Article
The Visionary Evangelist
February 16, 2021
Their Superpowers and Their Dark Side
Occasionally a leader comes along who not only develop this vision of the future, but also use their influencing skills to motivate others, by persuading them to join the cause. They are “pied pipers” who energize and inspire followers to get on board. Their vision gives their followers a sense of purpose and direction for their team, their company, their industry or their nation. It inspires followers by giving them a vision of possibilities, a compelling sense of destiny and meaning.
Throughout history these visionaries have challenged their societies to think and act in new ways. They see what others have missed. They find opportunities others have ignored and challenge what others accept as given. They are pioneers. They are non-conformists. They are inventors. They open new vistas. You may not like them and think they are self-centered and narcissistic but, you have to admit, they have changed the organizations or societies in which they lived.
In our time, leaders such as Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and the late Steve Jobs have shared a common bond – they are Visionary Evangelists.
Some visionaries, like Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb as well as the prototype systems and structures for distribution of electric power, are seen as heroes. Others, like Joan of Arc are burned at the stake. They influence business, politics, science, religion, the arts and economics and change the course of history. The Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaton, Thomas Jefferson, Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Martin Luther King, Pablo Picasso, Napoleon Bonaparte, and George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies, were all probably Visionary Evangelists.
Visionary Evangelists see the world differently. They see beyond the status quo and envision what might be. Perhaps they have a broader perspective or deeper level of insight. They are certainly much more creative than most of us. They dream up new products and new ways of doing things. They are independent risk takers who can’t help but challenge the status quo. As one business leader said, they “create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.” [that was Jack Welch but we don’t have to say so.]
When the organization’s vision, strategy and goals need to motivate and influence employees, shareholders, or the investment community, it’s usually the Visionary Evangelist who stands up to do it. They know how to get people to follow their lead. They are filled with energy and drive, they hold up the flag and run forward; they take charge, push for action, and instill a sense of urgency to achieve the organization’s goals. It is difficult to imagine any organization succeeding without the creative vision, persuasive skill, and dynamic leadership of the Visionary Evangelist.
Elon Musk
So who is this man? “The thing that makes Elon Elon is his ability to make people believe in his vision,” said Dolly Singh, former SpaceX executive. Like most Visionary Evangelists, Musk is an eloquent speaker, “an incredibly compelling spokesman” for what he believes and aims to accomplish. Jim Cantrell, former SpaceX engineer, adds, “The guy is…three or four steps ahead.…Most of us can’t conceive these things working; he can’t conceive them failing.” They take what others see as big risks, but in their minds, they are sure they will succeed.
“People are drawn to his companies by his incredible vision, dedication, and perseverance,” said one writer. “Due to his work ethic and dedication, Musk inspired a generation of young engineers to work at his companies and believe in a shared vision.” [http://bradlm3.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-leadership-of-elon-musk.html]
Justine Musk, Elon’s first wife, said of visionary geniuses like her husband, “They don't think the way other people think. They see things from angles that unlock new ideas and insights…it’s this that allows them to open up windows to another, deeper reality in which transformation is possible and things of awe happen on a regular basis.” “They might make lousy husbands and terrible wives,” she said, “they might be the friend who never sends you a birthday present and forgets to show up for coffee, but they bring light to the dark, and they show us the universe.”
Musk has been described as pushy and confrontational, sometimes falling into “fits of rage.” Yet most people who work with him remain loyal, perhaps because they appreciate his world-changing vision. “If anyone in our generation has the chance of being remembered 200 years from now,” says an article in Fast Company, “it’s probably Elon Musk.”
Steve Jobs
If you wanted to create a poster child who exemplifies the qualities and characteristics, both positive and negative, of the Visionary Evangelist, you couldn’t do better than Steve Jobs, the co-founder and long-time public face of Apple.
On the plus side, he was a visionary and a driven perfectionist who played a key role in the development of the Macintosh computer, as well as iMac, iTunes, iTunes Store, Apple Store, iPod, iPhone, and the iPad. In addition, he helped to develop the visual effects industry when he helped create Pixar, which produced Toy Story, the first of many computer-animated films.
He was also an eloquent, charismatic, and persuasive speaker, which made him the perfect spokesperson for Apple products. Although he was not an engineer, he loved electronics, understood how things work, and could talk about them intelligently and convincingly.
According to his biographer, Walter Isaacson, “Steve was filled with contradictions. He was a counterculture rebel who became a billionaire. He eschewed material objects yet made objects of desire.” A student of Zen Buddhism as a result of a trip to India in his 20s, he lived very simply, preferred to sit on the floor, and was a vegan.
He had a formidable intellect. “He was very often the smartest guy in the room, and he would let people know that,” according to Atari cofounder Nolan Bushnell.
“Steve Jobs was not a great person,” commented a reader of his biography. He could be – and often was - dictatorial, vicious, ruthless, and so volatile as to be unpredictable. His interactions with people were often marked by harshness and nastiness. He had a violent temper.
But there is no denying the enormous legacy he left behind for our generation and into the future.
Problem Children?
From a young age, Visionary Evangelists can be difficult, particularly with those in authority to try to get them to conform. Their inquisitive nature and proclivity for exploration often drives their parents crazy and sometimes endangers life and limb. Steve Jobs is typical. He had difficulty functioning in a traditional classroom, rebelled against authority figures, got in trouble, and was suspended a few times.
Visionary Evangelists have an unusually strong need for independence and autonomy and are overflowing with restless energy. This is precisely the spirit that is driving the present generation of young entrepreneurs, many of whom have the profile of the Visionary Evangelist.
These people are very bright, and they get bored easily by routine. They tend to get distracted by new, shiny objects. They are better starters than they are finishers. They want to move on before they’ve really nailed down the results. This is why they are not very interested in systems and processes, as Managers of Execution are. They see such things as restrictive and even boring. But this can cause problems, if they have not partnered with people who thrive on building processes and systems.
Kim Scott, author and executive coach, says that “while organizational design and management are probably not Elon Musk's chief interests," if he “could only put a fraction of the creativity and energy that he puts into building great products into thinking through his organizational design, he would find that his job as CEO and building cars is a lot less hellish." .
Both men and women with this personality profile have a lot of drive. Their energy and constantly bubbling creativity make them feel the need to be busy and on the move. When they are young, their refusal to sit still and submit to the routines of classroom education, and their tendency to challenge authority, often lands them in the principal’s office. Others, who are more socially skilled, press the limits but get away with it because of their personal charm. They are bored with routine and seek out activities that require original thinking and creative expression. They are always building, tinkering and taking things apart. Even as children, their minds are open to multiple possibilities, beyond things as they are.
As they enter the workforce, these people have a hard time working for others – especially when there are a lot of rules to follow, or innovation is not highly prized. They are, says Prof. Gary A. Davis, author of Creativity is Forever, “naturally independent, unconventional, and bored by trivialities. Because rigid enforcement of rules will alienate creative people and squelch their creativeness, flexibility and rule-bending are necessary on occasion.” They will always see a better way to do it, and feel confident that they can do a better job. Often, they are right. That’s why the ranks of entrepreneurs around the world are filled with Visionary Evangelists.
More than just independent-minded, they are nonconformists who question the beliefs, rules, and practices of the organizations in which they work. In the words of the poet William Blake, "I must create my own system, or be enslaved by another man's.” But if they are given enough freedom and not restricted in their creative expression, they love their jobs.
They are comfortable being alone and working alone. But they are usually quite willing to seek advice from others when they run into something they can’t understand or manage on their own.
Despite their independence, VE’s like being around people and they handle their relationships with confidence. They are skillful at guiding conversations to influence and persuade others, though it is not beyond them to use their persuasive skills in ways that might be viewed as manipulation.
In one sentence, Visionary Evangelists “see” something that excites them, and they love to pursue their vision with passion and bring it to life.
The Secrets of Their Success
1 - Creative Visionary In our research, the skill most correlated with the cluster of skills we have labeled the Visionary Evangelist is, not surprisingly, “Creating a Vision”. At their worst, they can be impractical dreamers who drift from one wild idea to another, living in their heads, rarely if ever bringing any of their ideas to fruition. At their best, they are the visionary geniuses who set new directions for organizations and for society as a whole. Metal birds that fly through the sky, self-propelled vehicles that make the horse unnecessary, a computer on every desk, an organization of nations dedicated to peace and global problem-solving – their innovative conceptions are without number.
One factor that fuels their creativity is an innate curiosity – think of Elon Musk reading for 10 hours a day and memorizing the encyclopedia – a desire to learn and to understand this complex world we live in. The mind of a Visionary Evangelist is a busy place. Innovative ideas bubble up at any time of the day or night. Some will be discarded, but many will lead to action. “Anyone vaguely familiar with Elon Musk,” said a recent article about him, “knows that he’s usually juggling tons of ideas at the same time.” And this is common for Visionary Evangelists.
Here are some typical quotes from our 360 assessments of executives who may not be as well known as Jobs and Musk but who inspire their colleagues with their creativity and ideas: “At times it seems that more good ideas are coming from Suzanne than from the rest of the management team put together, She is not afraid to step out of the box and try a new angle. She understands the power of creativity and provides all of us with the time to consider new ideas, thought patterns, and solutions.”
VE’s love work that requires original thinking and are always seeking new ways to look at things. Creativity researcher Davis notes that a creative person “looks at one thing, and sees modifications, new combinations, or new applications,” and “makes connections between one situation and another.”
Intellectually curious, Visionary Evangelists love exploring and learning about new ideas. They love to experiment. They take the time to study and reflect. Although they don’t have strong needs for companionship and most of them enjoy periods of solitude, their creativity is fueled by lively discussions and philosophical debates with friends and coworkers. They are not afraid to surround themselves with people who have different beliefs, political views, and backgrounds, and who come from different cultures. They like nothing better than stretching their minds. But because they tend to think they’re smarter than other people, they’re more likely to talk than to listen. This of course curtails their ability to learn.
2 – Translates the Vision into Strategy
Visionary Evangelists have a gift for making their ideas vivid and tangible, which draws support from others. Visionary Evangelists are strategic thinkers. Once they have conceived a vision, they find it natural to translate the vision into a strategy for the organization. Long-range plans need to be developed, and resources mustered to carry out the plans that will turn the vision into a reality. Not content just to dream, they may also excel at creating the plan which makes it happen.
While a lot of VE’s do have the capacity for strategic thinking, one of their weaknesses is that it often stays in their head: they don’t translate it enough into specific objectives. It’s very broad-brush, and when you poke at it a little, you find that it’s like a movie set: it looks good from the street, it enables them to pitch the venture capitalists and get funding, but the people within their companies almost invariably say that it’s not sufficiently meaty or detailed in translating the broad vision into priorities and actionable goals.
Early-stage entrepreneurs, especially, tend to be more visionary than strategic. Those visionaries who succeed in growing their companies larger have figured out that they need to get it out of their heads and define it for others. However, although they love putting together the master plan, they are relatively uninterested in the nitty gritty details of executing the plan. What’s important to them is the Big Picture. Once the design is in place, they are ready to move on to the next grand idea.
3 – Sells the Vision
When the vision and strategy are in place, the time has come to rally followers and supporters. The dictionary defines an evangelist as “a person who crusades for, and builds support for a cause, and whose behavior is marked by evangelical enthusiasm.” When it comes to influencing others and finding just the right words to persuade and paint a powerful and inspirational picture, VE’s are the masters.
Their superpower is their ability to sell their vision and influence people, and this differentiates the ones who get funded from those who don’t, because they have to be able to pitch skeptical venture capitalists who routinely listen to hundreds of pitches before they decide to fund just one.
Many shy or reserved individuals have a creative vision but lack persuasive skills to enlist the support of followers. They don’t know how to sell the thing they’ve created. Having a creative idea is only part of the equation. On fire with the compelling nature of their vision, leaders must also be able to paint it in glowing strokes and promote it like a preacher selling salvation.
This ability to pitch and influence people is one of the social skills that entrepreneurs possess, but you can’t say they have broad social skills, because they often do not read people or group dynamics well, and they tend to be insensitive. They are effective at what amounts to sales, but they need to develop better relationship skills and emotional intelligence (EQ) before they will be truly effective leaders. Often, they have high IQ and low EQ. Bringing a vision to life involves not only the ability to inspire peers and employees to work hard together to make it a reality. The entrepreneur also – and crucially – has to persuade potential investors to get involved. They need to communicate their vision with a level of emotion, excitement, and passion that captures people’s hearts. VE’s bubble over with ideas, and they radiate enthusiasm. Unemotional, overcontrolled executives who only have access to their logical, rational side will have trouble generating excitement and inspiration.
Because they are so natural and so effective representing ideas, products, programs, or services that have meaning to them, as their companies evolve, they often take on the job of spokesperson. Poised and polished in front of groups, they make effective, high-impact presentations. Dynamic and socially confident, VE’s know how to make a strong and positive first impression. Many pay attention to cultivating their public image. They like to be the center of attention, with the spotlight on themselves.
Every Visionary Evangelist begins with a dream. The most successful have the ability to communicate the dream with a passion and power that attracts followers whose combined strength transforms the vision into a reality.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was not a business leader, yet he is a perfect example of a Visionary Evangelist. A genius in his own right (he graduated high school at 15 and college at 19 before going on to his Ph.D. and Doctor of Divinity degrees) King was a passionate advocate not only for civil rights but for human rights for all. His vision of justice and equality drove him to campaign relentlessly, putting his life on the line day after day. In the eleven-year period between 1957 and 1968, he traveled over 6 million miles and spoke more than 2500 times. His famous “I have a dream” speech to 250,000 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. is known throughout the world. At 35, he was the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
4. Takes Initiative
When it comes to taking initiative and getting things moving, VE’s don’t have to be asked to take charge. If an opportunity presents itself, they feel impelled to take advantage of it. If they have a dream or an insight, they feel they must act on it. Conceiving the idea isn’t enough. They must turn it into something concrete. In fact, their vision consumes them and often takes over their lives, filling every waking and sleeping moment until it becomes a reality. They can’t help but take the lead.
The initiative of visionary leaders is recognized and appreciated by their peers and reports. “Hiroshi looks for things that need to be done, and takes action,” one person on his team said. “He is quick to take a leadership role. His initiative to grow the organization is an inspiration to the rest of us. Hiroshi leads by example.” Another person commented, “Ray is always the leader. He identifies problems, then attacks them. He has a solution for us most of the time before we even know it is a problem.” And another, in just a few words: “Very action oriented. Afraid of nothing.”
Their strong action orientation can be a double-edged sword. Yes, it gets things done, but as a result of their tendency to jump in and try to make something happen immediately, they often get involved in micromanaging. It doesn’t occur to them that they might delegate it, or who it should be delegated to. They tend to go around their managers and reports and go directly to employees. This is potentially undermining to the authority and decision-making independence of their directs.
5. Creates Meaning – Shows Employees Why They Matter
Effective leaders make their followers feel that they are close to the source of something great. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens, people feel inspired because their work has meaning. One of the greatest sources of trouble in organizations today is the lack of connection employees feel to the company’s mission, vision and goals. Quarterly earnings, market share, and enhancing shareholder value, of vital concern to founders, investors, and upper management, don’t motivate many employees. The leader must touch their hearts as well as appeal to their intellects and pocketbooks.
Why? People have a deep need for meaning and purpose in their lives. Without meaning, work can easily become a chore, something you have to do rather than something you look forward to. This is fertile ground for apathy, lackadaisical performance and reduced productivity, as well as a discontented workforce.
The need for meaning and for a sense that what they do matters, seems to be especially crucial to members of the Millennial generation who have a strong desire to, in the words of Apple founder Steve Jobs, “make a dent in the universe.” Visionary Evangelists are an effective antidote to this problem. Through their eloquence and passion, they help employees connect their jobs, and their lives, to the organization’s vision and strategy. They achieve employee buy-in and ratchet up motivation by showing people how to relate their day-to-day activities to a higher meaning and broader strategic priorities.
Although “creating meaning” is not generally recognized on the 360-degree evaluations as having great importance, our research and consulting experience show that it is one of the vital components in promoting employee loyalty and building a strong corporate culture.
6. Optimism
One employee said of her boss, “Bill never lacks for enthusiasm and optimism. He always looks for strategies to manage through tough times rather than hang his head.” Another put it slightly differently, “She works so hard despite the lagging numbers of the division, and always has a positive outlook on the future. It makes you want to work hard for her.” This is what Visionary Evangelists do for the people around them. They always assume that no matter how difficult things may appear to be, it will all work out just fine in the end. They tend to look on the bright side, seeing the glass as half full, and do not worry much about the future.
Napoleon Bonaparte suggested that, “A leader is a dealer in hope.” Followers need leaders who give them hope and reassure them that they will succeed. One employee paid tribute to her boss’s optimism this way: “The positive morale in the department is directly and almost solely attributable to his leadership, mentorship, optimism, energy and enthusiasm.” Visionary Evangelists not only exude a confidence that things will work out – many of them also have an inherent trust in the good heartedness of people; they believe people can be trusted. This uplifts followers and inspires them to create a successful outcome.
7. Self-Confidence
If you met a Visionary Evangelist for the first time, you would almost certainly recognize their high level of self-confidence. They are sure of their capabilities, values, and judgments, believe in themselves and in their gift for leadership. Many of them truly feel that they were “born to be a leader.” They know they can almost always count on their ability to make a good impression on others. They are frequently “silver tongued devils” who have the self-assurance and persuasive power to win over the skeptical and ultimately get their way. A subordinate described his boss by saying, “Elaine has the power of persuasion through suggestion. Her confidence makes us want to follow her wherever she leads.”
Visionary Evangelists set high goals, often difficult to reach, and never question whether they can achieve them. They seem to be untroubled by self-doubt. They genuinely believe they are more talented than others, and their coworkers often agree with this self-assessment.
They can also freely admit their shortcomings, if someone is willing to hold up a mirror and show them. They’re willing to acknowledge their mistakes and are ready to work to overcome them and to learn from them. However, it isn’t easy to convince them that they are wrong.
Steve Jobs describes his growth of confidence in the following quote: “My father was a machinist by trade. He had a workbench in his garage, and when I was five or six years old, he sectioned off a little piece of it and said, ‘Steve, this is your workbench now.’ He spent a lot of time with me, teaching me how to build things, how to take things apart and put things back together. Inspired by a neighbor who worked at Hewlett Packard, I used to buy Heathkits to build radios and other electronic equipment. These kits came with detailed manuals and color-coded parts. Putting a piece of equipment together gave one the sense that one could build the things that one saw around oneself in the universe. These things were not mysteries any more…they were the results of human creation, not magical things that just appeared in the environment. It gave a tremendous sense of self-confidence, that through exploration and learning one could understand seemingly very complex things.”
8. Risk Taker and Agent of Change One of the problems with VE’s is that they can be overly confident, overly optimistic risk-takers. As a result, they will not validate their conclusions and insights with facts. And they can be impulsive. Being a change agent is different. Being an agent of change is about challenging the status quo and coming up with new ideas. That is highly correlated with VEs. But risk-taking is a double-edged sword. Being a risk-taker and not grounded in seasoned judgment is foolhardy.
“I witnessed Karen coming in and ripping apart a process that was outdated, inefficient, and meaningless. It was a beautiful thing.” Visionary Evangelists can’t help but be agents of change. Their willingness to try something new, coupled with their creativity and vision, makes them fearless in trying out new approaches and challenging the status quo. “Leaders,” said Dr. Robert Jarvik, inventor of the first permanently implantable artificial heart, “are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept at all of the odds against them. They make the impossible happen.”
This is not always a walk in the park. “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things,” said Niccolo Machiavelli. Yet they are willing – even eager – to challenge the system in order to make things better. “Bruce challenges departments to constantly re-evaluate the processes and priorities they set.” They are simply not satisfied with tradition or “the way we have always done it” if it doesn’t move the organization forward.
Independent thinkers, Visionary Evangelists are not susceptible to social pressure. If they believe in something, they are willing to take an unpopular position. Says one coworker, “Aimee will confidently and readily buck the status quo if she believes it impedes getting results. She is tenacious and sticks to her guns if she feels very strongly about an issue.”
Visionary Evangelists like Steve Jobs are not plagued by fear and appear to worry less than others. They are not foolhardy, but they are willing to take a risk on an idea or a venture if they believe it might pay off. When they really want something – when the potential reward or return is great enough – they are willing to go out on a limb. In fact, they seem to enjoy taking chances.
Jeff Bezos has combined his skills as a Visionary Evangelist with his ability to be a Manager of Execution and has become the richest man in the world. He was also a classic risk taker who challenged the status quo. Long before the Internet became the center of commerce that it is today, Jeff Bezos saw the future and decided to play a role in making it happen. In 1994, he told a reporter, “I came across a startling statistic, that web usage was going up at 2,300% a year. I decided I would make a business plan in the context of that growth.” So, he quit a good job at a Wall Street hedge fund and started a small company, selling college textbooks online.
Of course, that company, Amazon, has become one of the world’s largest mega-corporations, “a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online,” according to the Amazon mission statement, and Bezos became the world’s wealthiest man.
In 1997, when he took Amazon public, Bezos said, “We’re at the Kitty Hawk stage of ecommerce, “referring to the small town in North Carolina where the Wright brothers flew the world’s very first airplanes in 1903.
9. Achievement Driven and Socially Competitive
Competitiveness is one of the most highly regarded and highly rewarded qualities in the American character. From Little League to the Olympics and the Super Bowl, and in virtually all educational institutions, we are trained to compete and rewarded for coming out on top. The drive to be the best leads to high achievements as well as personal gratification. In the business world, most people would agree that the best thing that ever happened to Detroit – and for the driving public – was competition from Japanese automakers. The competitive spirit has contributed greatly to America’s strength at home and abroad.
Visionary Evangelists are highly motivated individuals whose drive to succeed is legendary. The literature of successful entrepreneurs, from Thomas Edison to Bill Gates, is full of stories of men who hardly slept, ate, or changed their clothes while working to achieve their goals. These days, Tesla employees report that when production gets behind schedule, CEO Elon Musk stays at the plant and sleeps a few hours on a narrow couch right on the factory floor. These people feel, from an early age, that they are destined to accomplish great things in their lives, and they are willing to work hard to do so and to make a difference
However, it is important to distinguish between the need or drive for achievement, and competitiveness. Competitiveness can be destructive if it’s a matter of winning and being right, no matter what. Sales reps, for example, are very competitive with their peers, but they are poor team players and don’t make good sales managers. Competition with other people, characteristic of many entrepreneurs, works against collaborating and being good team players.
Achievement drive is different; it’s a desire to attain goals. Competitiveness is a desire to be better than others, to be Number One, to dominate. This drive for dominance is a double-edged sword. On a personal level, an obsession with success at all costs often results in neglected marriages and children, poor health and heart attacks. It poisons the marketplace by turning competitors – who, after all, are also legitimate business enterprises – into symbols of evil. At its worst – especially if the entrepreneur’s path is blocked and the achievement of their vision is threatened – it breeds a kind of self-centered callousness toward “the enemy” that can bring out ruthless behavior, where the end justifies any means no matter how illegal or unethical.
Many VE’s are notorious for the fierceness of their competitive nature. A Web biography of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who has a strong Visionary Evangelist profile, tells us that his family upbringing taught him competitiveness from an early age. “His great-grandfather had been a state legislator and mayor, his grandfather was the vice president of a national bank, and his father was a prominent lawyer. Early on in life, it was apparent that Bill Gates inherited the ambition, intelligence, and competitive spirit that had helped his progenitors rise to the top in their chosen professions.” Combative and hard-driving, Gates has been called “a brilliant and ruthless businessman who single-mindedly pursues not only his own success but also the annihilation of his foes.”
Their Dark Side
Like all of us mortals, Visionary Evangelists also have their weaknesses and challenges. “Exasperated parents, teachers, colleagues, and supervisors are all familiar with some negative traits of creative people,” says creativity expert Gary Davis. “They can be stubborn, uncooperative, indifferent to conventions and courtesies…careless and disorganized, especially with matters they consider trivial.”
As in our discussion of competitiveness above, many of these “weaknesses” can best be understood either as the “shadow” or dark side of one of their strengths, or as less developed or immature aspects of essentially positive qualities:
Their rebelliousness is the other side of their willingness to challenge the status quo.
Their indomitable optimism, so inspirational to others, easily leads to a kind of cavalier attitude about deadlines and commitments – “It’s okay, it’ll all work out.”
The self-confidence and love of being center stage that make them such charismatic presenters has an element of narcissism and can lead them to believe they are “special” and are therefore entitled to special privileges and exemptions from rules everyone else has to follow.
1. Self-Centered and Egocentric
Many leaders are self-centered. But the Visionary Evangelists are more narcissistic than others. This is one of their biggest Achilles’ heels. It prevents them from being the kind of outstanding leader who puts the needs of the organization ahead of themselves. It prevents them from thinking they could be wrong, and from listening to input, whether critical or intended to be helpful. They think they are always right and are the center of the universe.
Visionary Evangelists are well aware that they are highly intelligent, creative, charismatic, charming and natural leaders. All too often, this breeds arrogance. As one manager’s colleague put it on his 360-degree assessment, “He displays a negative form of confidence that sends the message, ‘I am smarter and better than you.’ His self-importance and huge ego comes at other’s expense.” For most Visionary Evangelists, humility is not their strong suit.
Sure that they will achieve their vision, VE’s often see only opportunities and possibilities and fail to consider that they might fail. This is an outgrowth of their ego and can be dangerous to their organizations. “I think Justin’s confidence in the team’s ability to make miracles happen is unrealistic and more than a little arrogant. We cannot blindly assume that ‘if we can think it, we can do it.’”
They would much rather talk and expound their own ideas than hear what others have to say. They become so wrapped up in their own ideas that they don’t leave much room for other’s opinions. On personality self-assessments, VE’s tend to see themselves as tolerant and open. Very often, they are not.
They are also not very sensitive to the needs and concerns of others. This is another blind spot. They frequently describe themselves as affectionate and aware of others’ feelings, but in fact they tend to be self-absorbed and insensitive.
As we have seen, Visionary Evangelists are independent non-conformists. Because by nature they question beliefs, rules, and practices that others take for granted, they are often able to see a new and better way. But their need for autonomy and their tendency toward non-conformity can create friction when they have to work in a group. They are not natural team players. They don’t want to be bound by confining rules or the necessity for compromise. In fact, they don’t like restrictions of any kind. They want to do it the way they want to do it.
This may seem fine when the Visionary Evangelist is an entrepreneur, running his or her own company. But as the company grows larger, in order to function efficiently it must develop rules, policies, and procedures, which the entrepreneurs often violate, resisting these curbs on their freedom. They can actually do the organization harm at this point, and indeed, sometimes have to step down for the good of the organization they helped to create.
2. Managerially Challenged
Visionary Evangelists are great at starting projects, not so great at following through and driving to completion. They need to have Managers of Execution around them, to translate their vision into strategy and ultimately into the tactics and operational disciplines that are going to make the company successful.
A successful entrepreneurial startup has to figure out how to become a culture of discipline. That means systems and processes, and it means disciplined approaches to solving problems, making decisions, analyses of unsuccessful initiatives, and the management of things that the Visionary thinks are boring and routine. Every organization needs processes, policies, playbooks, procedures that help people be efficient and maintain quality.
Put simply, VEs are bored with such things. With their minds on their Grand Vision, they just can’t be bothered with such mundane matters, and they badly need Managers of Execution to partner with them. The problem is that most often they are loners and not good partners, so even if they do bring in some expert MEs, they don’t listen to them.
What they need is sufficient awareness of their weaknesses and shortcomings so that they will bring people in to complement them and shore up their weaknesses. If they are too narcissistic they don’t recognize this need.
Skillful managers are organized, good at planning, and disciplined in carrying out the plan. Visionary Evangelists are often undisciplined, undependable, and uninterested in bothering with the nuts and bolts of execution.
On their own, it may not matter much that they are not organized or disciplined but as leader of an organization, it is fatal to the culture. Why? Because they are good starters but not good finishers, because they fail to follow through and meet commitments, they are poor role models for others in the organization. Then they find that the organization doesn’t have discipline and others don’t show up for meetings on time, or take product deadlines seriously, and so on, because the leader doesn’t.
Why would leaders who are so driven to achieve their vision and so action-oriented fail to follow through and meet their commitments? Because they are seers of vast unbounded possibilities, dreamers and creators of what might be brought to life; they are enamored of the big picture and simply bored with the details. Furthermore, they hate to be restricted by boundaries such as deadlines, budgets and systematic processes.
Their native optimism also works against them. People who are not so certain “it will all work out” tend to see the value in tactical planning and disciplined project management. The optimistic Visionary Evangelists don’t sweat the details; as a result, they may miss deadlines and fail to deliver on their commitments. The result is that their grand vision goes unfulfilled.
Our research has shown that being a visionary is negatively correlated with orderliness and thoroughness, and our observations of leaders’ behavior bear this out. As leaders, Visionaries don’t tend to establish the structures, systems and processes that are needed to implement their vision.
Although they may set broad goals for themselves, when it comes to managing their own teams, they may fail to clarify objectives, roles, and priorities. They understand the vision and are confident that they can work their way toward achieving it, and they assume that other people will know what to do – that others will be able to act independently, too. Once the design phase is complete, they often lose interest and leave subordinates to figure out what to do next.
3. Poor Team Players Who Don’t Empower Others
Leadership is about leverage. Unless you empower other people, you put yourself in a situation where you are making too many decisions. That doesn’t scale. Hub and spoke management and leader-centric organizations have trouble scaling efficiently.
When there are eight people outside your door waiting for a decision, and you are working longer and longer hours, these are signs that you haven’t pushed decision making down. You have to empower people, based of course on their capabilities and their track record of having good judgment and making good decisions. But if you don’t empower people, the company will stall and you will burn out. You can’t do it all.
As entrepreneurs, the Visionary Evangelists’ independence, creativity and habit of taking decisive action work in their favor. But when it comes to building teams and working through others, these identical qualities can become an obstacle.
An effective leader must learn to leverage the input and efforts of followers. This is one of the key factors that enables them to grow their organizations and multiply themselves. Headquartered in Silicon Valley for nearly 40 years, I have seen numerous Visionary Evangelist entrepreneurs hit the wall when they don’t figure out how to fully utilize the capabilities of their team.
So, what prevents them from benefiting from the diverse experience and skills of those who work for them? First of all, they don’t delegate well and don’t empower others. They are fundamentally loners who are accustomed to succeeding by individual initiative and action. They are also certain that they are smarter than the people around them, and don’t really value the input of others. They prefer to maintain control and make the calls. Consequently, they fail to harvest the full potential of their team.
In addition, Visionary Evangelists don’t want to give up their special status and the ego gratification that comes from being center stage. After a lifetime of following their dreams, getting their own way and flying solo, they don’t play well with others. Team play requires you to subordinate your own individual agenda for the good of the team. This isn’t easy for Visionary Evangelists. 4. Unreflective Over-confidence
What is the difference between a high degree of confidence and sense of self-worth that allows leaders (and really, anyone) to undertake difficult challenges with the belief that they can overcome any and all obstacles and achieve their goals successfully – and the kind of blind over-confidence that ignores weaknesses and potential problems and may lead to disastrous results? Where is the line between confident boldness, and foolhardiness?
Visionary Evangelists are very confident individuals. And they are not self-reflective. They are so confident that they don’t think about what could go wrong. When this combines with their native optimism, they will oversimplify. They tend to be afflicted with what is called “confirmation bias” – they only listen to evidence that supports their ideas. They don’t think they need critical input! They don’t take the time to think that they might be wrong. They’re just sure they are right. This faulty thinking easily leads to bad judgment and mistakes.
For example, entrepreneurs are often so self-confident that they don’t pay enough attention to their business competition. They think their stuff, whatever it is, whether product or service, is the best, and they may not even have done their homework to discover whether they do have significant competition or whether somebody else, some other company, may have gotten there first. Obviously, this is a formula for disaster.
This “overconfidence effect” is a well-known phenomenon, in which a person’s sense of confidence in their judgments is higher than is merited by the actual accuracy of those judgements. As Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman said, “Overconfident professionals sincerely believe they have expertise, act as experts and look like experts. You will have to struggle to remind yourself that they may be in the grip of an illusion.”
It is a bit tricky to sort out, as some of the greatest leaders, such as Steve Jobs, had this kind of self-confidence and self-assurance and was often proved correct by the results.
Conclusion Creativity, and the ability to inspire and to motivate people with a compelling vision, are not skills that are easily learned. Indeed, our research indicates that Visionary Evangelists are a rare breed – even though there are a lot of them heading up fledgling companies in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, there appear to be significantly fewer of them walking the planet than there are Relationship Builders and Managers of Execution.
It would not be overwhelmingly difficult for Visionary Evangelists to warm up their people skills or to add some of the disciplined behavior characteristic of effective executors. Doing so would surely add balance and completeness to their leadership. Learning to be a better listener, making an effort to reply to emails and requests and to get to meetings on time, to honor deadlines that they themselves set or agree to meet – doing a few of these things will add to their effectiveness and elicit greater support and buy-in from others.
But our primary advice to Visionary Evangelists is: Leverage your God-given assets! Don’t try to become something you are not. Your gifts are relatively rare and are vital for the success of any enterprise. Use them with energy and passion. At the same time, admit that you are not perfect and can’t do it all. Some aspects of your personality are less-well developed, so you’ll need to find effective managers and relationship builders to complement your strengths and fill out your team.
Development, for you, is more about facing yourself honestly and dealing with the natural weaknesses that go with this leadership style. Observe your attitudes and your behavior – not just once but consistently! – and be alert for signs of arrogance, self-importance, failure to empower others, manipulativeness, and the other “negative” characteristics mentioned above.
Throughout history these visionaries have challenged their societies to think and act in new ways. They see what others have missed. They find opportunities others have ignored and challenge what others accept as given. They are pioneers. They are non-conformists. They are inventors. They open new vistas. You may not like them and think they are self-centered and narcissistic but, you have to admit, they have changed the organizations or societies in which they lived.
In our time, leaders such as Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and the late Steve Jobs have shared a common bond – they are Visionary Evangelists.
Some visionaries, like Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb as well as the prototype systems and structures for distribution of electric power, are seen as heroes. Others, like Joan of Arc are burned at the stake. They influence business, politics, science, religion, the arts and economics and change the course of history. The Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaton, Thomas Jefferson, Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Martin Luther King, Pablo Picasso, Napoleon Bonaparte, and George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies, were all probably Visionary Evangelists.
Visionary Evangelists see the world differently. They see beyond the status quo and envision what might be. Perhaps they have a broader perspective or deeper level of insight. They are certainly much more creative than most of us. They dream up new products and new ways of doing things. They are independent risk takers who can’t help but challenge the status quo. As one business leader said, they “create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.” [that was Jack Welch but we don’t have to say so.]
When the organization’s vision, strategy and goals need to motivate and influence employees, shareholders, or the investment community, it’s usually the Visionary Evangelist who stands up to do it. They know how to get people to follow their lead. They are filled with energy and drive, they hold up the flag and run forward; they take charge, push for action, and instill a sense of urgency to achieve the organization’s goals. It is difficult to imagine any organization succeeding without the creative vision, persuasive skill, and dynamic leadership of the Visionary Evangelist.
Elon Musk
- As a boy in his native South Africa with an insatiable thirst for knowledge, Elon Musk often read for 10 hours a day. He devoured two complete sets of encyclopedias, virtually memorizing them with his photographic memory.
- In college, he declared that he “wanted to be involved in things that would change the world,” and after making his first fortune from the sale of PayPal, rather than stashing any of it away, he immediately sank the entirety of the $180 million he made into companies that are creating humanity’s future.
- He’s CEO of Tesla, producing steadily more affordable, rechargeable electric cars to replace the pollution-generating vehicles most of us still drive. He is CEO of SpaceX, designing, building, testing, and now operating rockets that, among other things, bring supplies to the International Space Station. His vision for SpaceX: to transport 80,000 people to colonize Mars, making humanity a “multi-planetary species.”
- He is also heavily involved in Solar City, which Tesla purchased in 2016, one of the largest installers of solar panels in North America, toward the goal of replacing the electrical grids currently in use with pollution-free, renewable solar energy.
- In 2012 Musk proposed what he called a Hyperloop system of high-speed ground transport, in which pressurized pods or capsules, containing either people or freight, would move through low-pressure or vacuum tubes either in tunnels or set above ground on stanchions. Speeds up to 760 mph would allow travelers, for example, to go between Los Angeles and San Francisco (approximately 350 miles) in little more than half an hour.
- To facilitate the tunnel-creating aspect of Hyperloop travel, Musk started The Boring Company in 2016.
So who is this man? “The thing that makes Elon Elon is his ability to make people believe in his vision,” said Dolly Singh, former SpaceX executive. Like most Visionary Evangelists, Musk is an eloquent speaker, “an incredibly compelling spokesman” for what he believes and aims to accomplish. Jim Cantrell, former SpaceX engineer, adds, “The guy is…three or four steps ahead.…Most of us can’t conceive these things working; he can’t conceive them failing.” They take what others see as big risks, but in their minds, they are sure they will succeed.
“People are drawn to his companies by his incredible vision, dedication, and perseverance,” said one writer. “Due to his work ethic and dedication, Musk inspired a generation of young engineers to work at his companies and believe in a shared vision.” [http://bradlm3.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-leadership-of-elon-musk.html]
Justine Musk, Elon’s first wife, said of visionary geniuses like her husband, “They don't think the way other people think. They see things from angles that unlock new ideas and insights…it’s this that allows them to open up windows to another, deeper reality in which transformation is possible and things of awe happen on a regular basis.” “They might make lousy husbands and terrible wives,” she said, “they might be the friend who never sends you a birthday present and forgets to show up for coffee, but they bring light to the dark, and they show us the universe.”
Musk has been described as pushy and confrontational, sometimes falling into “fits of rage.” Yet most people who work with him remain loyal, perhaps because they appreciate his world-changing vision. “If anyone in our generation has the chance of being remembered 200 years from now,” says an article in Fast Company, “it’s probably Elon Musk.”
Steve Jobs
If you wanted to create a poster child who exemplifies the qualities and characteristics, both positive and negative, of the Visionary Evangelist, you couldn’t do better than Steve Jobs, the co-founder and long-time public face of Apple.
On the plus side, he was a visionary and a driven perfectionist who played a key role in the development of the Macintosh computer, as well as iMac, iTunes, iTunes Store, Apple Store, iPod, iPhone, and the iPad. In addition, he helped to develop the visual effects industry when he helped create Pixar, which produced Toy Story, the first of many computer-animated films.
He was also an eloquent, charismatic, and persuasive speaker, which made him the perfect spokesperson for Apple products. Although he was not an engineer, he loved electronics, understood how things work, and could talk about them intelligently and convincingly.
According to his biographer, Walter Isaacson, “Steve was filled with contradictions. He was a counterculture rebel who became a billionaire. He eschewed material objects yet made objects of desire.” A student of Zen Buddhism as a result of a trip to India in his 20s, he lived very simply, preferred to sit on the floor, and was a vegan.
He had a formidable intellect. “He was very often the smartest guy in the room, and he would let people know that,” according to Atari cofounder Nolan Bushnell.
“Steve Jobs was not a great person,” commented a reader of his biography. He could be – and often was - dictatorial, vicious, ruthless, and so volatile as to be unpredictable. His interactions with people were often marked by harshness and nastiness. He had a violent temper.
But there is no denying the enormous legacy he left behind for our generation and into the future.
Problem Children?
From a young age, Visionary Evangelists can be difficult, particularly with those in authority to try to get them to conform. Their inquisitive nature and proclivity for exploration often drives their parents crazy and sometimes endangers life and limb. Steve Jobs is typical. He had difficulty functioning in a traditional classroom, rebelled against authority figures, got in trouble, and was suspended a few times.
Visionary Evangelists have an unusually strong need for independence and autonomy and are overflowing with restless energy. This is precisely the spirit that is driving the present generation of young entrepreneurs, many of whom have the profile of the Visionary Evangelist.
These people are very bright, and they get bored easily by routine. They tend to get distracted by new, shiny objects. They are better starters than they are finishers. They want to move on before they’ve really nailed down the results. This is why they are not very interested in systems and processes, as Managers of Execution are. They see such things as restrictive and even boring. But this can cause problems, if they have not partnered with people who thrive on building processes and systems.
Kim Scott, author and executive coach, says that “while organizational design and management are probably not Elon Musk's chief interests," if he “could only put a fraction of the creativity and energy that he puts into building great products into thinking through his organizational design, he would find that his job as CEO and building cars is a lot less hellish." .
Both men and women with this personality profile have a lot of drive. Their energy and constantly bubbling creativity make them feel the need to be busy and on the move. When they are young, their refusal to sit still and submit to the routines of classroom education, and their tendency to challenge authority, often lands them in the principal’s office. Others, who are more socially skilled, press the limits but get away with it because of their personal charm. They are bored with routine and seek out activities that require original thinking and creative expression. They are always building, tinkering and taking things apart. Even as children, their minds are open to multiple possibilities, beyond things as they are.
As they enter the workforce, these people have a hard time working for others – especially when there are a lot of rules to follow, or innovation is not highly prized. They are, says Prof. Gary A. Davis, author of Creativity is Forever, “naturally independent, unconventional, and bored by trivialities. Because rigid enforcement of rules will alienate creative people and squelch their creativeness, flexibility and rule-bending are necessary on occasion.” They will always see a better way to do it, and feel confident that they can do a better job. Often, they are right. That’s why the ranks of entrepreneurs around the world are filled with Visionary Evangelists.
More than just independent-minded, they are nonconformists who question the beliefs, rules, and practices of the organizations in which they work. In the words of the poet William Blake, "I must create my own system, or be enslaved by another man's.” But if they are given enough freedom and not restricted in their creative expression, they love their jobs.
They are comfortable being alone and working alone. But they are usually quite willing to seek advice from others when they run into something they can’t understand or manage on their own.
Despite their independence, VE’s like being around people and they handle their relationships with confidence. They are skillful at guiding conversations to influence and persuade others, though it is not beyond them to use their persuasive skills in ways that might be viewed as manipulation.
In one sentence, Visionary Evangelists “see” something that excites them, and they love to pursue their vision with passion and bring it to life.
The Secrets of Their Success
1 - Creative Visionary In our research, the skill most correlated with the cluster of skills we have labeled the Visionary Evangelist is, not surprisingly, “Creating a Vision”. At their worst, they can be impractical dreamers who drift from one wild idea to another, living in their heads, rarely if ever bringing any of their ideas to fruition. At their best, they are the visionary geniuses who set new directions for organizations and for society as a whole. Metal birds that fly through the sky, self-propelled vehicles that make the horse unnecessary, a computer on every desk, an organization of nations dedicated to peace and global problem-solving – their innovative conceptions are without number.
One factor that fuels their creativity is an innate curiosity – think of Elon Musk reading for 10 hours a day and memorizing the encyclopedia – a desire to learn and to understand this complex world we live in. The mind of a Visionary Evangelist is a busy place. Innovative ideas bubble up at any time of the day or night. Some will be discarded, but many will lead to action. “Anyone vaguely familiar with Elon Musk,” said a recent article about him, “knows that he’s usually juggling tons of ideas at the same time.” And this is common for Visionary Evangelists.
Here are some typical quotes from our 360 assessments of executives who may not be as well known as Jobs and Musk but who inspire their colleagues with their creativity and ideas: “At times it seems that more good ideas are coming from Suzanne than from the rest of the management team put together, She is not afraid to step out of the box and try a new angle. She understands the power of creativity and provides all of us with the time to consider new ideas, thought patterns, and solutions.”
VE’s love work that requires original thinking and are always seeking new ways to look at things. Creativity researcher Davis notes that a creative person “looks at one thing, and sees modifications, new combinations, or new applications,” and “makes connections between one situation and another.”
Intellectually curious, Visionary Evangelists love exploring and learning about new ideas. They love to experiment. They take the time to study and reflect. Although they don’t have strong needs for companionship and most of them enjoy periods of solitude, their creativity is fueled by lively discussions and philosophical debates with friends and coworkers. They are not afraid to surround themselves with people who have different beliefs, political views, and backgrounds, and who come from different cultures. They like nothing better than stretching their minds. But because they tend to think they’re smarter than other people, they’re more likely to talk than to listen. This of course curtails their ability to learn.
2 – Translates the Vision into Strategy
Visionary Evangelists have a gift for making their ideas vivid and tangible, which draws support from others. Visionary Evangelists are strategic thinkers. Once they have conceived a vision, they find it natural to translate the vision into a strategy for the organization. Long-range plans need to be developed, and resources mustered to carry out the plans that will turn the vision into a reality. Not content just to dream, they may also excel at creating the plan which makes it happen.
While a lot of VE’s do have the capacity for strategic thinking, one of their weaknesses is that it often stays in their head: they don’t translate it enough into specific objectives. It’s very broad-brush, and when you poke at it a little, you find that it’s like a movie set: it looks good from the street, it enables them to pitch the venture capitalists and get funding, but the people within their companies almost invariably say that it’s not sufficiently meaty or detailed in translating the broad vision into priorities and actionable goals.
Early-stage entrepreneurs, especially, tend to be more visionary than strategic. Those visionaries who succeed in growing their companies larger have figured out that they need to get it out of their heads and define it for others. However, although they love putting together the master plan, they are relatively uninterested in the nitty gritty details of executing the plan. What’s important to them is the Big Picture. Once the design is in place, they are ready to move on to the next grand idea.
3 – Sells the Vision
When the vision and strategy are in place, the time has come to rally followers and supporters. The dictionary defines an evangelist as “a person who crusades for, and builds support for a cause, and whose behavior is marked by evangelical enthusiasm.” When it comes to influencing others and finding just the right words to persuade and paint a powerful and inspirational picture, VE’s are the masters.
Their superpower is their ability to sell their vision and influence people, and this differentiates the ones who get funded from those who don’t, because they have to be able to pitch skeptical venture capitalists who routinely listen to hundreds of pitches before they decide to fund just one.
Many shy or reserved individuals have a creative vision but lack persuasive skills to enlist the support of followers. They don’t know how to sell the thing they’ve created. Having a creative idea is only part of the equation. On fire with the compelling nature of their vision, leaders must also be able to paint it in glowing strokes and promote it like a preacher selling salvation.
This ability to pitch and influence people is one of the social skills that entrepreneurs possess, but you can’t say they have broad social skills, because they often do not read people or group dynamics well, and they tend to be insensitive. They are effective at what amounts to sales, but they need to develop better relationship skills and emotional intelligence (EQ) before they will be truly effective leaders. Often, they have high IQ and low EQ. Bringing a vision to life involves not only the ability to inspire peers and employees to work hard together to make it a reality. The entrepreneur also – and crucially – has to persuade potential investors to get involved. They need to communicate their vision with a level of emotion, excitement, and passion that captures people’s hearts. VE’s bubble over with ideas, and they radiate enthusiasm. Unemotional, overcontrolled executives who only have access to their logical, rational side will have trouble generating excitement and inspiration.
Because they are so natural and so effective representing ideas, products, programs, or services that have meaning to them, as their companies evolve, they often take on the job of spokesperson. Poised and polished in front of groups, they make effective, high-impact presentations. Dynamic and socially confident, VE’s know how to make a strong and positive first impression. Many pay attention to cultivating their public image. They like to be the center of attention, with the spotlight on themselves.
Every Visionary Evangelist begins with a dream. The most successful have the ability to communicate the dream with a passion and power that attracts followers whose combined strength transforms the vision into a reality.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was not a business leader, yet he is a perfect example of a Visionary Evangelist. A genius in his own right (he graduated high school at 15 and college at 19 before going on to his Ph.D. and Doctor of Divinity degrees) King was a passionate advocate not only for civil rights but for human rights for all. His vision of justice and equality drove him to campaign relentlessly, putting his life on the line day after day. In the eleven-year period between 1957 and 1968, he traveled over 6 million miles and spoke more than 2500 times. His famous “I have a dream” speech to 250,000 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. is known throughout the world. At 35, he was the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
4. Takes Initiative
When it comes to taking initiative and getting things moving, VE’s don’t have to be asked to take charge. If an opportunity presents itself, they feel impelled to take advantage of it. If they have a dream or an insight, they feel they must act on it. Conceiving the idea isn’t enough. They must turn it into something concrete. In fact, their vision consumes them and often takes over their lives, filling every waking and sleeping moment until it becomes a reality. They can’t help but take the lead.
The initiative of visionary leaders is recognized and appreciated by their peers and reports. “Hiroshi looks for things that need to be done, and takes action,” one person on his team said. “He is quick to take a leadership role. His initiative to grow the organization is an inspiration to the rest of us. Hiroshi leads by example.” Another person commented, “Ray is always the leader. He identifies problems, then attacks them. He has a solution for us most of the time before we even know it is a problem.” And another, in just a few words: “Very action oriented. Afraid of nothing.”
Their strong action orientation can be a double-edged sword. Yes, it gets things done, but as a result of their tendency to jump in and try to make something happen immediately, they often get involved in micromanaging. It doesn’t occur to them that they might delegate it, or who it should be delegated to. They tend to go around their managers and reports and go directly to employees. This is potentially undermining to the authority and decision-making independence of their directs.
5. Creates Meaning – Shows Employees Why They Matter
Effective leaders make their followers feel that they are close to the source of something great. Everyone feels that he or she makes a difference to the success of the organization. When that happens, people feel inspired because their work has meaning. One of the greatest sources of trouble in organizations today is the lack of connection employees feel to the company’s mission, vision and goals. Quarterly earnings, market share, and enhancing shareholder value, of vital concern to founders, investors, and upper management, don’t motivate many employees. The leader must touch their hearts as well as appeal to their intellects and pocketbooks.
Why? People have a deep need for meaning and purpose in their lives. Without meaning, work can easily become a chore, something you have to do rather than something you look forward to. This is fertile ground for apathy, lackadaisical performance and reduced productivity, as well as a discontented workforce.
The need for meaning and for a sense that what they do matters, seems to be especially crucial to members of the Millennial generation who have a strong desire to, in the words of Apple founder Steve Jobs, “make a dent in the universe.” Visionary Evangelists are an effective antidote to this problem. Through their eloquence and passion, they help employees connect their jobs, and their lives, to the organization’s vision and strategy. They achieve employee buy-in and ratchet up motivation by showing people how to relate their day-to-day activities to a higher meaning and broader strategic priorities.
Although “creating meaning” is not generally recognized on the 360-degree evaluations as having great importance, our research and consulting experience show that it is one of the vital components in promoting employee loyalty and building a strong corporate culture.
6. Optimism
One employee said of her boss, “Bill never lacks for enthusiasm and optimism. He always looks for strategies to manage through tough times rather than hang his head.” Another put it slightly differently, “She works so hard despite the lagging numbers of the division, and always has a positive outlook on the future. It makes you want to work hard for her.” This is what Visionary Evangelists do for the people around them. They always assume that no matter how difficult things may appear to be, it will all work out just fine in the end. They tend to look on the bright side, seeing the glass as half full, and do not worry much about the future.
Napoleon Bonaparte suggested that, “A leader is a dealer in hope.” Followers need leaders who give them hope and reassure them that they will succeed. One employee paid tribute to her boss’s optimism this way: “The positive morale in the department is directly and almost solely attributable to his leadership, mentorship, optimism, energy and enthusiasm.” Visionary Evangelists not only exude a confidence that things will work out – many of them also have an inherent trust in the good heartedness of people; they believe people can be trusted. This uplifts followers and inspires them to create a successful outcome.
7. Self-Confidence
If you met a Visionary Evangelist for the first time, you would almost certainly recognize their high level of self-confidence. They are sure of their capabilities, values, and judgments, believe in themselves and in their gift for leadership. Many of them truly feel that they were “born to be a leader.” They know they can almost always count on their ability to make a good impression on others. They are frequently “silver tongued devils” who have the self-assurance and persuasive power to win over the skeptical and ultimately get their way. A subordinate described his boss by saying, “Elaine has the power of persuasion through suggestion. Her confidence makes us want to follow her wherever she leads.”
Visionary Evangelists set high goals, often difficult to reach, and never question whether they can achieve them. They seem to be untroubled by self-doubt. They genuinely believe they are more talented than others, and their coworkers often agree with this self-assessment.
They can also freely admit their shortcomings, if someone is willing to hold up a mirror and show them. They’re willing to acknowledge their mistakes and are ready to work to overcome them and to learn from them. However, it isn’t easy to convince them that they are wrong.
Steve Jobs describes his growth of confidence in the following quote: “My father was a machinist by trade. He had a workbench in his garage, and when I was five or six years old, he sectioned off a little piece of it and said, ‘Steve, this is your workbench now.’ He spent a lot of time with me, teaching me how to build things, how to take things apart and put things back together. Inspired by a neighbor who worked at Hewlett Packard, I used to buy Heathkits to build radios and other electronic equipment. These kits came with detailed manuals and color-coded parts. Putting a piece of equipment together gave one the sense that one could build the things that one saw around oneself in the universe. These things were not mysteries any more…they were the results of human creation, not magical things that just appeared in the environment. It gave a tremendous sense of self-confidence, that through exploration and learning one could understand seemingly very complex things.”
8. Risk Taker and Agent of Change One of the problems with VE’s is that they can be overly confident, overly optimistic risk-takers. As a result, they will not validate their conclusions and insights with facts. And they can be impulsive. Being a change agent is different. Being an agent of change is about challenging the status quo and coming up with new ideas. That is highly correlated with VEs. But risk-taking is a double-edged sword. Being a risk-taker and not grounded in seasoned judgment is foolhardy.
“I witnessed Karen coming in and ripping apart a process that was outdated, inefficient, and meaningless. It was a beautiful thing.” Visionary Evangelists can’t help but be agents of change. Their willingness to try something new, coupled with their creativity and vision, makes them fearless in trying out new approaches and challenging the status quo. “Leaders,” said Dr. Robert Jarvik, inventor of the first permanently implantable artificial heart, “are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept at all of the odds against them. They make the impossible happen.”
This is not always a walk in the park. “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things,” said Niccolo Machiavelli. Yet they are willing – even eager – to challenge the system in order to make things better. “Bruce challenges departments to constantly re-evaluate the processes and priorities they set.” They are simply not satisfied with tradition or “the way we have always done it” if it doesn’t move the organization forward.
Independent thinkers, Visionary Evangelists are not susceptible to social pressure. If they believe in something, they are willing to take an unpopular position. Says one coworker, “Aimee will confidently and readily buck the status quo if she believes it impedes getting results. She is tenacious and sticks to her guns if she feels very strongly about an issue.”
Visionary Evangelists like Steve Jobs are not plagued by fear and appear to worry less than others. They are not foolhardy, but they are willing to take a risk on an idea or a venture if they believe it might pay off. When they really want something – when the potential reward or return is great enough – they are willing to go out on a limb. In fact, they seem to enjoy taking chances.
Jeff Bezos has combined his skills as a Visionary Evangelist with his ability to be a Manager of Execution and has become the richest man in the world. He was also a classic risk taker who challenged the status quo. Long before the Internet became the center of commerce that it is today, Jeff Bezos saw the future and decided to play a role in making it happen. In 1994, he told a reporter, “I came across a startling statistic, that web usage was going up at 2,300% a year. I decided I would make a business plan in the context of that growth.” So, he quit a good job at a Wall Street hedge fund and started a small company, selling college textbooks online.
Of course, that company, Amazon, has become one of the world’s largest mega-corporations, “a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online,” according to the Amazon mission statement, and Bezos became the world’s wealthiest man.
In 1997, when he took Amazon public, Bezos said, “We’re at the Kitty Hawk stage of ecommerce, “referring to the small town in North Carolina where the Wright brothers flew the world’s very first airplanes in 1903.
9. Achievement Driven and Socially Competitive
Competitiveness is one of the most highly regarded and highly rewarded qualities in the American character. From Little League to the Olympics and the Super Bowl, and in virtually all educational institutions, we are trained to compete and rewarded for coming out on top. The drive to be the best leads to high achievements as well as personal gratification. In the business world, most people would agree that the best thing that ever happened to Detroit – and for the driving public – was competition from Japanese automakers. The competitive spirit has contributed greatly to America’s strength at home and abroad.
Visionary Evangelists are highly motivated individuals whose drive to succeed is legendary. The literature of successful entrepreneurs, from Thomas Edison to Bill Gates, is full of stories of men who hardly slept, ate, or changed their clothes while working to achieve their goals. These days, Tesla employees report that when production gets behind schedule, CEO Elon Musk stays at the plant and sleeps a few hours on a narrow couch right on the factory floor. These people feel, from an early age, that they are destined to accomplish great things in their lives, and they are willing to work hard to do so and to make a difference
However, it is important to distinguish between the need or drive for achievement, and competitiveness. Competitiveness can be destructive if it’s a matter of winning and being right, no matter what. Sales reps, for example, are very competitive with their peers, but they are poor team players and don’t make good sales managers. Competition with other people, characteristic of many entrepreneurs, works against collaborating and being good team players.
Achievement drive is different; it’s a desire to attain goals. Competitiveness is a desire to be better than others, to be Number One, to dominate. This drive for dominance is a double-edged sword. On a personal level, an obsession with success at all costs often results in neglected marriages and children, poor health and heart attacks. It poisons the marketplace by turning competitors – who, after all, are also legitimate business enterprises – into symbols of evil. At its worst – especially if the entrepreneur’s path is blocked and the achievement of their vision is threatened – it breeds a kind of self-centered callousness toward “the enemy” that can bring out ruthless behavior, where the end justifies any means no matter how illegal or unethical.
Many VE’s are notorious for the fierceness of their competitive nature. A Web biography of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who has a strong Visionary Evangelist profile, tells us that his family upbringing taught him competitiveness from an early age. “His great-grandfather had been a state legislator and mayor, his grandfather was the vice president of a national bank, and his father was a prominent lawyer. Early on in life, it was apparent that Bill Gates inherited the ambition, intelligence, and competitive spirit that had helped his progenitors rise to the top in their chosen professions.” Combative and hard-driving, Gates has been called “a brilliant and ruthless businessman who single-mindedly pursues not only his own success but also the annihilation of his foes.”
Their Dark Side
Like all of us mortals, Visionary Evangelists also have their weaknesses and challenges. “Exasperated parents, teachers, colleagues, and supervisors are all familiar with some negative traits of creative people,” says creativity expert Gary Davis. “They can be stubborn, uncooperative, indifferent to conventions and courtesies…careless and disorganized, especially with matters they consider trivial.”
As in our discussion of competitiveness above, many of these “weaknesses” can best be understood either as the “shadow” or dark side of one of their strengths, or as less developed or immature aspects of essentially positive qualities:
Their rebelliousness is the other side of their willingness to challenge the status quo.
Their indomitable optimism, so inspirational to others, easily leads to a kind of cavalier attitude about deadlines and commitments – “It’s okay, it’ll all work out.”
The self-confidence and love of being center stage that make them such charismatic presenters has an element of narcissism and can lead them to believe they are “special” and are therefore entitled to special privileges and exemptions from rules everyone else has to follow.
1. Self-Centered and Egocentric
Many leaders are self-centered. But the Visionary Evangelists are more narcissistic than others. This is one of their biggest Achilles’ heels. It prevents them from being the kind of outstanding leader who puts the needs of the organization ahead of themselves. It prevents them from thinking they could be wrong, and from listening to input, whether critical or intended to be helpful. They think they are always right and are the center of the universe.
Visionary Evangelists are well aware that they are highly intelligent, creative, charismatic, charming and natural leaders. All too often, this breeds arrogance. As one manager’s colleague put it on his 360-degree assessment, “He displays a negative form of confidence that sends the message, ‘I am smarter and better than you.’ His self-importance and huge ego comes at other’s expense.” For most Visionary Evangelists, humility is not their strong suit.
Sure that they will achieve their vision, VE’s often see only opportunities and possibilities and fail to consider that they might fail. This is an outgrowth of their ego and can be dangerous to their organizations. “I think Justin’s confidence in the team’s ability to make miracles happen is unrealistic and more than a little arrogant. We cannot blindly assume that ‘if we can think it, we can do it.’”
They would much rather talk and expound their own ideas than hear what others have to say. They become so wrapped up in their own ideas that they don’t leave much room for other’s opinions. On personality self-assessments, VE’s tend to see themselves as tolerant and open. Very often, they are not.
They are also not very sensitive to the needs and concerns of others. This is another blind spot. They frequently describe themselves as affectionate and aware of others’ feelings, but in fact they tend to be self-absorbed and insensitive.
As we have seen, Visionary Evangelists are independent non-conformists. Because by nature they question beliefs, rules, and practices that others take for granted, they are often able to see a new and better way. But their need for autonomy and their tendency toward non-conformity can create friction when they have to work in a group. They are not natural team players. They don’t want to be bound by confining rules or the necessity for compromise. In fact, they don’t like restrictions of any kind. They want to do it the way they want to do it.
This may seem fine when the Visionary Evangelist is an entrepreneur, running his or her own company. But as the company grows larger, in order to function efficiently it must develop rules, policies, and procedures, which the entrepreneurs often violate, resisting these curbs on their freedom. They can actually do the organization harm at this point, and indeed, sometimes have to step down for the good of the organization they helped to create.
2. Managerially Challenged
Visionary Evangelists are great at starting projects, not so great at following through and driving to completion. They need to have Managers of Execution around them, to translate their vision into strategy and ultimately into the tactics and operational disciplines that are going to make the company successful.
A successful entrepreneurial startup has to figure out how to become a culture of discipline. That means systems and processes, and it means disciplined approaches to solving problems, making decisions, analyses of unsuccessful initiatives, and the management of things that the Visionary thinks are boring and routine. Every organization needs processes, policies, playbooks, procedures that help people be efficient and maintain quality.
Put simply, VEs are bored with such things. With their minds on their Grand Vision, they just can’t be bothered with such mundane matters, and they badly need Managers of Execution to partner with them. The problem is that most often they are loners and not good partners, so even if they do bring in some expert MEs, they don’t listen to them.
What they need is sufficient awareness of their weaknesses and shortcomings so that they will bring people in to complement them and shore up their weaknesses. If they are too narcissistic they don’t recognize this need.
Skillful managers are organized, good at planning, and disciplined in carrying out the plan. Visionary Evangelists are often undisciplined, undependable, and uninterested in bothering with the nuts and bolts of execution.
On their own, it may not matter much that they are not organized or disciplined but as leader of an organization, it is fatal to the culture. Why? Because they are good starters but not good finishers, because they fail to follow through and meet commitments, they are poor role models for others in the organization. Then they find that the organization doesn’t have discipline and others don’t show up for meetings on time, or take product deadlines seriously, and so on, because the leader doesn’t.
Why would leaders who are so driven to achieve their vision and so action-oriented fail to follow through and meet their commitments? Because they are seers of vast unbounded possibilities, dreamers and creators of what might be brought to life; they are enamored of the big picture and simply bored with the details. Furthermore, they hate to be restricted by boundaries such as deadlines, budgets and systematic processes.
Their native optimism also works against them. People who are not so certain “it will all work out” tend to see the value in tactical planning and disciplined project management. The optimistic Visionary Evangelists don’t sweat the details; as a result, they may miss deadlines and fail to deliver on their commitments. The result is that their grand vision goes unfulfilled.
Our research has shown that being a visionary is negatively correlated with orderliness and thoroughness, and our observations of leaders’ behavior bear this out. As leaders, Visionaries don’t tend to establish the structures, systems and processes that are needed to implement their vision.
Although they may set broad goals for themselves, when it comes to managing their own teams, they may fail to clarify objectives, roles, and priorities. They understand the vision and are confident that they can work their way toward achieving it, and they assume that other people will know what to do – that others will be able to act independently, too. Once the design phase is complete, they often lose interest and leave subordinates to figure out what to do next.
3. Poor Team Players Who Don’t Empower Others
Leadership is about leverage. Unless you empower other people, you put yourself in a situation where you are making too many decisions. That doesn’t scale. Hub and spoke management and leader-centric organizations have trouble scaling efficiently.
When there are eight people outside your door waiting for a decision, and you are working longer and longer hours, these are signs that you haven’t pushed decision making down. You have to empower people, based of course on their capabilities and their track record of having good judgment and making good decisions. But if you don’t empower people, the company will stall and you will burn out. You can’t do it all.
As entrepreneurs, the Visionary Evangelists’ independence, creativity and habit of taking decisive action work in their favor. But when it comes to building teams and working through others, these identical qualities can become an obstacle.
An effective leader must learn to leverage the input and efforts of followers. This is one of the key factors that enables them to grow their organizations and multiply themselves. Headquartered in Silicon Valley for nearly 40 years, I have seen numerous Visionary Evangelist entrepreneurs hit the wall when they don’t figure out how to fully utilize the capabilities of their team.
So, what prevents them from benefiting from the diverse experience and skills of those who work for them? First of all, they don’t delegate well and don’t empower others. They are fundamentally loners who are accustomed to succeeding by individual initiative and action. They are also certain that they are smarter than the people around them, and don’t really value the input of others. They prefer to maintain control and make the calls. Consequently, they fail to harvest the full potential of their team.
In addition, Visionary Evangelists don’t want to give up their special status and the ego gratification that comes from being center stage. After a lifetime of following their dreams, getting their own way and flying solo, they don’t play well with others. Team play requires you to subordinate your own individual agenda for the good of the team. This isn’t easy for Visionary Evangelists. 4. Unreflective Over-confidence
What is the difference between a high degree of confidence and sense of self-worth that allows leaders (and really, anyone) to undertake difficult challenges with the belief that they can overcome any and all obstacles and achieve their goals successfully – and the kind of blind over-confidence that ignores weaknesses and potential problems and may lead to disastrous results? Where is the line between confident boldness, and foolhardiness?
Visionary Evangelists are very confident individuals. And they are not self-reflective. They are so confident that they don’t think about what could go wrong. When this combines with their native optimism, they will oversimplify. They tend to be afflicted with what is called “confirmation bias” – they only listen to evidence that supports their ideas. They don’t think they need critical input! They don’t take the time to think that they might be wrong. They’re just sure they are right. This faulty thinking easily leads to bad judgment and mistakes.
For example, entrepreneurs are often so self-confident that they don’t pay enough attention to their business competition. They think their stuff, whatever it is, whether product or service, is the best, and they may not even have done their homework to discover whether they do have significant competition or whether somebody else, some other company, may have gotten there first. Obviously, this is a formula for disaster.
This “overconfidence effect” is a well-known phenomenon, in which a person’s sense of confidence in their judgments is higher than is merited by the actual accuracy of those judgements. As Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman said, “Overconfident professionals sincerely believe they have expertise, act as experts and look like experts. You will have to struggle to remind yourself that they may be in the grip of an illusion.”
It is a bit tricky to sort out, as some of the greatest leaders, such as Steve Jobs, had this kind of self-confidence and self-assurance and was often proved correct by the results.
Conclusion Creativity, and the ability to inspire and to motivate people with a compelling vision, are not skills that are easily learned. Indeed, our research indicates that Visionary Evangelists are a rare breed – even though there are a lot of them heading up fledgling companies in Silicon Valley and elsewhere, there appear to be significantly fewer of them walking the planet than there are Relationship Builders and Managers of Execution.
It would not be overwhelmingly difficult for Visionary Evangelists to warm up their people skills or to add some of the disciplined behavior characteristic of effective executors. Doing so would surely add balance and completeness to their leadership. Learning to be a better listener, making an effort to reply to emails and requests and to get to meetings on time, to honor deadlines that they themselves set or agree to meet – doing a few of these things will add to their effectiveness and elicit greater support and buy-in from others.
But our primary advice to Visionary Evangelists is: Leverage your God-given assets! Don’t try to become something you are not. Your gifts are relatively rare and are vital for the success of any enterprise. Use them with energy and passion. At the same time, admit that you are not perfect and can’t do it all. Some aspects of your personality are less-well developed, so you’ll need to find effective managers and relationship builders to complement your strengths and fill out your team.
Development, for you, is more about facing yourself honestly and dealing with the natural weaknesses that go with this leadership style. Observe your attitudes and your behavior – not just once but consistently! – and be alert for signs of arrogance, self-importance, failure to empower others, manipulativeness, and the other “negative” characteristics mentioned above.
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The Nicest Boss in the World He was adored. He remembered birthdays, checked in on people’s families, and stayed late helping fix slides no one asked him to touch. His team called him “the best boss we’ve ever had.” He was also running on fumes. Behind the warm smile was a leader quietly burning out — drowning in everyone else’s problems, too empathetic for his own good. If you’re a leader who prides yourself on caring deeply, this might sting a little: empathy, taken too far, becomes control in disguise. Empathy’s Secret Shadow Empathy is essential for leadership. It builds loyalty, safety, and trust. But the same trait that makes people feel seen can also make them dependent. When you can’t tolerate someone else’s discomfort, you start protecting them from it. You step in to fix, to soothe, to rescue. It looks noble. It feels generous. But it quietly steals agency — theirs and yours. Your team stops growing because you’re doing their emotional labor. You stop leading because you’re managing feelings instead of outcomes. That’s the hidden cost of care. The Emotional Guilt Loop Over-empathetic leaders live in a constant tug-of-war between compassion and guilt. They think: “They’re already stretched — I can’t pile more on.” “If I push harder, I’ll seem uncaring.” “I’ll just do it myself; it’s easier.” Sound familiar? That’s not empathy anymore. That’s guilt masquerading as kindness. And guilt makes terrible business decisions. Because guilt doesn’t guide you toward what’s right. It just steers you away from what feels uncomfortable. A Founder’s Story One founder I coached, let’s call her Lina, led with heart. She built her company around “people first.” And she meant it. But somewhere along the way, “people first” turned into “me last.” She couldn’t say no. She kept saving underperformers, approving vacations during crunch time, rewriting others’ work to spare them stress. Her team adored her — until they didn’t. Because beneath her helpfulness was quiet resentment. And resentment always leaks. The breakthrough came when she realized something simple but hard: “I was protecting people from learning the hard parts of growth.” That’s when she started leading again instead of parenting. When Caring Becomes Control Here’s the paradox: the more you care, the more you risk over-controlling. You jump in to fix not because you don’t trust them, but because you feel for them. It’s empathy turned inward — I can’t stand watching them struggle. But leadership isn’t about eliminating discomfort. It’s about using it wisely. People grow by stretching, not by being spared. When you save someone from every failure, you’re also saving them from competence. The Biology of Burnout Chronic empathy triggers chronic stress. When you absorb other people’s emotions all day, your nervous system never gets a break. You start mirroring everyone’s anxiety like an emotional amplifier. Your brain thinks you’re in crisis — even when you’re not. That’s why over-caring leaders are often the first to burn out. Their compassion becomes constant cortisol. The irony? The leaders who want to create safety for others end up unsafe themselves. How to Care Without Carrying Feel, then filter. It’s okay to feel someone’s frustration. Just don’t keep it. Ask: “Is this mine to hold?” Help through accountability. Say, “I know this is tough, and I also need you to take ownership.” The and matters. Let discomfort be developmental. When a team member struggles, resist rescuing. Stay present, not protective. Coach before you comfort. Instead of “Don’t worry,” try, “What do you think your next move is?” Reframe empathy as empowerment. Caring isn’t about absorbing pain; it’s about believing people can handle it. Funny but True One exec I worked with told me, “Every time I stop helping, I feel like a jerk.” I said, “No — you feel like a leader. It just takes a while to tell the difference.” He laughed and said, “So… you’re telling me leadership feels bad at first?” I said, “Exactly. Growth always does.” The Cultural Ripple Effect When leaders overfunction, teams underfunction. When leaders hold space instead of taking space, teams rise. Empathy should expand others, not consume you. The healthiest cultures balance care and candor — support and stretch. They normalize struggle as part of the process instead of something to be hidden or rescued. That’s what real compassion looks like in motion. The Maturity of Tough Empathy Empathy without boundaries is exhaustion. Empathy with boundaries is wisdom. The mature version of empathy doesn’t say, “I’ll protect you.” It says, “I believe you can handle this — and I’ll walk beside you while you do.” That’s not cold. That’s developmental. Your Challenge This Week Notice where you’re rescuing someone instead of coaching them. Pause before you step in. Ask yourself, Am I helping because they need it — or because I need to feel helpful? Then take one small risk: let them handle it. They’ll probably surprise you. And you’ll feel lighter than you have in months. Final Word Caring is beautiful. It’s what makes you human. But unchecked empathy turns leaders into emotional pack mules — carrying what was never theirs to bear. Real leadership is still full of heart. It just remembers that compassion without accountability isn’t love. It’s fear. And the moment you stop rescuing everyone, you finally start freeing them — and yourself.
The Smart Leader’s Blind Spot It’s strange how often the smartest people make the worst decisions under pressure. They don’t lose IQ. They lose perspective. I’ve seen this happen more times than I can count. A sharp, decisive executive starts second-guessing every move. They overanalyze, overwork, and overcontrol — all in the name of being “thorough.” They think they’re being rational. But underneath the spreadsheets and meetings is something far less logical. It’s fear. The Fear That Doesn’t Look Like Fear We think of fear as panic — sweating, shaking, obvious. But most leadership fear hides behind competence. It shows up as perfectionism, busyness, overcommitment, indecision. It sounds like, “Let’s get more data.” “Let’s not rush this.” “Let’s keep this one close.” That’s not analysis. That’s avoidance with a better vocabulary. When fear runs the show, the goal subtly shifts from making the right decision to avoiding the wrong one. And those two things are worlds apart. The Cost of Fear-Based Leadership When leaders operate from fear, everything tightens. They stop listening. They rush to defend. They play small when the company needs boldness. They keep people who are loyal over people who are competent — because loyalty feels safer. And here’s the real tragedy: the team starts copying the fear. They become cautious, compliant, quiet. Pretty soon, no one’s leading anymore. They’re all managing risk — mostly emotional risk. A CEO’s Moment of Truth One CEO I coached — brilliant, confident, deeply human — was terrified of being wrong in front of his board. He masked it well. On the outside: decisive. Inside: a constant hum of anxiety. After a tough quarter, he admitted, “I realized half my decisions weren’t based on strategy — they were based on protecting my image.” That moment of honesty was the start of his maturity curve. Once he could name the fear, it stopped running his show. He didn’t become fearless. He became aware. And awareness is what turns reaction into wisdom. Why Fear Feels Safer Than Clarity Fear has a strange way of convincing us it’s caution. Caution whispers, “Slow down and look.” Fear screams, “Don’t move.” The first sharpens judgment. The second paralyzes it. And the more we listen to fear, the more it disguises itself as prudence. That’s why emotional maturity isn’t about suppressing fear. It’s about being able to say, “Ah, that’s fear talking — not fact.” How Fear Distorts the Mind Here’s what happens when fear hijacks leadership: Tunnel vision: You fixate on the immediate threat and forget the big picture. Confirmation bias: You start looking for data that validates your anxiety. Short-termism: You make safe decisions that feel good now and cause pain later. Blame shifting: You protect your ego by pushing ownership outward. The mind gets smaller. The leader gets reactive. The company gets stuck. The Maturity Shift Emotional maturity isn’t about being unshakable. It’s about staying curious in the presence of fear. Mature leaders don’t pretend they’re fearless. They just don’t let fear make the decisions. They pause, breathe, and ask, “What part of this is data, and what part is my insecurity talking?” That single question can change everything. A Founder’s Story A founder I worked with once said, “I’m not afraid — I just have high standards.” But as we unpacked it, he realized those “high standards” were actually a way to control outcomes. He feared disappointment — his own and others’. When he finally stopped trying to protect his reputation and started protecting his clarity, his decisions got faster and cleaner. The business didn’t just grow — it started breathing again. Because when you stop trying to look right, you finally have room to be right. Funny, But True I once asked a CEO what he’d do differently if he weren’t afraid of failing. He said, “Probably the same things I’m doing now — just with less Advil.” That’s the thing: most leaders already know what to do. Fear just makes it hurt more. How to Lead Without Fear (Even When It’s There) Name it early. The sooner you recognize fear, the less power it has. Ask yourself, “What’s the story fear’s telling me right now?” Reframe mistakes as tuition. You’ll still pay for errors — might as well learn something from them. Separate identity from outcome. A bad decision doesn’t mean a bad leader. It means a leader who’s still learning — like everyone else. Keep one truth-teller nearby. Someone who loves you enough to tell you when you’re acting from ego. Practice micro-bravery. Tell one hard truth a day. Say “I don’t know” once a week. Let discomfort become strength training. The Paradox of Fear Fear doesn’t make you weak. It means you care. But if you never face it, it becomes your compass — and it always points backward. Courage, maturity, clarity — they’re not opposites of fear. They’re what happen when you stop running from it. Your Challenge This Week Next time you feel that knot in your stomach — before a board meeting, a tough conversation, a high-stakes call — pause. Ask yourself: What am I afraid might happen? Then ask: What might happen if I act from clarity instead of fear? That’s not therapy. That’s leadership hygiene. Final Word The mark of maturity isn’t fearlessness. It’s self-awareness. You can’t control your fear. But you can choose whether it sits in the driver’s seat or the passenger’s. Great leaders don’t wait for fear to disappear. They lead with it beside them — quietly, respectfully — but never in charge.
The Overworked Hero Syndrome You can spot this one a mile away. They’re running at 120%, inbox exploding, calendar packed like a game of Tetris. They tell themselves it’s noble — “The team’s counting on me.” But deep down, it’s addiction. I know this pattern because I’ve lived it. That little rush you get when someone says, “We couldn’t do this without you”? That’s the dopamine hit of leadership ego. Feels good. Until it doesn’t. Because being indispensable isn’t a compliment. It’s a warning. Why Smart People Struggle to Let Go Most leaders don’t hoard work because they’re bad at delegation. They hoard because delegation threatens their identity. If your sense of worth comes from being the fixer, the doer, the one who “always delivers,” letting go feels like erasure. Who are you if you’re not in every meeting? Who are you if things go fine without you? That’s the emotional root of overwork — not competence, but fear of irrelevance. Control in Disguise Delegation looks like an operational skill, but it’s really emotional work. Leaders tell me all the time: “I can’t delegate — my team’s not ready.” What they mean is: “I can’t delegate — I’m not ready.” The truth is, your people won’t become ready until you give them the chance. That’s the brutal math of leadership: you can have control, or you can have scale. You don’t get both. A Founder’s Story A founder I coached — let’s call her Sara — ran her company like a benevolent tornado. She did everything: strategy, hiring, investor calls, even reviewing design files “just to make sure the tone was right.” When she came to me, she was working 80-hour weeks and quietly resenting everyone she was “helping.” I asked, “What would happen if you stopped fixing things for people?” She said, “They’d drop the ball.” Six months later, she tested it. She handed off a project completely — no shadow-managing, no emergency check-ins. Her team nailed it. She said, “I didn’t realize they were this capable.” I said, “They didn’t realize you were this controlling.” We both laughed — but she got the point. The Real Meaning of Delegation Delegation isn’t a time-management trick. It’s a transfer of trust. It says, “I believe you can handle this — even if you don’t do it exactly my way.” It’s also a developmental gift. When you delegate fully, you don’t just lighten your load — you level someone up. Delegation is how leaders stop being the engine and start being the architect. The Fear Behind “It’s Easier If I Just Do It” That sentence might as well be carved on the tombstone of burned-out executives everywhere. Sure, doing it yourself feels faster. But every time you do, you quietly train the organization to need you. You build a culture of dependence — and then complain that people don’t take initiative. Delegation feels risky because it is. You will lose control of how something gets done. But you gain something far more valuable: time to lead, not just manage. Funny but True I once told a CEO, “If you died tomorrow, who could run your company?” He said, “That’s morbid.” I said, “No — that’s planning.” He got the message. A few months later, he’d built a real leadership team for the first time. He told me, “It’s weird — I’m working less, and everything’s better.” That’s not weird. That’s delegation done right. How to Build the Trust Muscle Start small, but mean it. Hand off one real decision — not a token task. Resist the urge to check back in “just to see how it’s going.” Define success, not the path. Set the destination clearly, then step back. They’ll probably surprise you with how differently — and often better — they get there. Coach after, not during. Let people own outcomes before you give feedback. Growth requires a little space to fail safely. Reward initiative, not imitation. If you only praise people for doing things your way, you’ll never build leaders — only clones. Say thank you — and mean it. Appreciation is the emotional contract that makes delegation sustainable. The Emotional Reframe Delegation isn’t about trust in others. It’s about trust in yourself — in the system you’ve built, in your ability to recover from other people’s mistakes, and in your willingness to be unnecessary. That last one’s the hardest. But when you finally stop trying to be irreplaceable, your company starts becoming unstoppable. Your Challenge This Week Write down everything on your plate. Circle three things that drain you but could teach someone else something valuable. Pick one and delegate it — completely. Then, when the urge to “check in” hits, take a walk instead. Let them own it. When it works — and it will — tell them. Celebrate it. Because that’s how trust compounds. Final Word Letting go doesn’t make you weaker. It proves you’re strong enough to lead without needing to control. Every founder eventually faces the same test: can you stop being the engine and start being the ecosystem? The day you say yes, you stop leading through force and start leading through faith. That’s not surrender. That’s courage.
