I have often been told that one of the leader’s primary tasks is casting vision for the company, church, or organization. Casting vision is never a once and done activity because vision “leaks.” It’s easy to forget why we do what we do, and unless we remember why we’re doing what we’re doing we often tire of doing it and are prone to giving up on the task over time. In order to cast a vision, we must be clear about what the vision is ourselves and the vision must be worth pursuing in the first place. After all, if we have a clear vision that is not worth pursuing, the people in our organizations won’t be motivated, and even if we have a vision that could move mountains if people understood it, but it isn’t clear enough for people to understand, we won’t have many followers.
If we want to understand the crucial importance of having a clear vision and casting it effectively, we need turn no further than the ancient words of King Solomon of Israel: Without a vision, the people perish. The statement was made 3,000 years ago and reminds us that a nation, a business, a church or any significant organization will not continue for long without a clear, compelling vision. The greatest people movements in history have followed the development of clear, compelling visions that have been communicated effectively by great leaders.
So what is the movement for which you are seeking to cast vision? Is it the development of a product that will make people’s lives better physically, emotionally or spiritually? Is it the promotion of an idea such as freedom, or of an action such as learning? Until we are clear about what it is we are seeking to do and why, we will never be able to tell others why they ought to participate in the cause, but once we know what we’re seeking to do and why, we must communicate clearly to those we hope to influence to participate so they will not only join our cause or organization, but commit to accomplishing the vision over the long haul.
At New Life our vision (which we call our mission) is To share, grow and live the new life of Jesus Christ with the world–one person at a time! As you can see the key elements of the statement communicate what we are seeking to do: share, grow and live the new life of Jesus Christ, and our target audience is the whole world. We also recognize that in order to reach the whole world, we must reach one person at a time. The vision is so big–reaching the whole world–while at the same time broken down into a reasonable approach–one person at a time. You may be thinking, “Your statement doesn’t say anything about why you’re doing what you’re doing.” It doesn’t. When we cast the vision we always remind people that we do it, because the decisions we make now matter for eternity. That’s why we want to share, grow and live the new life of Jesus Christ with the world–one person at a time. What we do with Jesus Christ determines the course of our eternity.
You may or may not believe anything I wrote in the previous paragraph, but what I hope you see is the vision is clear, and has a compelling reason for being accomplished if you do believe the premise that the decisions we make now matter for eternity. As we cast this vision at New Life people are free to accept or reject it. We welcome questions from people as they are forming their decisions and commitments. We challenge folks to go all in with their commitment and provide biblical reasons for doing so. Since we are a Christian organization that trusts the teachings of the Bible as truth, we have a body of information that forms the basis for fulfilling our vision. In effect, we cast vision every time we share a message during our weekend worship services, because we show how the biblical passages impact what we do and why we do it.
The first step in casting vision then is to determine what it is you are attempting to do and why it matters. If you can’t answer those two basic realities–what you are doing and why–then you will never be able to cast vision effectively, because you don’t have a vision to cast. Once you have determined those two realities you will need to remind people of them regularly. How often? Daily isn’t too often. Absent a clear vision for life, people drift. While a small percentage of people seem to be naturally organized and ordered in their lives, the vast majority are waiting for someone to give them something to do and a reason to do it. Leaders see the what and the why clearly and help others to see them and join in the quest to accomplish them.
If you’re thinking, “Isn’t that manipulation? Seeking to get others to do what you want them to do?” It can be. True leadership is not manipulation, because true leadership pursues a vision that is not just in the best interest of the leader, but serves the “common good.” Businesses that seek only to make a profit, or churches that are seeking only to survive, or any organization that has a purely selfish reason for existing will ultimately be manipulating people whether intentionally or unintentionally, because the cause is not for the common good.
So, in order to cast vision, we must have a vision worth casting–a what and a why that matter. We must be clear in casting the vision, which means we have a body of information that forms the basis for our communication of the vision, and we must present it clearly. When we do those things people will understand our vision and be able to determine whether it’s worthy of their commitment. Once they do make a commitment to pursue the vision with us, our task of casting vision continues to be vital, because vision does leak, and we need to help those who are pursuing it with us to remember both what we’re doing and why over the long haul.
Here’s to leading better by developing a clear, compelling vision and communicating it effectively and regularly–today, and for a long time to come!