MAKING VISION STICK by Andy Stanley
Andy Stanley is one of my favorite leaders, pastors, and authors. I devour everything he writes. This is a nice, "little" book on some great points about "making your vision stick". Great title huh? At first I thought that this was just a reprint of some of the sections of Visioneering, Andy’s phenomenal book on getting a vision from God and living it out with everything in you. Visioneering focuses on Nehemiah and his journey on rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. The first part of Making Vision Stick reproduces some of that material but much new material is added and it is great.
Andy’s wisdom and insight regarding vision is very practical. "Vision Slippage Indicators" and there was some great stuff in there to apply to your leadership. Let’s face it, all leaders, organizations, and churches can be guilty of "vision slippage" every once in a while. It’s good to know there are indicators out there to help us see that. This is a tiny, 75 page mini-book that you can easily read in an afternoon. It is worth your time.
MAKING VISION STICK noteworthy quotes:
"Vision is all 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."
"To make your vision stick, your audience needs to understand what’s at stake. It’s the "what’s at stake" issue that grabs people’s hearts."
"To make it stick, you need to find ways to build vision casting into the rhythm of your organization."
"To make vision stick, a leader needs to pause long enough to celebrate the wins along the way."
"When there are no stories to tell, something’s wrong."
"Leaders must keep their antennae up for "new" things that have the potential to distract from the "main" thing."
MAKING VISION STICK by Andy Stanley
(Summarized in these 5 things Below.)
5 things that help make vision stick:
1. STATE IT SIMPLY.
Take time to think through what exactly it is you are trying to accomplish.
What is the vision? And state it in a way that you can say it quickly and succinctly.
The memorable is portable. You need a portable vision.
Doesn’t have to be cool or rhyme…
Curse of Knowledge – you know so much of what you’re doing you assume everyone else knows what you’re doing.
Vision doesn’t stick!
People aren’t asking stupid questions….they’re just showing us how poorly we’ve communicated it.
What is it that people who volunteer in your organization come together to do?
One campaign – “to make poverty history.” You’ll know this vision for the rest of our lives!
Doesn’t even have to be original.
Not just committed to GROWTH….committed to MULTIPLICATION.
Its’ one thing to say one thing over and over who sit in front of you in rows…. Entirely different to communicate it through several tiers…
Sometimes very powerful statements and vision statements come accidentally!
As you think about what you’re trying to do, you serve yourself and others well to ask yourself, “when people show up for work or plan a service, etc… What have we come together to do?” What’s the one sentence job description associated w/ organization?
2. CAST IT CONVINCINGLY
Neh 2 – the ultimate explanation/illustration of casting vision.
Nehemiah – the WALL has been town down for a long time…. Casts vision as to WHY they need to REBUILD NOW….
Did it in 50 + days…
3 components:
Define the problem
Offer a solution
Explain WHY and WHY NOW.
If people don’t feel the problem they are not excited about the solution. EVER! You need to learn to craft your vision as a solution to a problem. You’ve got to understand the problem that your vision is a solution for.
Most people don’t have a problem w/ Jesus…..they just don’t like the church.
What is the problem that our vision addresses?
To ask yourself:
What must be done in the environment you find yourself in?
What would go undone if your organization ceased to exist?
“Business Solutions” – Google this. Because businesses ha
ve learned to position themselves as a solution to a problem.
3. REPEAT IT REGULARLY
You have never stated it enough. Look at the rhythm of your organization….
At Northpoint – Jan high attendance…. Uses this time for vision casting. Staff asks, “Shouldn’t we do something practical?” No!
You need to discover what those are and build into the rhythm the times to cast vision. Can’t do it sporadically.
When Andy casts vision, he almost always feels like he just preached the SAME THING!! But people still get moved by it! Why? Because vision doesn’t stick!
4. CELEBRATE IT CONSISTENTLY
Not only a matter of repeating it…. But find ways to celebrate it!
When you catch somebody living out the vision the way you anticipate, celebrate it! Show it!
Say, “This is what I’m talking about!”
Stories do more to clarify more than anything.
An emotion brings to life these phrases, sentences, etc…
5. EMBRACE IT PERSONALLY
Talk about it! In your attempts to be humble or below the radar – you might be missing opportunities. Gives people permission to push the envelope in their own life.
