In proposing change and new agendas, visionaries often tend to reach far, and sometimes they overreach. In overreaching, they fail to establish the coalition of support they need to implement their vision. That is when negotiation begins. That is when chipping away at the vision results in reformulation and compromise, often leaving the vision as a reconstituted and at times, unrecognizable, Rube Goldberg contraption made up of remnants, spare parts, and those practical essentials that give the vision some sense of minimal forward movement.
A choice leaders often face is simple: Fight for the vision and stay stubbornly committed to your intention or survive with that contraption that emerges from the chipping-away compromise process. The tactical alternatives are just as simple.
