The Power of Vision, Part 3

Last updated on: April 18, 2016 at 2:00 pm by Justin Irving

The Power of Vision, Part 3 2016-04-18T14:00:25-06:00 Justin Irving

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I’m in a mini-series focused on the power of vision.

I began by providing the following definition of vision: vision is a picture of a preferred future (see Part 1). Further, I described the major work of leaders as communicating this picture of a preferred future in a manner that is compelling and unifying.

Last I engaged the capacity of vision to provide passion, motivation, direction, and purpose for life and leadership (see Part 2).

This week I want to take some time to engage how leaders can help to make vision stick.

Making the Vision Stick

In a 2003 talk at the Global Leadership Summit, Andy Stanley provided his reflections on the importance of vision and how to make vision stick for organizations.

Why is this an issue for leaders? As most leaders can attest, vision tends to “leak” in organizations. The vision is put forward for all the key constituents and everyone seems to be on board and excited. Then a few weeks, or even a few days, go by, and suddenly the demands of day-to-day life and organizational needs turn the attention of people away from vision.

In light of this, leaders must be very intentional in working to help vision land and stick with their people. On this point, Stanley argues that leaders must do three primary things with vision: Cast it! Celebrate it! Live it!

Cast it! Celebrate it! Live it!

Casting the vision provides DEFINITION:

Casting the vision helps everyone in the organization to be on the same page. But the vision that is cast bust be clear first. Sometimes when we start talking about vision we realize it’s unclear. As Howard Hendricks states it: “if it’s a mist in the pulpit, it’s a fog in the pews.” Vision must not be “clear as mud.” Vision needs to be exceptionally clear to the leader so that it may be clear for followers once communicated.

Celebrating vision provides INSPIRATION:

Celebrating the vision helps everyone know what a “win” is for your organization. It helps put “skin” on the vision for your people. Make celebration a part of your culture. Celebration is what brings the vision alive to your people. Build in mechanism to celebrate. Normalize and regularize celebration. Tell the story well so that vision comes alive.

Living out the vision provides CREDIBILITY:

Leaders living out the vision helps you to be a leader worth following. When we live it out whether we’re the leader or not, this moves us from leading from position to leading from influence. The vision becomes connected to who you are. People want to know whether or not a leader is living the vision, not just talking about the vision. Without leaders living it, followers may question whether the credibility of the vision is intact. You can’t ask people to do something that the leader is not willing to do themselves.

Leading with Vision

As you lead with vision in your community, how are you working to cast it well, celebrate it well, and live it well? Take a moment to share your story below.

Here are all of the post links for this series: