Recently in a session with a new client, the executive leadership team wanted to place the owner of the company in the Visionary seat of the Accountability Chart (think of the Accountability Chart as an Organizational Chart on steroids). This excited the owner, but he found himself wondering if he was being put out to pasture. He wasn’t quite sure what his role would be if he weren’t running the day-to-day activities he was accustomed to for the past 20 years. He felt threatened.
The Visionary seat, as described in Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business, written by EOS founder Gino Wickman and Certified EOS Implementer Mark Winters, states, “Visionaries are the creators of almost everything. Very little exists on our planet without the Visionaries of the world. You are the 3% of the population that creates two-thirds of the new jobs.”
As the team began to define the roles and responsibilities of the Visionary seat, you could see the owner’s face begin to glow! Not only did he realize the importance of his new role in the company, but he also realized this was tailored to his unique ability, where his passions truly resided.
Common roles for Visionaries include:
- Entrepreneurial “spark plug”
- Inspirer
- Developer of new/big ideas
- Big problem solver
- Key vendor relationship builder
- Learner, researcher and discoverer
It’s common for entrepreneurial business owners to be reluctant to “let go.” Delegating authority and decision making to the Integrator (second in command) is no easy task when you have been the owner for so many years and everyone looks to you for the final say. By doing the Accountability Chart exercise with his leadership team, my client was able to see that he was actually holding on so tightly, he was preventing the company from growing. Yes, he could run the company as he had for the past 20 years, but upon realizing his Visionary DNA, he saw how he was actually holding the company back. He didn’t like managing and holding his direct reports accountable. He despised getting mired in the details of running his company.
His passion, his unique ability, was brought to the forefront, and he now understood that he had to let go and elevate himself for the greater good of his organization. With this clarity into the Visionary role, he no longer felt threatened. On the contrary, he actually felt relieved. He now was more excited than he had been in years!
My fellow EOS Implementer and good friend, Walt Brown, calls this “Freedom.” Freedom to concentrate on your innate, God-given talents that define who you really are, day in and day out, in your business, allowing you to thrive in your unique ability!
If you’re struggling with similar feelings like my client who I’ve described above, do yourself a favor and read Rocket Fuel. This book will bring absolute clarity to the roles of the Visionary and Integrator in your company. It will give you the confidence to embrace your gifts as a Visionary and allow you to “Let Go.”
Take the Visionary Indicator Assessment here: www.markcwinters.com/assessment-survey.
You can order Rocket Fuel here: www.eosworldwide.com/rocket-fuel.
Chris is a successful entrepreneur, author and head coach at Traction in Florida. He’s passionate about helping entrepreneurs get what they want from their businesses. Learn more at http://tractioninflorida.com.
