“Begin With the End in Mind”

According to Stephen R. Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, strategic communicators and leaders must “begin with the end in mind” (Wriggle, 2006, p. 2). Rebecca Wriggle (2006) explains this statement in her article, “Strategic Leader as Strategic Communicator,” by writing, “All things are created twice, first in our minds and then we work to bring them into physical existence” (p. 2). Based on the readings and the courses I’ve taken so far in the Strategic Communication program, I have a lot of work to do as far as developing my leadership vision as a strategic communication professional! One point that stuck out and stayed with me in the reading for this week was from a TED2008 video titled “The transformative power of classical music.” As he discussed his experiences as a conductor, Benjamin Zander, the speaker in the video, stated the following:

I realized my job was to awaken possibility in other people. And of course, I wanted to know whether I was doing that. And you know how you find out? You look at their eyes. If their eyes are shining, you know you're doing it…If the eyes are not shining, you get to ask a question. And this is the question: who am I being, that my players' eyes are not shining? We can do that with our children, too. Who am I being, that my children's eyes are not shining? That's a totally different world. (2008)

I have three children ages eight, six, and three, and this particular part of the video gave me so much insight into who I am and how I am as a parent in their eyes. Children look up to their parents, even when their parents aren’t the best they can be at times, and they try to emulate their every action. My three year-old daughter is a mirror image of me in so many ways, so I have to be aware of the things that I say and do around her. My actions should reflect what I want her to aspire to be: strong, independent, forward thinking, honest, loyal, etc. I also want my life to “awaken possibility” in her life and in the lives of my two sons. Thinking about Zander’s words, I asked myself the following questions: As a future strategic communicator, how can I make the eyes of my target audience shine? How can I “awaken possibility in other people?”

In her article, “Strategic Leader as Strategic Communicator,” Wriggle (2006) stated that strategic communication involves “understand[ing] and engag[ing] key audiences, creat[ing] favorable conditions, and coordinat[ing] programs” (p. 8). This statement reminded me of Everett Rogers’ diffusion of innovations theory (read more about it here). I want to embody these qualities and more as a strategic communicator, and that means being able to stay “in the know” of current and emerging media and of the strategies involved with using them. I also must be able to analyze my audience and be able to cater to its needs while serving the needs of whatever organization I represent.

The main challenge I see in the development of my leadership vision is my having to become a communication innovator, meaning I must be one of the few that can “begin with the end in mind” (Wriggle, 2005, p. 2). Our society is constantly evolving as far as communication goes, and I will have to work hard to ensure that I am in the group that is willing to accept the current state of communications. I must strive to integrate fresh, cutting-edge ideas into “legacy media,” and into the minds of consumers and individuals that are “failing to adapt” to these changes (Mutter, 2012). As a strategic leader, I must be able to branch out from management and hone my leadership skills. This means that I must know the differences between the two.

Management involves making sure that daily operations are in order, and leadership requires innovation and the ability to make decisions that will affect the bottom line in the future. Managers lead teams of employees within certain departments in an organization, while leaders must guide an entire organization into implementing new ideas, programs, etc. within the organization. In his blog post, “Management Is (Still) Not Leadership,” which is available through the Harvard Business Review (read here), John Kotter (2013) expounds on these differences, stating, “Leadership is about vision, about people buying in, about empowerment and, most of all, about producing useful change.” This is where strategic communicators and leaders come into play.

In order to be a successful strategic leader, I must anticipate the needs of my audience, which also includes any subordinates I may have, and of the organization that I may represent. James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner (2009) made a great point in their article, “To Lead, Create a Shared Vision.” In their article, they stated that “what leaders struggle with most is communicating an image of the future that draws others in—that speaks to what others see and feel” (2009). They argue that leaders must be able to share their vision with their subordinates as they lead their teams or organizations to the future. The authors shared a statement from a worker, who said the following: “We want to walk with you while you create the goals and vision so we all get to the end vision together” (Kouzes & Posner, 2009). This statement points out the continued importance of communication in leadership.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:12 that he knew “how to be abased, and [he knew] how to abound.” This is an important concept strategic communicators and leaders must keep in mind, because nothing can be innovated or integrated into any society or organization unless the people know and understand it. More and more, we find that people are no longer willing to just accept what the “higher ups” want them to take. We see this through citizen journalism, blogs, videos, social media, etc. So my question is this: how do strategic communicators and leaders reach these people who are fed up with the current status quo and speak out through these forms of media?

Strategic communicators and leaders must be able to communicate at the highest level while maintaining their skills to reach those at the lower levels or else risk losing everything they want to see come to fruition. Thinking again about Zander’s words helped me to understand one of the many jobs of strategic communicators and leaders: to foster a culture of progress and innovation among their peers, subordinates, and in society, while leading the way in making progressive moves in communication. How can they do this? By “beginning with the end in mind.”

References

Kotter, John. (2014, January 9). “Management is (still) not leadership.” Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/01/management-is-still-not-leadership/

Kouzes, James M. & Posner, Barry Z. (2009, January). “To lead, create a shared vision.” Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from http://hbr.org/2009/01/to-lead-create-a-shared-vision/ar/1

Mutter, Alan D. (2012, December 12). “What’s next for press? They don’t know, either.” Reflections of a Newsosaur. Retrieved from http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/2012/12/whats-next-for-press-they-dont-know.html

Wriggle, Rebecca M. (2006, March 15). “Strategic leader as strategic communicator.” USAWC Strategy Research Project. Retrieved from http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA449643 \

Zander, Benjamin. (2008, June). “The transformative power of classical music.” TED Conferences, LLC. Retrieved from http://new.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion