Visionary & Integrator: The Ultimate Dynamic Duo
Even the best superheroes have partners. Wearing a cape means that it takes someone particularly understanding to enter into a relationship that is likely to be fraught with peril.
Fear of the Integrator Seat
Recently I took a new company through the Accountability Chart exercise. The Accountability Chart is the tool that gives structure to a business, allowing each member to fill the role that fits his or her Unique Ability®.
As we were going through the exercise the assumption was that the owner would go in the Integrator seat, bringing clarity and keeping the team focused on accomplishing the business plan.
As the discussion continued, everyone agreed that the owner was definitely a Visionary and belonged in the Visionary seat, and many thought he belonged in the Integrator seat as well. Then the sales leader spoke up and said, “I think Joe should go in the Integrator seat. He handles most of those roles and responsibilities now, and he’s the one that’s in every day, knows every department and how they tick.”
Visionaries and Integrators: What is an Integrator?
If you haven’t read my previous blogs about Visionaries and Integrators, please take a moment to read them first to get essential context for this article:
- Visionaries and Integrators – Part 1: Why Both are Essential
- Visionaries and Integrators – Part 2: What is a Visionary?
When you have created your Accountability Chart, you will clearly see the need for an Integrator. This is the major function that all major functions report to, and every organization must have one. In some companies, this person is known as the President, COO, General Manager, or Chief of Staff – the title doesn’t matter, but the role is essential.
Visionaries and Integrators: Why Both Are Essential
In an entrepreneurial company, the roles of Visionary and Integrator are an essential part of the organization, no matter how big or how small. The Visionary and the Integrator couldn’t be more different in terms of how they think and problem-solve
What If You’re Not the Right Person to Run Your Company?
“I’m not sure I’m the right person to run this company.”
As I started the EOS® process with a marketing agency, the CEO told his leadership team that he wasn’t sure that he was the right person to run the business. He gave everyone full permission to speak up at any time during their exercise if they thought he wasn’t the right person.
It was clear that he was anxious. He wanted to do the right thing for the team and the business, and he didn’t want any elephants in the room.
This CEO was unusual—not because of his doubts, but because of his honesty.
3 Signs a Visionary Leader Is Getting in the Way
Are you a recovering Visionary? You know the type – lots of big ideas, always inventing something new, a little light on the focusing, heavy on the creating, worried about the company culture, and incredibly impatient. I’m a recovering Visionary, myself.
Visionaries can clearly see a future. Our problem is that we keep changing it, and that can get in the way of our success as leaders. It’s rooted in what I call the “Free to Be Me” syndrome of Visionary leaders.