Know Where You Are Going
By Robert E. Lefton, Ph.D. and
Victor R. Buzzotta, Ph.D.

"If they can put the man on the moon, we can..."

This once popular expression implied that the size and complexity of a moon landing made all other human endeavors seem easy to manage. Going to the moon was viewed as the ultimate undertaking. After all, the Apollo program required billions of dollars, millions of hours, and thousands of men and women. But, we should also remember that the entire effort was driven by seven simple words: Perform a manned lunar landing and return.

That was the primary mission of the Apollo flights, as stated by NASA. For more than eight years, from the first day the idea was articulated until Neil Armstrong's first step on the lunar surface, there remained little doubt among NASA workers about what every meeting, every proposal, every budget discussion, every decision was ultimately intended to accomplish.

For almost a decade, these seven words served as the guiding spirit, pointing the direction for everyone working in the space program. There was no magic in the moon. Our leaders could have chosen Mars or some other lofty target. The magic was produced by providing a vision that others could comprehend and commit to.

If your goal is to harness the energy of every member of your organization to develop an effective, high-performing enterprise, then you must develop and articulate your purpose and direction.

We believe this is one of the most important responsibilities of top management. It helps ensure that everyone is pulling in the same direction. It's the first step toward high performance. In fact, we believe high performance is virtually impossible unless everyone knows where the organization is going.