Leading with Action: Why Less Vision, More Doing for Effective Leadership
Leading with Action: Why Less Vision, More Doing for Effective Leadership
In today's rapidly changing world, the most overvalued trait in leadership might just be vision. While painting a picture of a promising future is essential, it's not enough in our AI-integrated, innovation-driven, and economically fragile era. According to Korn Ferry, a staggering 90% of senior executives admit to falling short of achieving their vision due to lack of action and poor implementation.
Don't misunderstand—vision is crucial. It provides direction and inspires everyone to rally behind a cause. However, as we step into 2025, aiming big isn't enough. Leaders must deliver results in a world that is consistently shifting.
Instead of fixating on grand visions alone, it's time to shift our focus to micro-moves, the small, deliberate actions that create momentum and tangible impact throughout the year. The disruption and instability we experience today call for a more responsive, experimental, and adaptable approach to leadership.
Disruption and fast-paced change are the norms of our times. According to recent studies, the rate of change in several key factors has increased by 183% in the past four years, primarily due to advancements in technologies like generative artificial intelligence. This pace shows no signs of slowing, making our strategic plans obsolete with blazing speed. The rigidity of a long-term fixed vision can often paralyze teams, and vision without execution is not leadership—it's stagnation.
In contrast, research published in Harvard Business Review reveals that lasting, long-term change unfolds through a series of smaller, manageable micro-changes. These micro-moves create a rhythm of continuous progress, adapting as circumstances shift, building momentum, and empowering teams to act with confidence.
By focusing on experiments rather than rigid milestones, collaborating with the team to empower everyone, and redefining success as progress, not perfection, leaders can make vision a reality. Micro-moves can help shift the focus from grand aspirations to immediate steps needed for momentum, leading to a strategically oriented leadership style, increased engagement and productivity, a positive company culture, employee empowerment, and personalized coaching and feedback.
Leaders in the year ahead must set the vision but not stop there. Break it down into small, meaningful moves that empower their team and reshape their organization one step at a time. The true measure of success is not the grandeur of vision or long-term goals but the ability to adapt, execute, and evolve in the face of uncertainty.
- In the definition of vision, painting a picture of a promising future is essential, but CEOs in our current era recognize that lack of action and poor implementation often hinder the achievement of this vision.
- As we move towards 2025, vision must evolve from being just big goals to action-oriented leadership, with a focus on delivering results in a continually shifting world.
- Agility, a responsive and adaptable approach to leadership, becomes crucial in these unpredictable times, as disruptions and fast-paced change are the new norms.
- The rate of change in key factors has accelerated by 183% in the past four years due to advances in technologies like generative artificial intelligence, making traditional strategic planning obsolete.
- According to research published in Harvard Business Review, lasting, long-term change unfolds through a series of smaller, manageable micro-changes, emphasizing the importance of action-oriented leadership and agility in shaping the future of the workplace.