Casting Vision

One of my greatest loves as a kid was fishing. This love developed quickly because my family owned a little bait shop that was located near Toledo Bend Lake in Louisiana. Toledo Bend is well known for its large bass and large quantity of crappies.

I soon found out that there is a lot more to fishing than just catching fish. Learning to cast a fishing lure into a tree-covered fish hole takes great skill. But casting is just the start; you have to learn to make the lure look irresistible to the fish below, so irresistible that an attack is inevitable.

Casting a vision for your organization works much the same way. Over the years I have written many Footprints and Monuments articles on the topic of vision. I have written about the value of a vision, how to evaluate your vision, how to design your vision, and how to write a vision statement. This article however is to help you discover the practical process of casting a vision.

The process of casting a vision for your organization is to:

• Prepare your mind

• Present an engaging question

• Problem (challenge) identification

• Proceed to a solution

The first step in the process of casting a vision begins with you, the leader. The vision of your organization begins in the crock-pot of your mind and heart. It is something that you can feel, taste, see, hear and can literally touch with your soul. Your vision must be greater than your past memories, mistakes, and accomplishments. It has been said that dissatisfaction and discouragement are not caused by the absence of things but the absence of vision. Warren Bennis was quoted saying, "Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality."

As much as we would like to skip this step we must resist. The best way for your vision to become clear in your mind and heart is to retreat to a quiet and tranquil place. A place that will allow your mind to think creatively and crystallize the vision.

The next step in the process is to engage your leadership team with a thought provoking question. A question that will help them begin to see the vision and dream that lives in your heart. Questions like?

• What is one thing that our staff needs to do their job better?

• What actions need to be taken in order to increase our sales and/or income?

• What changes need to be made in order to guarantee we accomplish our objectives?

Step three is a transition step. In this step your leadership team will discuss in detail the challenges keeping those questions from being answered and acted upon. Challenges such as, why sales are not reaching predetermined goals, why customers are not returning, or why families are suffering just as much within the church walls as they are outside the church. Overcoming these challenges will put the organization on the pathway to accomplishing its objectives and your vision.

The last step in this process is to determine the solution to the above challenges. This is the step in the process where you share your heart's vision and get the buy-in from your leadership team. Everyone must be convinced that the solution will help your organization accomplish its (your) vision. It is very important at this point to remember K.I.S.S. ? Keep It Short & Simple.

The following is an example of how these steps work together to reach the vision of an organization.

The organization in this case is one that mentors at-risk kids in a large metro city.

• Preparation of the mind: The vision that lives in the heart of the leader is to reach each one of these at-risk kids with the life changing message of Jesus Christ and to help them change their lifestyle and learn to reach their potential.

• Present an engaging question: Leadership team, community leaders, and business men/women what would your life have been like if you would have had a mentor to help you through life's challenges during your high school years?

• Problem (challenge) identification: The problem identified is the treadmill to destruction that these at-risk kids live on. This treadmill keeps them in juvenile courts and detention centers. It also encourages them to live their lives in the gang and punk-rock scenes.

• Proceed to a solution: The solution is to rally the Christian community in such a way that men and women will hunger to become trained mentors and get involved long-term to make a difference in the lives of these at-risk kids.

About The Author

Check out www.jeffearlywine.com for information about consulting and contact information.

jeff@atlantayfc.org

---

What Being Vs Doing Really Means

So often we hear about "being" rather than "doing." Often... Read More

Change Your Life For The Better!

Are you still hoping and waiting for someone somewhere to... Read More

Christian Gladiators? Athletics as a Metaphor for the Christian Lifestyle

When Paul first arrived in Corinth in the middle of... Read More

Facing Our Fears

'You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in... Read More

Motivation By Comparison

Motivation by comparison is a dynamic form of motivation which... Read More

Wake Up to the Life You Love

While speaking at a San Diego university recently, I was... Read More

Persistence

One of the keys to being successful in anything you... Read More

Mr. Smith, Please Enter the Dream Room - Dream Big Dreams to Do Big Things!

Enjoy a great quote to start off this fantastic week!"All... Read More

The Ultimate Kick-butt Motivational Lesson

How often have you struggled with yourself over the work... Read More

Extreme Makeover ? Compliments of Me

There is a fascination these days with reality shows that... Read More

Finding Yourself: Finding Passion Series - 1 of 3

We have been told that the things we don't like... Read More

Why Do 9 Out of 10 People Never Live Their Dreams?

When we were kids we all had dreams. There were... Read More

The Top Six Ways to Stay Motivated

I receive many emails from people that basically ask the... Read More

Overcoming Limiting Beliefs

It is not just new age hype, studies in the... Read More

Quick Steps To Help You Take Action Now

Need to move ahead and yet find yourself holding back?Edward... Read More

Nothing More Than Feelings

"How are you Inventing Your Life Today?" ? the lead... Read More

9 Ways to Motivate Yourself When You Just Dont Feel Like It

Achieving the really big goals and dreams always involves breaking... Read More

Do You Have Staying Power?

"If you are going through hell , keep on going"... Read More

Happy New Year

H appiness depends upon your outlook on life.A ttitude is... Read More

Pushing Through Your Comfort Zone

Our greatest growth in life comes from pushing through our... Read More

No Excuses

Don't you just hate it when people make excuses for... Read More

Just Do It!

If you run a business like I do, you probably... Read More

Commit To Applying Lessons Learned

When growing up as a child, the concept of learning... Read More

Motivation, Your Core Resource

Your motivation is one of the core resources you have... Read More

After the Big Project: Recovering From Success

My older daughter got married 10 days ago. The wedding... Read More

Motivation and Success: Improved Techniques

Changing our internal programming that limits us has never been... Read More

The Time To Start Working On Your Dream is Now - Not Later

Most of us are hesitant to start anything because we... Read More

Making Excuses

I edited and re-edited my article. I had to make... Read More

Overcome Fear: You?ll Miss All The Shots You Don?t Take

A lot of folks are petrified at the mere thought... Read More

Procrastination

Allow me to start this with a quote:To think too... Read More

Half Dome, A Story About Your Future Success

The physical journey mirrors very accurately the spiritual journey of... Read More

Have You Said Thank You Today?

'When it comes to life the critical thing is whether... Read More

Starting Over

I worked hard for the past 17 years. I felt... Read More