High performance teams are filled with visionary individuals. Notice I did NOT say that high performance teams are led by a visionary leader. They are led by both.
Normal individuals, teams, and leaders wait for the one in charge to craft the vision and then get busy doing what they’re told. This team underperforms and wears out quickly. Plus, nobody is that smart. Remember, nobody is as smart as everybody.
Do great individuals end up compromising their vision to create a “shared” vision with and for their team?
Nope.
Strong individuals experience vision collision as the individuals on a team “figure out” how to work together. Here’s what I mean. As you clarify your vision and begin to align it with the visions of others, there will be some natural collisions. There will be some overlap. Over time these will get sorted out as you and those around get additional “clarity” to who does what. Visions that collide usually are headed in the same direction, they just need to get focused a bit.
There will also be vision divisions on most high performance teams. This occurs when individuals get clarity of their collective visions and realize that they are headed in different directions. One wants to stay small while the other is bent on opening markets overseas. One wants to refine the product offering while another wants to diversify. These visions usually result in division. Usually someone leaves the team. This is rarely a bad thing. This is usually a natural thing.
Vision precision is the result of high performance individuals gaining clarity on where we’re going and who is doing what. This does NOT happen overnight. Vision precision takes time. Trust must be built before the big dreamers on your team feel it’s safe to come clean. Until deep trust exists most team members will simply marry their vision to the one held by the positional leader. Or, simply go through the motions.
A number of individuals with vision precision produces a team that is building alignment. This alignment produces a number of people that are more engaged in their work. This produces a team with more energy. This team begins to work together at unprecedented levels. Very cool.
Do NOT fear the collisions. Do NOT fear the divisions. Fall in love with gaining clarity. Fall in love with creating a team with alignment, engagement, and energy. Vision precision is the result. This team knows exactly where they are going, how they’re going to get there, who’s responsible for what, and how to keep score. Precision is where performance lives. Precision is the one you want.
This will require REAL, HARD, WORK. And, lots of deliberate practice.
Do you see it?
BUILT TO LEAD 
This is a timely post.
I’m working with 3 brothers who lead a system. One has been really working on his vision and the big WHY — the purpose — behind it, which in his words is to “improve lives” by the power of serving others and teaching others to do the same.
He was surprised when he shared his clarity with his brothers to learn they were not aligned. THEIR purpose is to be the “best” in their industry.
So Thursday we will all get together for some vision collision — where we will practice Curious George AND My Way Is The Highway…
…to get to more PRECISION on the OUR way for these 3 brothers.