In 16 Stones, I concluded a review of the 1960’s moon-landing program with the following statement: “It wasn’t a Saturn rocket that launched Apollo 11, it was a vision.” President John Kennedy had cast the vision for “landing a man on the moon” on May 25, 1961. It was fulfilled eight years and fifty-six days later (July 20, 1969) when the Apollo 11 Lunar Module landed on the moon, announced by Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s historic statement, “The Eagle has landed.” Though President Kennedy deserves immense credit for casting the vision, the real story is what happened during the eight years and fifty-six days.
The cost of Neil Armstrong’s “…one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind.” was $24B and three lives—the entire crew of Apollo 1 was killed in a cabin fire during a 1967 pre-launch test. More than 400,000 people from 20,000 companies and universities were involved in the project. There were thousands of tests, changes and retests in the systems and flight vehicles. There were the six Mercury and twelve Gemini/Titan launches, plus six unmanned Apollo launches and four manned non-lunar Apollo launches, all before Apollo 11. It is truly said that every good idea is a lot of hard work for someone.
There are a lot more visions unfulfilled than fulfilled. Why? Poor execution. In their best selling 2002 book, Execution, Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan made it painfully clear:
“…unless you translate big thoughts into concrete steps for action, they’re pointless.”
They go on to say:
“Many people regard execution as detail work that’s beneath the dignity of a…leader.
That’s wrong. To the contrary, it’s the leader’s most important job.”
The leader’s most important job? Yes, and Warren Bennis agrees:
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”
I love these quotes because as a non-visionary, I admit I’m more than a bit biased toward action. Without action, the “next big thing” soon becomes the “last abandoned thing.” So don’t fall into the trap of believing that just because you may be great at casting vision, you are a great leader. Great leaders may or may not be good at casting vision. However, they will always be great at getting things done. Leaders are remembered for great accomplishment, not great dreams.
If your organization is floundering and you’ve cast vision until your vocal cords are worn out, it’s time to for you to focus on execution—“…the leader’s most important job.”
By the way, Execution should be on your required reading list if you are leader, think you are a leader, or want to be a leader.
If this post was interesting and useful to you, please forward it to a friend. Thanks.
[You can order 16 Stones at hard-lessons.com.]
© Copyright 2017 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the importance of vision, finishing the post with: “It wasn’t a Saturn rocket that launched Apollo 11, it was a vision.” President John Kennedy cast the vision on May 25, 1961. It was fulfilled eight years and fifty-six days (July 20, 1969) later when the Apollo 11 Lunar Module landed on the moon, announced by Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s historic statement, “The Eagle has landed.” Though President Kennedy deserves immense credit for casting the vision, the real story is what happened during the eight years and fifty-six days.
The cost of Neil Armstrong’s “ …one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind” was $24B and three lives—the entire crew of Apollo 1 was killed in a cabin fire during a 1967 pre-launch test. More than 400,000 people from 20,000 companies and universities were involved in the project. There were thousands of tests, changes and retests in the systems and flight vehicles. There were the six Mercury and twelve Gemini/Titan launches, plus six unmanned Apollo launches and four manned non-lunar Apollo launches, all before Apollo 11. It is truly said that every good idea is a lot of hard work for someone.
There are a lot more visions unfulfilled than fulfilled. Why? Poor execution. In their best selling 2002 book, Execution, Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan made it painfully clear:
“…unless you translate big thoughts into concrete steps for action, they’re pointless.”
They go on to say:
“Many people regard execution as detail work that’s beneath the dignity of a…leader.That’s wrong.
To the contrary, it’s the leader’s most important job.”
The leader’s most important job? Yes, and Warren Bennis agrees:
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”
I love these quotes because as a non-visionary, I admit I’m more than a bit biased toward action. Without action, the “next big thing” soon becomes the “last abandoned thing.” So don’t fall into the trap of believing that just because you may be great at casting vision, you are a great leader. Great leaders may or may not be good at casting vision. However, they will always be great at getting things done. Leaders are remembered for great accomplishment, not great dreams.
If your organization is foundering and you’ve cast vision until your vocal cords are worn out, it’s time to for you to focus on execution—“…the leader’s most important job.”
By the way, Execution should be on your required reading list if you are leader, think you are a leader, or want to be a leader.
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
[If this post was interesting and useful to you, please forward it to a friend. Thanks.]
It was 5:56am on July 21st when the Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down at Kennedy Space Center—the 135th and final flight of the 30-year Space Shuttle Program. Sadly, the U.S. manned space flight program is over for the foreseeable future, maybe forever. The International Space Station is still up there circling our globe at 17,000 miles per hour, but it is now the Russians who now have the lead role of shuttling astronauts back and forth. If you are over fifty, it sounds familiar doesn’t it?
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union shocked the world, launching Sputnik 1 into orbit, taking the lead over the U.S. in the space race. It was a clash of good versus evil, God versus atheists, capitalism versus communism, democracy versus dictatorship, and the “bad guys” were winning. Four years later (April 12, 1961), the bad guys were still ahead when Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit earth—one time around in a Vostok spacecraft. The good guys pulled off a 15-minute sub-orbital flight (Alan Shepard, Freedom 7) about three weeks after Gagarin’s feat. However, it would be almost a year before John Glenn circled the earth one time for the U.S. We were behind and not catching up. Why? We were in a race, but we didn’t have a finish line, a goal, a clear vision. Vision is the responsibility of leadership, both to cast it and pull it off. President John Kennedy was our leader then. It was his job to do something and boy, did he!
Six weeks after Gagarin’s feat—before the U.S. had even attempted an orbital flight—President Kennedy cast a vision that excited and energized America like no other in my lifetime:
I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important in the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.
Special Joint Session of Congress—May 25, 1961
This wasn’t just a vision, it was a BHAG! (Big Hairy Audacious Goal per Jim Collins in Good To Great.) Before the U.S. had flown around earth a single time, President Kennedy challenges us to go to the moon and back in less than nine years. He didn’t say it would be easy; he said it would be “difficult…expensive to accomplish.” He also said it would be worth it: “No single space project…will be more impressive…or more important….” Two years later, President Kennedy was struck down by an assassin’s bullet and didn’t get to see his vision fulfilled. But it was, and how!
Eight years and fifty-six days (July 20, 1969) after President Kennedy’s speech, the Apollo 11 Lunar Module landed on the moon, announced by Astronaut Neil Armstrong’s simple statement, “The Eagle has landed.” About six hours later at 10:56 EDT, Armstrong’s left foot touched the moon’s surface as 600 million people watched on live TV and were stirred by his statement, “That’s one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind.” Even more stirring for me was the planting of the U.S. flag and Astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s pause to salute it. I am not ashamed to admit that I shed some tears that night and then again four days later when the Command/Service Module Columbia splashed down in the Pacific Ocean with Armstrong saying, “Everything’s okay. Our checklist is complete. Awaiting swimmers.”
It started with a surprising and shocking vision: “I believe this nation should commit itself…before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth.” Significant accomplishment always requires a significant vision. In his book, Visioneering, Andy Stanley says:
“It is vision that helps you end up somewhere on purpose.”
Leading without vision is like trying to put a puzzle together without the box cover. Your vision doesn’t have to be a BHAG like going to the moon. However, it does have to give you something clear and compelling to shoot at. Is your organization floundering, frustrated, getting tired and going nowhere? Maybe you are running a race without aim, without a finish line, without a vision. Are you the leader? It’s up to you. Get out your paint brush and start painting a picture of the future. Your business, or church, or non-profit, or family, or __________, is waiting on you.
Remember, it wasn’t a Saturn rocket that launched Apollo 11, it was a vision.
© Copyright 2011 by Dick Wells, The Hard Lessons Company
[If this post was interesting and useful to you, please forward it to a friend. Thanks.]
I walked about four miles yesterday morning.
It was about 30 degrees. There were some light snow flurries and a brisk breeze. It was cold—but not too cold for a fast one hour walk. I had on gloves, my ears were covered, and my feet were covered with warm socks and shoes. Plus, I knew a hot cup of coffee and a fire awaited my return.
But I wasn’t “all in”—because if it had been a little colder, or sleeting instead of snowing, and if the wind had been roaring instead of just “breezing,” I would have stayed in the house. There is a limit to what I’ll endure to get a little exercise.
On the night of December 25, 1776, George Washington’s army of 2500 men was “all in.” On a bitter cold night, drenched by sleet and freezing rain, facing a howling relentless north wind, they trudged for nine miles on ankle-deep muddy roads in an desperate attempt to surprise the Hessians (Germans working for the British) in Trenton, Delaware, to gain their first victory in a revolution that was about to collapse. Their clothes were worn and threadbare and many were barefoot. Conditions were so severe that although only two were killed in the battle, several hundred died in the days thereafter due to the exposure and frostbite they suffered that night.
Why were these men willing to sacrifice and suffer so much? My gosh! They had no shoes and their feet were frozen, yet they kept going! They were hungry, sick, discouraged and alone (two other commanders and their troops were “no shows” that night). But these 2500 men were “all in”—their password for the night was “victory or death.” And whichever they faced, they were ready.
From a leadership perspective, there are three lessons from that night:
Questions for you:
[By the way, they surprised the Hessians, gained their first victory, and saved the revolution. Get the whole story in To Try Men’s Souls.]
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