As I read through another chapter of
The Catalyst Leader by Brad Lomenick
I realized that the same hope and desire to create something great with Lego’s
with my son, is also true of leadership.
With the Lego’s there is a clear set of instructions to follow in order
to create the finished product. If you
don’t follow the instructions you don’t get the finished product that you see
on the box. Sounds simple, right? But take a moment to think about this them in
regards to leadership. If we don’t lay
out a clear plan of how we will accomplish something, nothing will ever be
accomplished. As leaders we must be
willing to create and cast a compelling vision that people will want to follow.
Vision moves people to respond as
former President John Quincy Adams stated with his words, “If your actions inspire
others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” Our desire to lead others should cause people
to dream more, learn more, do more and become more. I recently tried a new approach to casting
vision/inspiring others with a training that we held for our youth ministry
volunteers. During this training I
simply laid the foundation of where we wanted to go in the next nine-twelve
months and then allowed them to work through the particular details of how each
of their areas would accomplish those goals during the coming year. This was one of the most challenging moments
of leadership that I have ever faced as I stepped back and allowed others to
dream, create, and be inspired as we sought to shape the lives of the students
we serve for Jesus Christ. It was
difficult to not interject my thoughts, try to steer a conversation in a
particular direction, and to simply listen but I will tell you that the results
were amazing. The ideas that came
bubbling out of these groups were truly amazing and it was evident that God was
working in our planning. As I watched
these groups discuss their ideas I thought about the words of author Simon
Sinek who said, “The visionary must light a flame. Those who choose to follow its light must
work to keep it burning.” These
volunteers were following the light, developing plans to keep it burning, and
it was amazing!
With that being said, maybe you are
reading this and thinking that this particular approach won’t work for
you. If that is the case let me offer up
seven characteristics that Brad Lomenick outlines for being a hopeful leader
and maybe they will inspire you or provide a solution for how you can
effectively cast a vision as a leader.
Hopeful, visionary leaders are:
· Optimistic
about the future-They are forward-thinking, inspiring, enthusiastic, positive,
and they have a vision bigger than just what is in front of them.
· Focused
on the best in their people, not the worst-They are encouraging and focus on
the unique strengths of every member of the team.
· Never
satisfied, but always content-They are always moving towards a goal, but they
don’t allow it to steal their joy. They
seem happy where they are but refuse to stay there.
· Consumed
with making tomorrow better than today-They never settle as they constantly
look to improve and grow.
· Accepting
of change-They invite change with open arms.
They are innovative and try new things at the risk of failing.
· Inclusive,
not exclusive-They invite others into their vision. People won’t willingly follow you until they
can see how they share in the future you envision.
· Personally
bought in-They have a vision that propels them personally.
So as you think about the
characteristics I challenge you to ask yourself, “How I am doing at being a
hopeful leader who can cast a clear vision?”
As you work through that question, I assure you that challenges will
arise but continue to push forward towards your dreams and vision remembering
the words that Brad lays out, “Dream about accomplishing a project so out of
your abilities that it keeps you up at night.
God calls us to think big.”
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