MAKING VISION STICK Vision is about what could be and should be, but life is about right this minute. The urgent and legitimate needs of today quickly erase our commitment to the what could be of tomorrow. 1. State the vision simply. 2. Cast the vision convincingly. 3. Repeat the vision regularly. 4. Celebrate the vision systematically. 5. Embrace the vision personally. 1. STATE THE VISION SIMPLY It must be memorable. It is better to have a vision statement that is incomplete and memorable than to have one that is complete and forgettable. Bottom Line: To make vision stick, it needs to be easy to communicate. Vision: We exist to prove that Love Works. Slogan: A Perfect Place for Imperfect People (Compassion without Compromise) Values: Found People Find People Connected People Connect People Served People Serve Grateful People Give 2. CAST THE VISION CONVINCINGLY You must communicate it in a way that moves people to action.
1. Define the Problem If your target audience doesn t know what s at stake, the vision will never stick. What is the need or problem our vision addresses? o It s simple really; love isn t working for most people. Actually, it s worse than that, for most people love hurts instead of works. That s a problem that demands a solution. Money can t solve that problem; only Jesus can solve that problem. It s only through Jesus that love covers a multitude of sins and never fails. What will happen if those needs or problems continue to go unaddressed? o More and more people will never come to faith in Jesus. o More and more people will never come to church. o More and more people will leave church. 2. Offer a Solution Your vision must be a solution to a problem. What solutions are we proposing? o Create a church that proves that Love Works. o Create a perfect place for imperfect people. It s a people and it s a place. o Create a church that unchurched people love to attend. (North Point) o Create a church for the irreligious. (Willow Creek) How is our organization positioned as a solution to a problem? o We design our church to be introductory and progressive. Introductory: o We design our church to prioritize relational evangelism. o We design our church to prioritize invest and invite. o We design our services with the guest in mind. Progressive: o Love God >> Love People >> Make Disciples o Next Steps: It s all about moving people. 1) Groups: Get Connected 2) The Bible: Make it a Priority 3) Salvation: Start with Jesus 4) Baptism: Go Public 5) Partnership: Become a Highpointer 6) Serve: Join a Team 7) Finances: Manage your Money 8) Missions: Local and Global 9) Help: Recovery and Care Leadership Development o Discipleship >> Love Works >> LeadershipWorks
3. Present a Reason The reason explains why something must be done now. You aren t the first person to recognize the problem; but what makes you different is that you have decided to do something about the problem now. What they need is someone to give them a reason to rise up and do something about it. To cast your vision convincingly, you need a reason for why now is the time. If you haven t defined the problem, determined a solution, and discovered a compelling reason why now is the time to act, you aren t ready to go public with your vision. It won t stick. Why must we do this? o Love isn t working. o Love is hurting. o There s no hope without love. o But the greatest of these is faith, hope, and love. A Perfect Place for Imperfect People Example: o People feel rejected instead of accepted. o People feel excluded instead of included. o People feel alone instead of connected. o People feel criticism and condemnation instead of compassion without compromise. Why must we do this now? o The love of Christ is the hope of the world. o Life doesn t work unless Love Works. A Perfect Place for Imperfect People Example: o Everyday more and more people are leaving the church. o Everyday the church is becoming less and less relevant. o Everyday the church is becoming less and less effective. What s at stake now? o Our family and friends o Our community, city, and country o Our World o Current generations and future generations Why not allow another year or two or ten to go by? o People die everyday without Christ. o People live everyday without Christ. o People live everyday without love. o People live everyday without purpose. What makes this season unique for you and this team? o God s Promises: Exodus 3:11-12, 33:18, 34:6, 34:10; Joshua 1:1-17
o God s Revival: Acts 3:19 o God s Activity: What has God done through Highpoint? What is God doing through Highpoint? What does God want to do through Highpoint? 3. REPEAT THE VISION REGULARLY We all need to be reminded why we are doing what we are doing. We need to be reminded what s at stake. And we need it more often than most leaders realize. We need to be reminded of the vision; always remember that vision leaks. What are the strategic times for Highpoint to cast the vision? o August / September: Beginning of the Growth Season o January / February: Beginning of the New Year What are the best available channels of communication to cast vision? o Sundays >> Videos >> Social Media o Leadership Environments: Vision Casters need Vision Carriers Questions to Answer: o When are people most attentive? o When is everybody there? o When in the rhythm of organizational life do people need a reminder? o What opportunities exist that would allow you to push the vision further down into the organization? o Are you making good use of all forms of media? 4. CELEBRATE THE VISION SYSTEMATICALLY To make vision stick, a leader needs to pause long enough to celebrate the wins along the way. Celebrating the wins does more to clarify the vision than anything else. Celebrations create the opportunity for an ah-ha moment. Celebrating a win incarnates the vision, bringing clarity in a way that words alone cannot. What s celebrated is repeated. The behaviors that are celebrated are repeated. The decisions that are celebrated are repeated. The values that are celebrated are repeated. If you intentionally or unintentionally celebrate something that is in conflict with your vision, the vision won t stick. Celebrations trump motivational speeches every time. If your vision is going to stick, you need to develop systematic ways to celebrate your wins. Figure out how to build celebration into the rhythm of your organization. The people in your organization are already celebrating something. But if there is a disconnect between your vision and what s being celebrated, that s a dynamic that needs immediate attention. Ways to Celebrate o Baptisms / Special Events / Special Accomplishments o Staff Meetings: Sharing Stories / Sharing Wins
o Share the blessings when you win: Praise, Gifts, Bonuses o Write Notes / Share Emails / Speak Words of Encouragement o Holidays / Conferences / Retreats 5. EMBRACE THE VISION PERSONALLY Your willingness to embody the vision of your organization will have a direct impact on your creditability as a leader. Living out the vision establishes creditability and makes you a leader worth following. When it is evident to those closest to you that you have personally embraced the vision, you give them permission to do the same. At that point you re not leading from position you re leading from influence. Success and failure, time and life, are not only tough on vision; they are tough on leaders. If you are struggling, don t fake it. Admit it. If possible, admit it to some safe people within your organization. It is important for people to know that my passion comes and goes, but my commitment to what we are doing never wanes. To make vision stick, we not only need to embrace it personally, we need to communicate it honestly. Vision Slippage Indicators o Projects, Products, and Programs Leaders must keep their antennae up for new things that have the potential to distract from the main thing. New projects, programs, or even products must be vision-centric. Think steps, not programs. If a new idea provides a step in a specific direction, we will consider it. If not we won t. o Requests, Stories, and Complaints The questions people ask, the stories they tell or don t tell, and the things they complain about communicate a great deal about the stickiness of your vision. Questions communicate values. The questions you ask communicate what s most important to you. Complaints are like questions. They communicate what a person values. What people complain about communicates their understanding of the vision. Stories are moments of spontaneous celebration. If there was 100 percent buy-in to your vision by the people you work with, what questions would they ask? What kinds of stories would they feel compelled to tell? What would get on their nerves?