1) a written list of core values; 2) a written description of long-term strategic objectives; 3) a written list of short-term goals; 4) a written set of action plans for each goal; and finally, 5) team involvement in all of the processes listed above. It should be clear from this list that written plans separate dreams from accomplishments. First write the draft, and then revise it. Continue to evaluate the process steps and the time line throughout the implementation process and make the needed changes. The vision is clear. You develop the pathway as a continuing process, and not just a single planning event.

Is it worth the time to create a solid foundation in order to maximize success?

Learn more about creating a solid foundation with Hugh’s article on Goals Process.

- William James

I just read a post by Mac Lake titled When Leaders Fall into Maintenance Mode. Which reminded me of some leaders I have net recently who have given up on the church and on themselves.

Each of us is called to lead from where we are – now. Each of us is called to give God our best – regardless of the situation.

Some leaders give up and fall into maintenance mode because of the situation they find themselves in. Our vision comes from God, so it is our duty and delight to continue to grow as leaders and be the champion for the vision God has given us.

Create a solid foundation by  writing down your goals and sharing those goals. We are in a community of faith, so share with those in the community. Enthusiasm and motivation are both given and received by leaders.

What will you do today to be sure that you are motivated?

What will you do today to be sure that those you lead have a chance to be motivated? – by you?

As Paul said, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2

How will you transform yourself and those whom you lead today?

The Definitive Leader program is a 13-module, 52-week intensive program on all aspects of Transformational Leadership. Resolve conflict while building leadership skills and learn to build consensus.

The Definitive Leader program is a 13-module, 52-week intensive program on all aspects of Transformational Leadership. With 52 downloadable lessons, 13 bonus lessons, 10 templates, and instructional teleseminars. The program is downloadable so that the leader ends up with a full notebook of leadership resources for future use. The content is delivered by weekly email linking the leader to a web page with an instructional video and PDF lesson download.

Build a strategy beginning with your core values, your vision and mission, and your long-term strategic objectives.

You’ve got to think about “big things” while you’re doing small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction. – Alvin Toffler

The hues of the opal, 
the light of the diamond, 
are not to be seen 
if the eye is too near.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory.
- Arthur Golden

Knowing the score is basic preparation for the conductor. You can’t even consider conducting a rehearsal or performance without thorough knowledge of the score. It is also critical that you develop a plan for teaching the music and enabling your unique interpretation. In fact, rehearsals don’t always go as you have planned, so having a back up strategy and a back up for the back up are also essential. Knowing the score and having a clear vision of the final result enables the conductor to develop the strategy for leading the ensemble to the place of excellence captured in the vision of the conductor – the leader.

Transfer this planning element, this level of preparation, this commitment to excellence to other areas of leadership. Knowing the score equals knowing your goals and objectives, which is having a clear vision of the results you want to achieve. If you prepare for committee meetings, board meetings, or for staff gatherings like a conductor prepares for rehearsal, how much different would the results be? Typically, a conductor will spend 2 to 3 times the amount of time scheduled for rehearsal in preparation for that rehearsal. This is because the conductor understands the relevance between preparation and achieving excellence.

Look at your goals for the year and evaluate your progress. If you don’t have goals, here’s what I suggest. Write 3 goals. Two goals are for your organization for areas that you can have an impact as leader, and one additional goal is personal, such as fitness, spiritual growth, family or home, etc. Make the goal specific and timed and share it with 3 other people that will help you be accountable. Accountability equals achievability.

Here’s my format for goals:

* Specific Goal (be very specific)
* Completion Date
* Relationships needed to complete the goal
* Obstacles in reaching the goal
* Benefits in achieving the goal

Here are two secrets that I share with my coaching clients that make a difference in achieving the goal. First, be sure to share it as I suggested above, then identify the benefit in reaching the goal. These two factors will raise your potential of success tremendously.