The Visionary Executive

Citation

Ali, A.J. (2011), "The Visionary Executive", International Journal of Commerce and Management, Vol. 21 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijcoma.2011.34821daa.001

The Visionary Executive

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Commerce and Management, Volume 21, Issue 4

The ebb and flow of mankind’s journey has never been a series of disconnected events. Whether in business or political affairs, war or peace, this has the norm. In fact, the journey has been and continues to be a learning process. And in the course of this process, enlightened people have taken note and gained insight into ways to elevate or cope with certain challenges and problems. Occasionally, however, human beings fail to avoid the minefields or tend to make the very mistakes that previous generations have faced or committed.

Throughout history there have been visionary individuals who have creatively and imaginatively contributed to the betterment of humanity, coping with impasses and setting the stage for a bright future. Especially within the business world, the contributions of these individuals have accelerated the qualitative leaps of society and in the process have created jobs and generated wealth, making it possible for a wider segment of the global community to participate in productive involvement and to have a share in rising opportunities, benefits, and contributions.

These visionary business people have left their marks on history and changed the landscape of market competition and economic structure. Individuals like Henry Ford, Ted Turner, and Steve Jobs, have been gifted and talented, pragmatic and intellectual. They saw opportunities and acted upon them. Though they were fascinated by what they saw as an infinite and unobstructed horizon, at the time, in which to expand and contribute, it was their capacity to imagine their roles as part of a larger community and to look beyond their own interests that catapulted them onto the global stage.

While these executives may have had different priorities and business agendas, their ability to put their imaginative capabilities to the service of society and its ever-changing needs constitutes the primary commonality among them. Their contribution to and concern with events that unfold in society, politics, and economics they see as being an integral part of their duties. Henry Ford understood that offering a living wage to workers would allow them to have a productive social and organizational life. Furthermore, he recognized that debt burdens families and organizations. He recommended that avoiding debt was a prerequisite for independent action and an unburdened life.

In recent years, the economic and political crises in the USA and many other European countries have paralyzed these nations and endangered the welfare and future of a wide segment of the population. Accompanying this has been a growing apathy among people regarding the ability of politicians and businesses to live up to the mounting challenges. In fact, especially at the work place, there has developed what Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer call a “disengagement crisis.” This crisis is deep and there is, according to Amabile and Kramer (2011), no reason to think that things will soon improve.

As economic, social, and political actors, executives are positioned to change and steer the current crises toward productive involvement. A very recent example is an open letter issued by Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks in August 2011. Schultz (2011) stated:

[…] our political leaders’ steadfast refusal to recognize that, for every day they perpetuate partisan conflict and put ideology over country, America and Americans suffer from the combined effects of paralysis and uncertainty.

He asked CEOs of various corporations to sign a pledge to put pressure on politicians to act responsibly. More than 100 CEOs have signed the two part pledge, including the CEOs of JCPenney, Whole Foods, Nucor Corp, AOL, which in part states that they will agree:

First, to withhold political campaign contributions until a transparent, comprehensive, bipartisan debt-and-deficit package is reached that honestly, and fairly, sets America on a path to long-term financial health and security. Second, to do all we can to break the cycle of economic uncertainty that grips our country by committing to accelerate investment in jobs and hiring.

In the pledge, CEOs have not only sent a powerful message to politicians but also reiterated their own responsibility and commitment to pulling the country out of its economic ills by obligating their corporations to invest in and create jobs to reduce unemployment and improve the well-being of members of society. By articulating their political message and their stance, relative to the current economic situation and the welfare of society, Howard Schultz and his fellow executives have accentuated the fact that the continuation of the economic crisis and prevailing dysfunctional politics have severely impacted employees and consumers and consequently corporate vitality. Furthermore, these executives recognize the interrelationship between societal welfare and the orderly conduct of business and government functions.

When executives ponder social, political and economic ills and attempt to integrate their socially responsible perspectives into daily activities, they exhibit a capacity to map out emerging and potential problems and to embark on the necessary steps needed to ease economic and social difficulties and safeguard the welfare of future generation. This very capacity to map out the landscape reflects genuine imagination and ability for renewal and revitalization. As we indicated (Ali, 2009), visionary competent executives are those who are capable of thinking independently and imagining the future. Their ability to imagine the future, including the linkage of business survivability and growth to societal prosperity, differentiate them from other executives who might have vision but lack pragmatism and openness and the capacity to turn imagination into reality.

Though throughout history numerous visionary executives have emerged and left their marks on their industries and economy, it is in the last six decades that concentrated efforts by some executives have been undertaken to consider the relationship of business and society and government. These executives have also set the stage for future executives to further debate, articulate, and act on the nature of the linkage of business to both society and government.

Back in 1951, Frank Abrams, then Chairman of the Board of Standard of Oil, asserted that business organizations have responsibilities to multiple actors (Abrams, 1951). They, therefore, “need broad social and political understanding as well as economic understanding.” He underscored that for management to be a great profession, it must have “a strong sense of responsibility to the community” and “be willing to show by example that individual objectives can best be served when they are identified with the common good.” Abrams was an early pioneer who sensitized other executives to the reality of business, to its social and political dimensions, and who, more importantly, saw what the future held. Indeed, Abrams recognized the importance of a broad concept of corporate social responsibility and the necessity for corporations to be responsive to changing political and social conditions.

The significance of visionary executives stems not only from their ability to map the future but also from their exceptional ability to purposefully utilize their talents and discipline to reinvent their industries and redefine competition without undermining societal interests. In advocating that corporations’ survivability and growth is characteristically linked to societal approval and desires, they reaffirm their faith in the necessity of creating an environment where business organizations can easily integrate their social and political concerns with their strategic undertakings.

In a turbulent world, these visionary executives, more than ever, are needed to lead the way to tackling serious issues and navigating new paths to solve what appears to be a difficult problem. Executives like Henry Ford, Steve Jobs, and Ted Turner, along with many others, have been pioneers in optimizing societal interests and addressing complex problems. In their organizational endeavors and personal pursuits they have managed to move society forward while serving their respective organizations. Their contributions have profoundly changed the lives of a vast majority of the population around the globe and their essence is embedded in the ability to imagine the future and responsibly act accordingly.

Abbas J. Ali