We hear things the way we are predisposed to hear them. The Disposable Visionary (DV) employee has a different way of hearing things. She trusts those who lead the company. He takes things at face value and presses on to make a difference. She doesn’t take the time to look at what is behind the words. He doesn’t have the capacity, time, or interest to look at what is behind the words. So while others are puzzled by why the DV employee didn’t see the writing on the wall or hear what others feel are obvious hints, the DV employee looks for the opportunities to continue his quest for corporate, not personal, improvement. She looks for opportunities to make a difference and grabs onto any permission to do so—perhaps with the wrong dedication and at the wrong time. But to her, there is no wrong time for improvement.

Does management purposely mislead by its words? No. Often, they see the underlying message as being very clear. Very often, they don’t know the whole story themselves, so their words of direction or encouragement might disguise or filter what is really going on. But the DV employee will look for the opportunities that allow him to drive to ways that make a difference.

The Disposable Visionary, Table 4.1 The DVS/Management Dictionary