The Visionary Leader with Michael Hyatt
This week’s guest on the Love In Action podcast is Michael Hyatt, CEO and founder of Michael Hyatt & Company, and the former Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. Michael Hyatt & Company has been featured in the Inc 5000 list of the fastest growing companies in America for three consecutive years. Michael is also a bestselling author. He joins Marcel Schwantes to discuss his new book, The Vision Driven Leader: 10 Questions to Focus Your Efforts, Energize Your Team and Scale Your Business, and to explain how leaders can design an irresistible vision and rally their teams to achieve it. Marcel quotes from Michael’s new book: “Vision is the essential ingredient for successful leadership. There's no substitute... Unless you as a leader have a clear picture of the destination where you want your company to be in 3 to 5 years, you've got nothing that will inspire people to follow you.” [1:30]Michael says, “...in moments of crisis our character is proven.” People who survive a crisis are those who are willing to face the reality of their situation, and who have faith that they would prevail in the end. [3:58]It’s possible to win at work and succeed in life as long as you have a vision. [5:28]Michael lists how vision helps leaders become better: [6:15]Vision gives you confidence. [6:22]Vision accelerates your momentum. [6:42]A clear vision is a filter to differentiate between opportunities and distraction. [7:01]Vision drives execution and reduces overwhelm. [7:29]A clear vision aligns your organization and ensures that you're driving towards the things that bring success. [7:42]A clear vision helps you attract the right teammates and repel the wrong ones. [7:58]“Mission and vision are very different,” Michael points out. “Mission is about your purpose; it answers the question, Why? Vision is about your destination and it answers the question, What?” [8:50]Michael defines vision as “a clear, inspiring, practical and attractive picture of your organization’s future and it has to be superior to the present. It's got to be written down...and it's going to be written in the present tense as though it's actually already achieved.” His company has created a Vision Scriptor tool to walk users through the process of creating a vision. [9:13]Marcel and Michael discuss the qualities of a vision driven leader, as well as leaders who are vision deficient. Michael illustrates the difference between leaders and managers, and emphasizes that both roles are essential. [12:07]“One of the things that happens in a crisis,” Michael says, “is that people lose connection with that larger story... because it's a lot of...daily tasks that have to be done. So it's up to the leader to be refilling the vision bucket that everybody is carrying around, so that they can find meaning in their work, and so they have hope for the future.” [17:20]The long-term vision of most organizations would not change in a crisis; the thing that has to change is strategy. [17:47]Loving customers and employees means serving them well. Creating a culture where people flourish starts with the leader. [20:14]Marcel asks why some people still lead through fear. Michael believes that such people have a scarcity mindset. [23:22]Michael gives practical tips about working remotely, including two useful online tools. [25:44]Creating a winning culture begins with the leader’s vision. What would serve the people we want to serve? How can we help our employees get the “double win”? [31:08]Michael believes that “this is the moment for entrepreneurs for leaders to rise up as an army and really deliver the future that all of us need and want.” [32:58]Listeners should know that they have what it takes, according to Michael. “This moment will bring out the best in your leadership if you let it.” [33:30]ResourcesMichaelHyatt.comVisionDrivenLeader.com/coreMarcelSchwantes.com