Previously he led large-scale change efforts at U. S. West and at Ameritech. He also leads the Digital Opportunity Initiative to increase minority participation in the high-tech workplace. Knowling has been featured in Fast Company , Forbes , Business Week , and The Industry Standard . Our everyday practices, not our espoused values, define who we are. To align good intentions with effective practice, leaders need to define a vision, articulate values, and infuse both into every aspect of the business.
Most leaders love to make strategy, but it is vision and values that spawn strategic action.
A true vision shapes your hiring, assessment, and promotion of employees, and your behavior toward customers, partners, and investors. It is a more powerful tool for leading an organization than any market analysis or spreadsheet. The first step in visioning is to assess your organization, your industry, and your sector of the economy. In addition, every new employee in our company goes through a three-day visions and values process within 90 days. I talk to every hire about who we are as a company.