ABSTRACT
Establishing a direction is all about influencing and managing change. Organizations will often resist change and will attempt to persist in their comfort zone. Leadership is about setting a direction. It is about creating a vision, empowering and inspiring people to want to achieve the vision, and enabling them to do so with energy and speed through an effective strategy. Defining core competencies can provide direction for organization. Managers will have a focus on what their staff are expected to excel at and marketers will have a common understanding of what sets the company apart. Establishing a mission statement is similar to bending a reflective surface into a parabolic reflector which collects many parallel light rays and redirects them towards a single focal point. The vision will provide direction for important future decisions and will create a clear focus for the strategic planning process. The mission statement provides a focused direction toward which the entire organization can direct its efforts.
