Letting Go Goes Both Ways

Hi everybody, it's Mark C. Winters and today I want to talk to you visionaries out there. We have another question. This one came from a visionary that registered for one of our live events. And so she says, how do I get the rest of the team to buy in to adding an integrator when they've been used to having the visionary fill the integrator duties? So in this case, I want you to recognize that when she's talking about buying in, there's a certain amount of letting go that, that's going on there. And I want you to recognize that this letting go really cuts both ways. So a lot of times we'll talk about the visionary letting go of that integrator seat. So they're letting go of the duties and responsibilities that they may have been performing there. But let's look at the other side of that equation. The whole leadership team is conditioned to have the visionary doing those things. And, and so there's a certain amount of letting go that has to happen from the side of the leadership team. So they've got to adjust to not being the visionary that they're used to doing those things that are associated with the integrator role. So what's going on there? There's a certain amount of fear the leadership team fears. So it can be fear of access to the visionary, it could be fear that they're going to be blocked out of information that's important to them. There's probably a certain amount of ego that's play and really it all comes back to trust. So as the visionary, you must remember that you really set the tone. You set the tone in the organization for the role that hierarchy and titles and more ego related things are going to play as opposed to the healthy types of things, the team health, where the team is really focused first and foremost on the greater good and the long term of the organization and working together to make that happen. So visionary sets the tone. Now I want you to recognize that while that may look like a challenge, it may look like a puzzle. Quite often this is not an issue at all. And when the leadership team finds out that there's this thing called an integrator that can help them and play a very specific role on that team, they're like, hooray. Because they've been feeling the challenges, feeling the gaps of the visionary not being naturally wired to perform those integrator functions. And so when they recognize that, wow, we could have somebody in here that that's their unique ability, that's their gift, they're really much more supportive and encouraging than they are resisting. Okay, but sometimes you will feel some resistance. Sometimes there is a process of letting go that the leadership team has to go through. So when that happens, remember that the role clarity for the visionary and the integrator. While it's absolutely critical for the visionary and integrator to be crystal clear on the same page about what that looks like, it's also really important for the rest of the leadership team to understand that. So that needs to be communicated and very, very clear to them so that they can understand and know who is accountable for what and who they need to go to for what. So that's going to be an important piece. Another important piece is going to be the question. You know, that we know end runs, we need to eliminate end runs and we use the question to stop that from happening. So when that leadership team is feeling those fears, they're feeling that anxiety, they try to pull an end run and come to you. The visionary got to use the question, you know, got to say, who's going to tell them? Are you going to tell them or am I going to tell them? Somebody needs to tell them and take that back to the integrator and stop that end run behavior. And then you've got to look in the mirror and, and make sure that you're not instigating any end run behavior. You're not doing an end run around your integrator and going down into the organization and tampering. Don't tramp, don't tamper. Right. So you've got to inform the leadership team of these things, make sure they're clear. And a couple other things that are going to be really helpful I think for you to make sure the leadership team understands is the same page discipline that the vision and the integrator are working together on. Make sure they understand that those meetings, those conversations are happening in and you're fully committed to them. That's going to help them get comfortable that you are in fact going to be on the same page. And mutual respect goes hand in hand with that. We can never criticize our integrator in public. You've got to work those things down in the same page meeting and then you're a unified front to the whole leadership team when you're out there together. Okay, so three key points to wrap this one up. Number one, don't be surprised. The leaders may actually want you to have an integrator even more than you want to have an integrator. So they, if that's the case, hooray let's get them in there and get working. Number two, use the question to stop end runs in their tracks and be sure that we don't tamper and do end runs on our own. And number three, exercise that same page discipline. Become great at the same page discipline between you and your integrator and maintain mutual respect. Thanks for watching. Today at Rocket Fuel Ventures, we're all about creating the most powerful visionary integrator duos on the planet. And we do that by helping you crystallize what it means to be a visionary and an integrator so you can understand if that concept can help you and if you decide it can, to get connected with your complementary counterpart and then finally maximize that relationship to make it everything it can be to help you take your company to the next level. So if you want more rocket Fuel, please check out our website@rocketfuelnow.com and that's where you can sign up for the weekly videos like this. Be sure you're getting these on a regular basis. You you can also take the assessments so you can understand as a visionary or as an integrator where your strengths lie and what the shape is of your two piece puzzles that can help you find that complementary counterpart. And finally, of course, read the book Rocket Fuel and keep those great reviews coming. So until next time, go Rocket.