We all know of inspirational leaders. We might not know them personally; we might not have worked with them or under them. But we have seen them on the TV, read about them in newspapers and online.
Some of these inspirational leaders have emerged as truly successful businessmen – successful over a lengthy time period. Others may end up as failures or bankrupts.
What makes the difference between the successful ones and the rest?
Well, firstly the successful ones have managed to turn their vision into a workable and successful strategy. They have worked out what they needed to do to realise their vision and fulfil their mission. However, some of the failures will also have managed to do this. What these also-rans have failed to do is to operationalise their strategy – to create and execute action plans to bring about the new reality. They probably had help from good managers who marshalled the resources, motivated the workforce, installed effective quality management processes – and so on…. You get the picture.
Strategy and planning need the blanket of operational excellence to ensure long-term success.Strategy and Commitment (and even Charisma) are Not Enough