Three stonemasons were busy at work when a passerby asked them, “What are you doing?”
The first stonemason responded, “Laying bricks, sir.”
The second mason answered, “Earning a living.”
But, when asked by the passerby what he was doing, the third stonemason said, “I’m building a cathedral.”
The third craftsperson had a vision and saw the greater purpose of their labor. It was the third that recognized they would leave a lasting legacy.
Leadership without vision isn’t true leadership at all. It is management. While management is both valuable and necessary, it is simply not the stuff that takes people and organizations to new heights of achievement.
For an organization to grow, to move boldly forward, the leader must know where her organization is and where she wants it to go. She must have and convey a compelling vision, one powerful enough to call her constituents to action. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream,” speech is a classic example of the type of vision that inspires the passionate dedication of those who share in it.
No less important than organizational vision is personal vision. Your vision is your beacon, a clear and constant guide to the life of your choosing. “You’ve got to think about ‘big things’ while you do small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction.” (Alvin Toffler)
What are the ‘big things’ in your world? What will be your legacy?
What’s your cathedral?
To learn more about this author, visit Liz Bywater's Website.
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Liz Bywater
(Visit Liz's Website)
Liz Bywater, PhD, is president of Bywater
Consulting Group, LLC, an organizational
consulting firm in the Philadelphia area.
Dr. Bywater helps her clients dramatically
improve individual, group, and
organizational performance... resulting in
enhanced job satisfaction, maximized
productivity, and heightened profitability
for the organization.
Dr. Bywater is a specialist in human
behavior and behavioral change. She
brings her sophisticated understanding of
people, relationships, and communication
to the corporate environment to help her
clients effect meaningful and lasting
improvements in job effectiveness. Dr.
Bywater writes and speaks on a variety of
workplace topics, including the power of
collaboration, effective workplace
communication, and outstanding leadership.
She has been published and quoted in such
publications as the NY Times and the
International Herald Tribune.
Dr. Bywater earned her PhD at the Derner
Institute of Advanced Psychological
Studies. She earned her AB at Cornell
University, where she graduated Phi Beta
Kappa and Cum Laude with Distinction.
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