This is the magazine stand at my local Borders. In advance of the inauguration on Tuesday, they have an Obamagazine section, as editorial teams on both sides of the Atlantic give the incoming president their covers.

 And so Obama's great project begins.

 Projects need leadership before management. Every project needs a vision, a clear definition of purpose. Management is just the science of execution. But leadership provides vision. Don't make the mistake of perfectly executing the wrong approach.

 Over a few years of project management, I've seen and led some really great projects, and some failures.

 But the key factor was nearly always the vision, not the execution.

 The next time you begin a project, before you involve people, define the vision. And make sure your people keep the vision at the heart of everything they do. Remember that the committee will never do this for you. And that if you don't have a vision for your project, someone else will.

 Want to lead a great project? Just create the vision.