This past week, I met with a young man who is in the planning stages of launching a youth/young adult group in his church. It was a great time to connect with him, share ideas and give advice I’ve learned over the last eight years working with this age group.
During the course of our conversation, I asked him a pretty standard question: what did he wanted to see happen in this group - what were his plans or dreams for this ministry? It was an important question to ask, because the truth is:
Great leaders have vision.
Great leaders know where their organization or business is going. They are able to articulate what they are doing and, more importantly, why. They have taken time, wrestled with what could be, and are constantly looking ahead to where their organization can go and what it can do.
The Need for Vision
Vision is crucial in any organization.
- It gives direction - helping you set goals and priorities and shows others where you are heading.
- It helps in the decision making process - giving you a clear yes or no to any opportunities that arise. For example, if your vision is to eradicate hunger, you probably aren’t going to take an opportunity to get involved in AIDS research.
- It gives a sense of belonging - giving people something to rally behind.
- It gives people purpose - and when they have purpose, they are more apt to give their time, energy and resources.
- It brings unity - bringing different people together for one cause.
Vision, quite literally, gives life to your organization.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish” Proverbs 29:18
Finding Vision
Coming up with a vision for your organization (or even your personal life) isn’t as hard as it seems. It really is nothing more than a statement or phrase that tells what you want your organization to do or become.
In order to come up with a vision, ask yourself these questions:
- What does your organization want to do?
- Where does it hope to do it?
- What will your organization look like in 5 years? 10 years?
I always challenge the leaders I work with to Dream Big. The bigger your dream, the bigger your vision, the more people will want to get behind it. And even if it seems impossible, remember - if you can think it, God can do it
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” Ephesians 3:20
Crafting Vision
After you’ve dreamed about what your organization can do and what you’d like to see it become, you need to boil it all down to a clear vision. If you’re anything like me, your white board with the answers to the above questions will be full of ideas.
When coming up with a clear vision for your organization, remember:
- Keep it simple. The easier it is to remember, the easier it is to share, the better.
- Make it memorable. It has to be able to stick in people’s minds if it will have any hope of affecting them.
- Keep it wide. Don’t narrow your vision so much that it puts too many limitations on what you can do.
Look at the Walt Disney Company’s vision:
“To Make People Happy”
It’s simple enough to remember and share. It’s memorable and can stick in people’s minds and it’s wide enough to allow them to start theme parks, make movies, sell toys and create experiences that, well, make people happy. They didn’t limit it to “making people happy through movies” or “providing happy experiences through vacation getaways.” Their vision is simple - make people happy - but wide enough to give them multiple opportunities.
Vision is important…
So make sure you take the time to create a vision for your organization or personal life that will drive what you do.
Original Article
All the encouragement and insight and inspiration in the world won’t write that book, or secure that dream job, or start that nonprofit, or plant that church, or build your own business. Conferences and speakers and blog posts can spark the idea and get you inspired, but they won’t achieve your dream for you.
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