Page 166 - Appreciative Leadership

The Courage of Inspiration 139

people embraced the vision in their everyday work. Most
thrived in the new environment and became proud of what
they did and where they worked. Within a year, thousands of
employees had purchased more than $1 million of company-
branded clothing. A transformation had indeed taken place.
Two years later, customers weighed in. J.D. Power and Associ-
ates awarded the company’s technicians the highest customer
satisfaction rating in the industry.

People need vision. The good news is that a vision does not have
to be your own vision to make a difference. It can be yours; or better

yet, it can be a shared vision. A vision that is collectively created has
more momentum for action than one created by a few people at the
top and rolled out to others. Both Martin Luther King, Jr., and U.S.
President William Clinton defined leadership as being in service to

the future that is most desired by the people they served. As such, they
displayed a leadership style often described as “Finding a parade and

getting in front of it.”
The leadership team of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd’s newly

formed Province of Mid-North America (PMNA) led according
to the same ideal. Soon after a merger of four provinces, they used

Appreciative Inquiry to engage nearly 650 people in interviews and
dialogue, resulting in the articulation of a fully agreed upon and
compelling shared vision, mission, and statements of strategic direc-
10
tion. In so doing, they created a palpable sense of visionary liveli-
ness among their community of 250 Sisters and the leaders and staff
of their ministries.
You know what it feels like when people are inspired, and the cre-
ative spirit is alive, well and thriving in your organization. Visionary
liveliness is exciting, fun, and highly productive. You also know what
it is like when it is missing—when there is a leadership vacuum. One
focus group participant shared this story: