Aligning the Measurers and the Dreamers
There are people who measure.
There are people who dream.
And sometimes the two don't get along very well.
The visionary steps into a situation (or an organization) with the end in mind. She can see the entire landscape. She has the 30,000 foot, birds-eye, drone-view. It's clear. It's compelling. The people get on board for the ride.
The problem is she's 30,000 feet in the air and isn't entirely clear on how to help others arrive.
The Measurers are about execution. What's the next step? What moves the metaphorical ball? Where's the next town on the map? Where do we make the next turn? How do we know we're even making progress?
Every organization needs Visionaries. Every organization needs Measurers. The fatal error happens when the two are not aligned. When the Visionaries are calling the team to move in one direction, while the Measurers are leading the team in another. This misalignment causes friction, conflict, and internal destruction.
The Visionary is a pie-in-the-sky dreamer. The Measurer is a stick-in-the-mud fuddy-duddy who's holding us back.
Alignment of the most meaningful kind begins with trust.
And trust is, perhaps, the most difficult commodity to attain and one of the most valuable commodities to own.