What we have learnt about integrators and visionaries in three years

For the last three years Independent Executives has been giving more people time to do what they love by filling the integrator talent gap. Here’s some of what we have learnt over those three years.

Visionaries are not, as some have described dysfunctional, psychotic, or afflicted by some form of mental disorder. They are great people that drive businesses to new frontiers. Yes, sometimes they get it wrong and, yes, they need help.

Very rarely in this world do people achieve great things by themselves. Yet, visionaries have by the very nature of what they do, started by themselves, and then encourage or inspire others to join their cause.

When you think about the traditional journey of a visionary, they have founded a business on the basis of - they can do it better, differently or offer something entirely new. As it gains momentum, they find they need to make decisions quickly, juggle a number of roles, lean into what they know deeply and learn new skills. All the while they are building their business. This is very personal to them and they have invested their time, money and emotions to make their dream a reality. At some point, even if they have a number of employees, most visionaries know they can’t do it alone, they need an integrator.

Some learnings from us about engaging with visionaries:

• Respect their journey
• Be really clear about understanding what any journey to success looks like and what are the highlights along the way
• Identify with them what has got them this far and what it takes to make the next jump
• Brutal honesty – sometimes they may not know what good looks like because they don’t have enough external observations
• Make sure they are committed to the EOS process
• They must be ready to hand over the keys to daily operations

Good integrators offer a broad range of skills to drive operational performance in a business. Great integrators can be hard to find. They offer more than the broad range of skills, they offer the ability to switch between strategic thinking and tactical operations, have great and sometimes difficult conversations with both the team and the visionary. The conversations with visionaries are generally around speed and number of ideas for execution.

Great integrators can also see the future of a business and focus on the pathway to get there. They are more inspired by the journey than the destination.

Some learnings from us about identifying great integrators:

• Great integrators understand that visionaries play a pivotal role in business success and are not to be sidelined to watch them play the game.
• Great integrators see themselves as only part of the solution and that visionary is the other part to really drive business performance
• If you are to choose between having a great integrator or other seat(s) on the leadership team, pick a great integrator first. They can make things work better while sorting out functional areas
• The investment may seem high and great integrators will always exceed that investment
• Great integrators don’t look or behave like the visionary. They are not a clone or a minion, designed to just carry out the orders of the visionary. They add value, offer alternatives, hold people to account.
• Great integrators deliver to the VTO – that is their playbook.
• Great integrators seek out information to deliver outcomes they don’t wait for others to tell them
• Great integrators know they always need to learn more about the role and can always be better
• Great integrators ask lots of questions and make few decisions by themselves.

At Independent Executives we continue to grow our reach, across the world, and enhance our current basis of knowledge of how we give people more time to do what they love. That love people are seeking, might mean doing other things, not associated with their business, such as holidays or sporting endeavours. It could mean more learning or helping others get to where they want to be. We don’t mind what you love, we just want people to have it. To do that Independent Executives is firmly committed to filling the integrator talent gap and is doubling down on this every day, because we know what the outcome is when this happens - greatness.

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