Big Vision Needs Bigger Ground

The big announcement at our college came in this summer with the announcement of the departure of our College President at the end of the year.  The long-term vision of this leader was to move the college to university status.  In everything he was doing and with his visionary purpose, that outcome could easily be seen to arise in 6 years time.  In the snap of a finger,  a pathway that looked reasonable on his watch, now looks much tougher.  All the college board was left to say is that this man left a strong foundation for the goal of university status.

A strong foundation still needs the house that is built upon it and these are the vagaries of leadership, how a strong foundation can simply become the monument of what could have been.  For sure the board will drive for that goal because it was put into play, but there are certain leaders whose words and line of sight seem to match the broad shoulders of vision. 

The reality now is that this is the sixth leadership change in six years - a six year vision to accomplish anything is tougher when the ball is moved six times, and on this occassion it is this leader who has moved on, choosing to pursue "an international opportunity in higher education", and that language for me is short-form for stepping stone.  This is a college which is gaining a quality reputation but when leaders move on how does a college ask the Monkee's question? Leaders are not a plug and play entity, as one leaves, the next one will have far different leadership qualities because leadership is in part an expression of the makeup of the individual stepping into the role.  Unless there is a succession plan which takes account for this eventuality, the net result is picking the next candidate - and in this case the nature of the announcement is phrased in a way that suggests the that board of directors were caught off guard.  My natural inclination if I was in this leaders shoes is to stick to that which was working, and the only reason one should move on is the present house is not big enough to accommodate the big vision. 

So it is that I now find myself asking this question myself, because my big vision while minuscule in comparison, does ultimately come down to the same question that the departing President decided upon, should I really be here and doing this?

The biggest difference of course is what I envision does not enrich me, pay me or provide any kind of tangible compensation, whereas where the President of the college ends up was decided upon what was best for him and this most likely is influenced by financial payback, but just as important - and most critically for me - is the present house was not just big enough.

If it is not big enough for him, why should it be big enough for me?  It certainly is a statement of confidence that a leader stays for the long-haul to finish a big project, but in this fast paced world of short-term choices, am I the dipweed who chooses loyalty when the real high flyer is already racing to their next opportunity.  What does this decision teach me about the nature of loyalty in the year 2016?

By the time October 1st 2016 comes around, I too could well be following the President's lead and in moving to a bigger home abandon the existing big vision - but in my case I have not thought ahead what happens to the big vision that then comes into being in simply moving on?

"