Drew Boswell

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Vision: You’re Doing It Wrong. Three Common Mistakes Leaders Make Relating to Vision

Churches and businesses are drawing close to the time when they will begin to gather and open in groups once again. Pastors, staffs, and business owners are going to make decisions regarding reopening their doors and gather in groups. While they have gained new ways of doing things (Zoom meetings, social distancing, sanitizing, etc.) its’ natural tendency is to go back to “normal” — but they are in a day that their “old normal” just can not continue. Churches and businesses have to change, but it is the vision of the organization that will allow it move through these unknown and treacherous times.

Focusing on the issues and changes that need to be made will keep you away from the vision if you allow it, but one would do it to their own peril. The following are three things that many leaders get wrong — it is the vision that will allow them to navigate through these tough decisions.

1. Mistake#1 – Vision is Not About Fixing Problems.

Vision is not seeing perceived problems that need to be fixed and then designing a plan to fix those problems. Fixing problems is on the job description for a leader, but it is not vision. A skillful leader can fix problems all the day long but never show vision.

The leader who falls into this category is stuck in maintenance mode. Nehemiah did not fix the walls because they were broken. The broken walls changed how God’s people were living, so the walls had to be built so that people’s lives would be changed. When we are only about fixing problems we have actually lost sight of the vision. Casting vision and pushing it through the organization will cause all kinds of issues, it actually creates problems.

A good vision will allow people to clearly see where the organization is going, there will be people who don’t want to go on this trip, and others will want to get on the bus with you. But don’t expect it to be clean and neat, and that everyone will be happy.

2. Mistake #2 – Vision is Not a Group Project.

A vision can be shared, but it cannot be developed by the organization, it has to come from the leader. Visions spread and are adapted as they grow throughout an organization. They begin to take a life of their own in different ways, but it is a guiding force from the top of the organization.

The top leader has to constantly push the vision because it will get lost among the masses. The organization as a whole cannot push the vision forward without the main leader encouraging them to do so. God does not give multiple visions to multiple people, He gives one vision to the main leader. If He did there would be chaos.

This is not to say that counsel should not be sought after before developing a vision or even letting key leaders have input into the  process. Proverbs 15:22 says, “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” But once they have been heard and their advice taken into account, it is the main leader who sets the vision.

3. Mistake #3 – Vision Is Not ALL About Making Changes.

Beginning something new, ending something that is not working, or making changes, is not vision. Changes are tools that allow you reach or achieve the vision. You can change how you are structured, hire or fire employees, etc. but these are changes that make organizations healthy and stable. Once the organization is stable, healthy, etc. you still have to ask and answer the question “Why are we doing this?” and you have to have an answer (and ask it again, and again, and again, ad nauseam).

A New Cold War: Building Walls in Your Organization

imagesA Cold War

The Cold War was “a prolonged battle of wills, posturing and threats between communist Russia and the United States of America. Although no direct military conflict between the two nations ever ensued, the world was caught up in the constant threat of nuclear proliferation,” [1] . . . “not leading to direct battle and subsequent death, but rather an ongoing disposition between the two parties which never amounted to peace.”[2]

In organizations there can also be a type of cold war. This is where departments see other departments as a threat and this results in ongoing conflict between them. The organization operates with constant feelings of competition and lack of trust. It is known that if conflict erupts then it could lead to war, so there develops a cold war culture of political maneuvering and power plays. For the purpose of this article, we will borrow the managerial concept of “silos.”

What is a “silo” in an organization?

“Organizational silos are when individual people, departments, or companies, conduct business in a vacuum, without taking into consideration the impact their actions have on the entire organization. The term silo literally means a “storage tower,” “ a tall, cylindrical building that separates and stores material on a farm.”[3]

0901_013201What causes “silos” in organizations?

Silos develop when there is no overarching vision, various departments view other departments as competition instead of fellow teammates, resources are not centralized systematically or thoughtfully dispersed, and the leadership culture changes regularly.

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The following is a list of what happens in an environment where organizational silos exist:

  1. Limiting Information – Information is shared only with select committees, or individuals and plans are not shared with other departments. Information is either consciously or subconsciously kept secret or only a select few are allowed into the “knowledge circle.” The idea being that “this information does not involve their department, so why would we let them know this information?” In other words, collaboration and idea sharing between departments is very limited or simply doesn’t exist.

Because other departments are viewed as competitors, this ability to manage and control information puts one department in a better place to harness the resources they feel they need over another department. All departments see information as power chips to be negotiated and used for leverage.

In a silo environment knowledge is power.

  1. Departmental Events – Various departments hold events or organize a specific campaign and no other departments see it as their responsibility to make this event a success. Success for the event rests on the individual department leader’s shoulders alone. If it is a success or failure it is no one’s fault but the leaders.

This also leads to different definitions of success for individual departments. Different definitions of success lead to eventual conflict over expectations. Those that succeed in this environment are those that can go out and gather (personnel, donations, budget, etc.) the best. Staff can grow frustrated as their definition of success does not match the hidden unwritten organizational definition for success.

According to this way of thinking if there is a problem they see it as, “being either all yours to deal with or not yours to deal with at all.”[4]

In a silo environment the leader must be successful

(But who knows what “success” means?)

  1. Separate Decision Making – All leaders are not involved in decisions that effect the organization as a whole. Examples of this may be hiring of staff, budgeting, organizational wide campaigns, facility development, etc. Staff and volunteers grow frustrated as decisions are made that affect them and their department but they had no or very limited input to the process.

In a silo environment you are always reacting to problems (or other leader’s decisions), instead of being proactive toward improvement.

  1. Slow or No Change – Since departments are not working together and have individual free standing goals and objectives, budgets, resources, and personnel there is no grand or “big picture” oversight of the organization as a whole. One department may do very well, or fail miserable but the organization, and how it functions as a whole, changes little. They do not change or adapt as society changes. In fact, they pride themselves in their lack of change.

No one is asking the hard questions of how the unit is functioning as a whole, instead upper level management is focused on keeping everyone happy. So if one uses last years model (where everyone was happy), then why change how things function going into the future? If one department is doing poorly, it is understood that the leader needs to be replaced instead of looking at how all of the departments are working together to make it a success. It is much easier to replace a leader than to ask the hard questions as to why he/she failed.

In a silo environment it is better to keep things the same.

  1. No Common Vision – Each department has it own vision for where it feels it should go, but other departments and their visions are not taken into account when originating these goals. Often times these visions may even be in direct conflict with other departments. If there is no common vision and departments operate individually, then there are no feelings of responsibility for the organization as a whole.

If the organization fails, but the individual leader’s department was doing well, that leader feels that they did a good job, and feels no responsibility for the organizations failure.

In a silo environment it is common to hear, “that’s not my department.”

images1

  1. Competition Between Departments – In any environment resources are always limited. There are only so many people who will volunteer, give, and support an organization. In a silo environment department leaders compete for these resources. No concern is given as to whether or not a given person would function better in another department, or if other departments need stockpiled resources.

Because management’s goal is to keep everyone happy, monies and personnel are not moved from one department to another even if growth or decline has taken place. Individual’s specific talents and gifts are not considered and are expected to stay where they are. Since there is no common vision, each department struggles to ensure their vision is heard and resources are garnered to support it.

Even though the individual leaders know there is a problem (or problems) and they may be intellectually bright, the organization as a whole makes foolish decisions because each department fears that change will cost them individually. If there is a change that helps the organization as a whole, but hurts their department they are resistant to this change.

In a silo environment the other departments are the enemy, and they are involved in a cold war no one wants to talk about.

  1. Wasted or Underutilized Resources – With silos there is duplication of resources. All departments feel as though they need their own staff, stuff, and facility. The idea of sharing these things never even enters into their decision-making. So buildings sit empty, machines sit unused, and staff are limited in hours where as they could be full-time.

In a silo environment there is significant wasting of resources.

What’s the Cost of Having Missile Silos In Your Backyard?

When organizations function with departmental silos the potential of the organization is greatly limited, they are resistant to change thereby becoming obsolete, and creativity is crushed by feelings of competition. It is simply easier to do things as they have always been done before. There is no incentive to help another department, “when they look bad, it makes us safe or look good for the moment.”

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[1] http://us-history.com/the-cold-war-a-brief-synopsis/

[2] Ibid.

[3] http://qconsultinginc.com/blog/risks-of-business-silos-and-tips-for-breaking-down-barriers-to-success/

[4] http://process-cafe.blogspot.com/2010/01/silo-thinking-and-why-it-is-bad.html

Leading With Vision

fishIn all the spiritual gifts inventories that I have taken over the years, administration consistently comes in high on the list.  This is one particular spiritual gift that comes easy for me. Those with this gift feel very uneasy in unorganized settings, and immediately begin to see things that can be put in order. While this is a good gift to have if the organization is a mess, it becomes problematic when the organization begins to right itself from collapse.

If volunteers, for example, are organized into various work groups, or scheduled in rotating weeks or months then this works well for a while. If facilities are organized, cleaned, restocked, and order is restored, there is still a very demanding and unspoken next step.  This next step is the difference between an administrator who holds the title of leader and a true leader who administrates.

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The Big Ugly Scary Word

Vision.

There it is; the one word that makes or breaks a leader. Organized volunteers who serve in clean and organized facilities will only go so far without vision. Once order has been established, it is then time for casting a vision for the future. Without it, the organization crumbles and decays.

People need to see why they are organized in the first place. If they feel that they are simply walking in circles, even an organized circle, what’s the point?

Vision, with regards to leadership, is the ability to see the future. It’s like a driver who has the ability to see down the road, even through a thick fog of difficult circumstances, around the bend of time. They see where they are going and tell those following them the way. The leader shares what he sees.

The usual go to passage for vision is Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.” (ESV)

The intent of the passage is to compare the verse that comes before it and those around it, Proverbs 29:17 “Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.”

Without a prophetic message from God (i.e. prophets of old, or His complete Word today), then people slip into sinful chaotic behavior. God’s Word brings restraint, focus, and redirection. Without it people go into ungodly and worldly behavior. Without discipline children follow their sinful nature and descend into destruction.

Principle: Without one (God’s Word or parent’s guidance, i.e. leadership) then (unrestraint and unrest, i.e. decay).

Without a constant reminder of why we have children’s ministry, youth ministry, church, or any other noble tasks, then people forget, get frustrated, tired, weary,  and walk away into a disorganized mob seeking their own self interest. The goals and direction of the unit are now no more.

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The Second Big Ugly Word

So a Christian leader’s vision should come from Scripture, then it should be applied in their unique situation. It is then communicated to those organized people.

Rinse and Repeat.

Share the reason as to why you exist, and then tell the people where you are going. Where will this journey take them if they stay on board? While continuing to organize, share the vision again, then do it again.

In his book Visioneering Andy Stanley says regarding Orville and Wilbur Wright, “This childhood experience sparked in the boys an insatiable desire to fly. The only thing they lacked was a means. So they immediately went to work removing the obstacles that stood between them and their dream.”[1] In our day of fighter jets, commercial airlines, and world travel, we often forget what a monumental feat this was in its’ day. Often times having the dream or vision for where we desire to take the organization is not the problem. Many before the Wright brothers had dreamed of flight. But too often many simply give up when they see the obstacles before them.

How.

There it is; the second big ugly word. So you want to win North America for Christ, you want to end hunger in your state, you want to eliminate illiteracy in your neighborhood? How are you going to do it? How are you going to overcome the obstacles of making this happen? This is where many dreams die or many turn their attention to chores of daily life (like the laundry).

This is exactly where we ask God to give us creativity and we take the big initial step to begin something that we are not exactly sure how it will end up. The end result is worth the risk. Don’t get lost in the fog of uncertainty and doubt. Keep going and don’t give up.

Ephesians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (ESV)

[1] Andy Stanley, Visioneering (Sisters, Oregon; Multnomah, 1999), 7

“Where Are We Going?” Vision and the Leader (Part Three)

IV.         Vision Annihilators

“Vision annihilators” are beliefs, assumptions, practices and emotions that arise to prevent the vision from emerging or from being widely accepted.  These are the people who say “But we’ve never done it this way before.”  They tend to come from one of four ways of thinking:

A.            Tradition

God uses tradition to give people a sense of stability and it provides a sense of consistency.  But God does reshape tradition in order to go forward into the future.  Maturity means growing beyond your past.  No one would say that a child was healthy if it remained exactly the same for years at a time.

Tradition is the “stepping stone” of where God is directing ministry to go.  It should not become a millstone that pulls the ministry down to legalistic depths. Rick Warren also uses the example of a shoe that is outgrown. As the foot grows, if you don’t change into a larger shoe, it then becomes very uncomfortable and may even damage the foot and the development of the rest of the body.

B.            Fear

Change means stepping out of one’s comfort zone, doing new things.  Change can be scary and un-nerving.  There are several reasons why fear keeps us from seeing God’s vision. One is that we have failed in the past.  We should define defeat as making the same mistakes more than once.  Instead of fearing future failures we should learn from past mistakes. Fear is a sin.  It is a lack of faith in God to do what He says He will do.

Another reason for fear is that one may be concerned that the may mess up or ruin what they already have. So instead of moving forward, they are content to keep things in their current condition. Sometimes the only cure for this fear is the pain that comes from decline and deterioration as the organization crumbles. Eventually one will feel so much discomfort they are willing to change and move forward (if it’s not too late to do so).

C.            Complacency

This is the concept that “It really doesn’t matter what we do, God will bless it.”  (James 2:14-17; Luke 14:28-32; Rev. 3:15-18)  Vision stirs up passion within the leader and it comes across as he tells the story.  Complacency extinguishes this passion within the leader. So the leader just chooses whatever is in front of him at the moment. There is no thought as to how this lines up with the vision and direction of the church, they simply say yes to every suggestion given.

Another form of complacency is apathy. This is where a person says, “It really doesn’t matter what we do; it won’t work anyway.” Perhaps past mistakes or failures have caused this person to be disillusioned and discouraged. But you can’t move forward until this attitude is dealt with.

D.            Short-Term Thinking

God’s vision for ministry is long-term in nature.  It may even outlast the person who it was originally given to. Soon after the completion of Disney World someone said, “Isn’t it too bad that Walt Disney didn’t live to see this!” Mike Vance, creative director of Disney Studios replied, “He did see it – that’s why it’s here.”  If you limit your decisions and planning to only the immediate present, then you can never move past today.

V.            Exercising Vision

The following are some examples that you can think through as a team of leaders or volunteers in a ministry. Divide up or stay together and work through them and discuss what you find.

Example #1

From the following passages of the Old Testament, what can be learned from these people about how the vision God gave them affected their lives?

Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, 15:1-7; 17:1-15.  Why did God state and restate three times the vision He gave Abraham?  What circumstances and plans in Abraham’s life were affected and changed by God’s vision on each occasion?

Example #2

From the following passages of the Old Testament, what can be learned from these people about how the vision God gave them affected their lives?

Moses in Exodus 3:1-10.  How much strategic detail did God add to the vision He gave Moses (Ex. 3:11-22; 4:1-17)?

Example #3

From the following passages of the Old Testament, what can be learned from these people about how the vision God gave them affected their lives?

Joshua in Joshua 1:1-5. How much detail is included in God’s vision for Joshua about the direction and goals of God’s plan to lead Israel into the Promised Land?  How is the additional direction from the Lord in Joshua 1:6-9 related to the vision in 1:1-5?  How important to the vision was identifying and marshalling resources (Josh. 1:10-15), information gathering (Josh. 2:1, 22-24), and strategic planning (Josh. 3:1-4; 6:1-7)?

Example #4

From the following passages of the Old Testament, what can be learned from these people about how the vision God gave them affected their lives?

Nehemiah in Nehemiah 2:12.  How did Nehemiah receive a vision form the Lord to rebuild the city of Jerusalem (Neh. 1:3,4; 2:4,5)?

Example #5

From the following passages of the Old Testament, what can be learned from these people about how the vision God gave them affected their lives?

David in 1 Samuel 17:34-37, 45-48.  What attitudes and qualities did David’s vision of God’s plan for Israel inspire in him (1 Sam. 23:15-18)?  What attitudes should the vision for ministry God gives you and your church inspire you?

Example #6

How did God’s vision for each of the following prophets cause the prophet to change the way he lived and ministered?

  • Isaiah 1:1; 6:1-10
  • Jeremiah 1:4-19
  • Ezekiel 1:1-28l 2:1-10; 3:4-9

Example #7

Read Proverbs 29:18.  What does this verse say about why you and your church need God’s vision for your ministry?

Read Paul’s vision for ministry in Acts 9:15; 26:15-23.  How did the vision God gave Paul affect the way he lived and ministered (2 Cor. 11:23-28)?

*this is part three of three articles on vision.

Click here to read part one.

Click here to read part two.

“Where Are We Going?” Vision and the Leader (Part Two)

III.            Characteristics of a Vision

A.            It is Clear

People cannot respond to a vision if they do not understand it.  The language that we use and the picture that we portray must be clear and capable of being understood.  When Nehemiah had a vision he communicated it in a clear fashion.  When he told it to his followers they could see walls being built in their heads.  Nehemiah 2:18 says “They replied, ‘Let us start building.’ So they began this good work.”

How do you know if it is clear?  The vision is clear when other people other than the leader can explain and actually do explain the vision to others in their own words.

B.            It is Challenging

When a vision is presented and it does not challenge people, the leader will not see God’s power working. A challenging vision pulls people from where they are and pushes them to places they never imagined they could go.  It is not daydreaming or reaching for impossible tasks.  Vision requires great depth of understanding, a detailed knowledge of facts and an eye for potential.

C.            It is a Picture

A vision is a mental picture that you give the congregation that they carry around in the wallet of their mind.  Then from time to time the leader encourages them to look at the picture.  And just like the picture that you carry around of your kids, when they see it, it brings to their mind certain emotions, feelings, and word pictures that have been presented.

In Deuteronomy 32:48 it says, “On that same day the Lord told Moses, “Go up into the Abrim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. “  In God’s mercy he allowed Moses to see the real thing, the fulfillment of the picture that he had carried around in his mind all those years.  His dream was about to become a reality.  So the question that leaders must ask is “do the people see the picture that I see?”

The picture that we portray is the desired future and direction that the ministry will go.  God is working through us to create the future.

D.            It is Motivational

The vision from God has the potential in a ministry to turn a maintenance mentality into a ministry mentality.  In Nehemiah’s life, God gave him the vision to rebuild the walls.  It so affected his life that when Nehemiah communicated the vision to others, God used his intensity to motivate others.  Vision gives the organization energy to move in a new direction, or to move at all.

George Barna says “Vision becomes a bold reason for living.  It is a badge of purpose that the bearer wears proudly and courageously.”  There is an excitement about the potential of what God is going to do through those who are apart of this vision.

E.            It Means Change

Vision deals with what is preferable, which always means change.  Why do you need a vision to maintain the stats quo?  So vision is required even if the church is vibrant and healthy because we must constantly seek improvement.  Vision is a means of describing the activity and development of the ministry, the way in which the ministry will become more significant in the lives of people.

F.            It is Imparted by God

Vision for ministry is a reflection of what God wants to accomplish through the leader to build His Kingdom.  God conveys His view of a future to the leader. If you as a leader do not know or have a vision for your organization, then you are operating on a maintenance level, where eventually there will be decline.  When people’s hearts are not engaged, their level of dedication will wane as other life concerns begin to crowd into their lives.

G.            It is Imparted to a Specific Person (The Leader)

It is the responsibility of the leader to learn from God the direction in which He desires to take the church.  God does not give out more than one vision to multiple people in the church.

H.            It Reveals a Promising Future

Visions are people centered and oriented.  Because of this, research reveals that people in America want to make a difference in the world.  We want our lives to count for something.  We want to leave something of lasting value.  A vision tells a story of people who are reaching their community and the world for Christ; which is the most lasting and precious thing a person can do with their life.  The vision paints a very specific picture of how your church is going to do this.

* This is part two of a three part series.

Click here to read part one.

Click here to read part three.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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