“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.” – Steve Jobs
I believe, one of Steve’s greatest gifts was his Vision for Possibilities. His uncanny ability to see what could be, and then get talented people around him to see and believe in that vision strongly enough, to commit their time, money and resources into that vision, was simply amazing.
In researching past Jobs’ information, his quote reminded me of an invaluable piece of advice I received from a leader whom I had the privilege to work with for 15+ years at two Fortune 100 companies. Our company had just invested a chunk of money in me, as part of its succession planning. A long report was created and I asked Jeff, if he would be willing to read it and annotate his thoughts on their findings; good, bad or ugly. In one key part, he wrote (summarized):
“This paragraph is great, because it indirectly addresses one of your greatest weaknesses: You don’t leave enough bread crumbs. I’m sharp, listen to your ideas on what could be, and sometimes it takes me 2 or 3 days to realize what an amazing idea it is and how we can implement it to save millions of dollars. But, I know you, and I’ve seen the success you’ve had, even when nobody else, at the beginning of the vision, could “see what could be”. Thus, I always take the time to understand you. But, others whom you haven’t built a foundational relationship with, won’t take 2 to 3 days to figure out the vision, except the very few who don’t need very many bread crumbs like yourself.
At the time, “ouch”; but, this advice has been very helpful to me. It’s incorporated into everything I’ve done since that “bread crumb moment”.
As an executive, how many “bread crumbs” do you need to leave to get your team engaged? This may appear to be an easy question to answer … at first. However; I believe it is very, very difficult to answer. Why is it important to know the number of bread crumbs needed per vision?
- Too few bread crumbs, and the pathways to the possibilities are lost.
- Too many bread crumbs and you’re micromanaging. Thus, the best talent won’t stay with you and the possibilities are lost.
- Enough bread crumbs and you’ve hired / you’re associated with the wrong talent; the possibilities will never come to fruition.
It’s only when your Vision for Possibilities, Talent Acquisition Index, Execution-Excellence, Leadership and knowing how many bread crumbs to drop are exceptional, that possibilities previously never thought doable, bear fruit in abundance! These are attributes of the Top-7%.
Who changes the world? I believe it’s almost exclusively the Top-7%. They are the only ones with the Talent Portfolios and social conscience needed to actually implement positive social impact. If you believe you’re one of these executives, we’d love to explore possible opportunities.
Get Making A Difference! ~ JR