Asking What If?
- Blog Asking What If?
Be a Visionary
My Dad started CCB from our kitchen table one night during dinner. At the time, he was serving as a church board member and had learned that the church couldn’t afford software. He was working in the field of technology and was appalled at this. He told the board members he would hunt down some kind of deal, thinking there certainly had to be a company out there that was discounting its rates for churches. He quickly discovered there wasn’t. This birthed the idea of CCB, a technology company that serves more non-profits than for-profits at prices that people can afford.
My Dad was a Visionary from the beginning. He had lots of great ideas. Sometimes only one out of ten of them was any good but in this case one was enough. From the launch at the kitchen table, the company quickly grew, despite most people telling my Dad that it was a bad idea. My Mom always supported him, as did I, and here we are today, having served over 40,000 customers.
Something that my Dad always asked was, “What if?” What if churches didn’t have to pay full price for their software? What if there was a technology company that gave discounts to non-profits? What if the World Wide Web really takes off? This was back in 1991, thank goodness he saw the future in that one.
From my Dad’s example and from a great book called Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman, I have learned a little about what it takes to be a great Visionary. After all, Visionaries are the ones who are leading the company, inspiring vision, and bringing everyone else along on the journey forward to new and greater heights.
Here’s how they do it. Buckle up, here we go:
Visionaries think with innovation:
Visionaries are the ones who have the ideas that disrupt systems. Think Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. They are the ones who want to change a system or throw a wrench in the spoke of the wheel to see what happens. They take risks and they’re not afraid.
Visionaries are Curious:
When problems arise or current solutions fail, Visionaries don’t walk away or give up, instead they ask a question, learn and come up with solutions. Their curiosity can lead to the making of great things. They never accept the response, “we can’t.” Instead, they are always asking, “Why can’t we?”
Visionaries are Open-minded:
When something is different or new, they don’t reel back in fear, instead they lean in with that curiosity. Visionaries don’t cling to their own ideas like a life raft on the Atlantic, no, they swim out in the open water to find what’s new, exciting and different. They want to learn things they don’t already know so that it can help them continue to grow and change.
Visionaries Embrace Change:
They know that they can’t stay in the same spot. At CCB, we say, “If you’re standing still then you’re going backwards.” Change creates growth. Good Visionaries model adaptability for their team, showing them that change is important and good and not scary and bad.
Visionaries have a Growth Mindset:
Growth needs to be the goal. New ideas help create new initiatives and keep the business moving forward. I remember when the Cloud first came out and a lot of people were uncertain about it. I realized that we needed to embrace the Cloud, so we started training our clients on it. Now it’s a necessity.
Visionaries Collaborate:
Visionaries collaborate with others inside the company and outside. A Visionary needs to recognize that other people are needed to execute their ideas and to continue to spark them. Inside the company, Visionaries need someone who can think through the logistics and patiently navigate the day-to-day operations. Outside, they need people who have good ideas and are doing things differently, this help keep the creative ideas flowing.
It's one thing to be a Visionary and to NOT be good at any of these. Sometimes Visionaries just spout one idea after another or race headfirst in a million directions, leaving their teams alone, frustrated and confused. If they let their passions and ideas get the best of them too often, they can be easily swayed back and forth without making any real progress. That’s why it’s important to commit to being a good Visionary. From there, success is guaranteed.
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This blog post is based on the IOL Podcast Episode #156: Be the Visionary. Listen to the episode for a few more tips and a lot more jokes.
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