A Clear Picture: How Leaders Develop 20/20 Vision

When people say that their vision is 20/20, that means they can see normal visual acuity at a distance of 20 feet. Some people, including myself were not born with 20/20 vision. In fact, I have worn glasses since I was 18 months old. So what does this have to do with leadership? Just like those with poor eyesight can strengthen their lens to improve their vision, strategic communication leaders can build up their leadership lens to achieve a 20/20 vision for their organization. Some leaders develop a clear vision while others maintain a blurry vision. In this discussion, I will talk about how the development of a clear vision is vital to effective leadership.  

Effective leaders achieve success by having a compelling vision and being committed to that vision even in the most difficult moments. Two leaders who stand out to me are TOMS Founder Blake Mycoskie and Chicken Salad Chick Founder Stacy Brown. These are two leaders who have maintained thriving businesses because they built their companies around a clear and distinct vision. According to John Ryan, president of the Center for Creative Leadership, “the visions these leaders have can be and should be challenging to put into action” (Ryan, 2009). Mycoskie and Brown both had visions that were met with difficulty, but their persistence helped them live out their visions. With their teams of committed employees, Mycoskie and Brown each set high demanding goals that they were determined to meet no matter what obstacles lay in their path.

Creating a Vision

Effective leaders like Mycoskie and Brown have a vision that other people want to share and follow. A leadership vision is more than a set of statements found hanging in the office. “The vision of leadership permeates the workplace and is manifested in the actions, beliefs, values and goals of your organization’s leaders” (Heathfield, 2020). Leaders are more effective when they clearly communicate their vision to their employees. Mycoskie’s vision started with shoes and Brown’s vision started with chicken salad.

TOMS: A One for One Business Model

In 2006, Mycoskie launched TOMS, which helps a person in need with every product that customers purchase. Many people thought the one for one approach was a radical idea. The unconventional model eventually inspired other leaders to use the one for one model in their businesses. Mycoskie’s vision focused on his business being a force for good. He decided to share his vision with at least 16 other companies that he has invested in privately and through the Tom’s Social Entrepreneurship Fund. Mycoskie views his investments “as part of a larger crusade to prove that business can be a force for good” (Global Leadership Network, 2017). The TOMS founder did not want to build his company around himself. He focused on building his organization and then sharing his business model with others. 

                                           Photo: Medium.com

Chicken Salad Chick: Spreading Joy, Enriching Lives and Serving Others

Stacy Brown is a visionary leader whose vision of service captures the hearts of her employees. She is an effective leader and storyteller. “Visionary leadership means that everyone knows their part in the story and they feel like their part is important to achieving the vision” (Prichard, 2017). Brown’s story on the founding of the company resonates not only with many of her staff members, but members of the public as well. Chicken Salad Chick, a company that started out of necessity, eventually became a restaurant empire because of persistence and courage. 

                                           Photo: Chicken Salad Chick

The history of Chicken Salad Chick began in Brown’s kitchen in Auburn, Alabama in 2008. She was a divorced mom of three who needed to find a way to support her family. Brown got the idea to make chicken salad at home and sell it door to door. When the door-to-door business started to take off, Brown faced an obstacle that stopped her business in its tracks. An anonymous caller turned her in to Alabama’s Health Department, which resulted in her business being shut down. Brown turned lemons into lemonade by developing an idea for a take-out only restaurant serving chicken salad. Kevin and Stacy Brown opened their first restaurant together and got married less than a year after they became business partners.  

Before Kevin passed away in November 2015, he and Stacy partnered with Eagle Merchant Partners, a private equity firm in 2015. The Browns also hired Scott Deviney as the Chief Executive Officer of Chicken Salad Chick. Deviney said “he saw the potential to grow the brand to a national scale driven by the purpose of spreading joy, enriching lives and serving others” (Occhiogrosso, 2020). In 2015, the company already had 32 restaurants in six states and a large network of franchise owners that were committed to building the brand. Deviney said his plan was to help the company expand in states that were concentric to the existing restaurant sites. “We wanted to make sure we had strong brand awareness where we were and growing in this way also helped with the distribution of our products” (Occhiogrosso, 2020). Deviney’s vision was aligned with Brown’s vision of service.

After Deviney helped work on building the company’s infrastructure, he set a goal for the company to establish 50 restaurants a year. Some would call it an ambitious goal, but Brown, Deviney, and their team of members were committed to sharing the company’s brand of chicken salad to as many people as possible. But it was about more than chicken salad. It was about the experience that people have when eating in one of their restaurants. The company experienced its most successful year in 2019 after opening 40 new restaurants in locations that included Ohio and Illinois. There were also 26 franchise agreements that were signed to open 60 new restaurants over the next several years.

Stacy Brown’s role may have changed over the years, but she is still committed to spreading her vision to her followers. “I’m spreading joy, enriching lives and serving others one bite of chicken salad at a time” (Ashley, 2018). I had the opportunity to meet Stacy Brown a couple of years ago. She is an inspiration to not only her employees, but to many women who want to carve a path for themselves. She is a strong leader who cares not about herself, but of the employees who helped build her company and the employees who will continue to build off of her company’s foundation in the years to come.

Companies in Crisis

There were difficult times that Mycoskie and Brown had to overcome when trying to live out their vision.

In 2014, Mycoskie’s company was at a stall in growth. A halt in growth had not occurred since the company’s founding in 2006. Critics were unsure about Mycoskie’s abilities as a leader and whether his business model was actually helping people in need. Mycoskie makes it clear that his company does more than give away shoes. His company also supports efforts to ensure safe drinking water and job opportunities in many poor countries like Haiti. In order to move forward with his vision, he made some strategic decisions that included selling 50 percent of his company to Bain Capital and appointing Jim Alling, former Chief Operating Officer of T-Mobile, as the new Chief Operating Officer of TOMS. Mycoskie knew the risk associated with these decisions, but he was persistent in seeing his vision lived out.

After Mycoskie made those strategic decisions, the company started to expand its product line and advertising. This resulted in more growth and more funds for the company. Mycoskie also changed the mission of his company. “The why of our mission is that we care for one another” (Global Leadership Network, 2017). The company also changed its ads to combine the old and new mission. The new advertisement, which was ‘For One, Another’, correlated with Mycoskie’s commitment to investing in like-minded companies. Mycoskie had a vision and was determined to see it through no matter what the risk. The challenges helped Mycoskie build a brand that is still committed to the vision of doing business for good.

In 2020, COVID-19 affected many companies, especially restaurants like Chicken Salad Chick. Deviney had to work with his franchise owners and staff members to come up with a plan to overcome the obstacles their company faced during the start of the pandemic. Deviney started with opening up the floor for ideas from franchise owners, who are experiencing the effects of the pandemic. “We really listened to our franchise owners when they had an idea, rather than just dismiss it because we wanted to keep an open dialogue throughout all this” (Occhiogrosso, 2020). One of those ideas included having drop off locations where people could drive and pick up chicken salad from schools or other sites in the local communities. Another idea was a donate a meal program that involved the employees of the restaurant locations giving free meals to healthcare workers and first responders. The company continued to thrive even during the pandemic. The plan for Chicken Salad Chick is to have 500 restaurants open by the end of 2025.

In conclusion, Mycoskie and Brown are visionary leaders who started their companies with a vision that has endured through the triumphs and setbacks. These two leaders do not care just about a profit. They care about the people they lead and the customers they serve. They face challenges head on and make strategic decisions that they do not take lightly. Their determination and courage even at times of hardship are what make them effective leaders.

References:

Ashley, E. (2018, October 03). Female Disruptors: Stacy Brown is the Chicken Salad Chick. Retrieved April 18, 2021 from https://www.medium.com/authority-magazine/female-disruptors-stacy-brown-is-the-chicken-salad-chick-e9f7e7ea55e

Global Leadership Network. Founder Blake Mycoskie’s Plan to Build an Army of Social Entrepreneurs. (2018, June 11). Retrieved April 18, 2021 from https://www.globalleadership.org/articles/leading-organizations/behind-toms-founder-blake-mycoskies-plan-build-army-social-entrepreneurs/

Heathfield, S. M. (2019). You Can’t be a Real Leader Who People Want to Follow Without Vision. Retrieved April 18, 2021 from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/leadership-vision-1918616

Occhiogrosso, G. (2020, September 16). Building a Comfort Food Brand in an Uncomfortable Time. Retrieved April 18, 2021 from https://www.forbes.com/sites/garyocchiogrosso/2020/09/16/building-a-comfort-food-brand-in-an-uncomfortable-time/?sh=4fc1c7fb6a3f

Prichard, S. (2017, July 26). How Leaders Create a Compelling Vision to Engage & Inspire. Retrieved April 18, 2021 from https://www.skipprichard.com/how-leaders-create-a-compelling-vision-to-engage-inspire/

Ryan, J. (2012, July 11). Leadership Success Always Starts with Vision. Retrieved April 18, 2021 from https://www.forbes.com/2009/07/29/personal-success-vision-leadership-managing-ccl.html?sh=3943acba6634