In our series looking at leadership attributes, we now look at vision. Why do people follow a leader? Most likely it is because that leader has cast a compelling vision for making things better for them personally, and possibly also for the common good. A good leader convinces people that they will be able to bring the vision to fruition, and have successfully influenced others to follow them.
Leadership is about moving an organization (church, business, country, etc.) forward, improving them, and making things better. Harry Reeder in his book 3D Leadership: Defining, Developing and Deploying Christian Leaders Who Can Change the World, defines leadership as a leader influencing others to effectively achieve a defined mission together. John Maxwell famously goes even further and states that “Leadership is influence, nothing more and nothing less”. The way to influence others to follow you to is develop and communicate (or cast) a compelling vision.
Andy Stanley in his book Making Vision Stick, states that vision is about what could be and should be. Sometimes, the vision cast can be as simple as something like “Hope” and “Change we can believe in”, that led Barak Obama to win the 2008 presidential election. A vision has to be clearly understood. In order to bring people along with them, the leader needs to be a good communicator in explaining just what their vision is. Stanley writes that buy-in to a leader’s vision hinges on the leader’s ability to convince others that they are offering a solution to a problem they are convinced needs to be solved. People must believe that the leader has the ability to bring the vision to fruition. Thus, the leader must have some degree of competency.
What about when you are deciding which organization you should work for, or which manager’s team to move to within your organization? The vision of the organization, or leader, will most likely play a major role in your decision-making process. Is the vision one that aligns with your values? Is it one that gets you excited? Is it one that you are willing to devote your time and energy to helping the leader bring to fruition?
While we can learn a lot about leadership from earthly leaders, let’s consider what we can learn from Jesus, our supreme model for leadership. We get a glimpse at God’s vision for the world in John 3:16, when Jesus said “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. Later, Jesus then cast a compelling vision for his disciples on how to carry out that vision in Matthew 28: 19-20, when he told them “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”.
Let’s look at the characteristics of a leader with vision. Leaders with vision are:
- Good Communicators
- Trustworthy
- Competent
- People of good Character
- People with a good Reputation
- Competent
- Influencers
- Future Oriented
- Focused
- Bold
- Risk-Taking
- Optimistic
- Innovative
- Strategic Thinkers
What characteristics would you add to this list?
Good leaders cast a compelling vision in order to get people to follow them. Think of some of the leaders that you have followed. What was it about them that caused you to follow them? Was it their compelling vision? Please share your thoughts on this.
