Summary: I hope you listen to the show about vision in leadership! Leaders can do without a lot of ingredients and still be successful. But they cannot do without vision. Today's podcast and blog is about "Vision in leadership - why I need it and how to find it." My father helped build the Saturn Five rocket that took America to the moon in 1969 for the first time. More than any other ingredient, it was fueled by the vision of the leaders of the space industry. On the left in this photo is Werner Von Braun, on the right my dad Alfred Finzel. At the end of the show I will give you SIX TIPS for action for finding the right vision for your business or ministry. What we will cover today in the show: 1. Why is vision so important? 2. What is vision exactly? 3. Why does it keep changing? 4. Great examples of visionaries. 5. Six Tips on getting vision Why is vision so important? The bible says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Provers 29:18 (KJV) Another translation reads, "Without revelation people run wild, but one who listens to instruction will be happy." (Holman Version) Leaders make things happen - they take people places they would not go on their own - and that is what vision is all about It is vision that accomplishes great things on earth! What is Vision really? Here is a nugget from John F. Kennedy's speech on Sept 12, 1962 casting the vision to reach the moon before 1970: "We choose to go to the moon," the president said. "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too." From page 52 of Top Ten Leadership Commandments, by Hans Finzel. In this section of the book I talk about the importance of having a compelling Vision and Mission statement: Vision statement - what do we see as our preferable future? Describe your dream five years from now. Mission statement - what defines us? What do we uniquely do to get to this vision? These statements are like..... Like Glue—they help leaders hold an organization together. Like a Magnet—they attract newcomers as members, employees, customers, or donors. Like a Yardstick—they allow a leader to measure how his or her group is doing. Like a Laser—they point you to your destination. Why does our target keep changing? In this chart on the right, you can see how our world where we lead is always changing. We need fresh vision because "what worked back in the good ole days will probably not work today." SIX TIPS for finding the right vision for your business or ministry: What is wrong with this picture? My wife Donna used to be able to make this IBM Selectric stand up and beg! The problem is that if you plug it in it still works. But it is obsolete. What are we holding on to that still works a little but is obsolete? Here are some tips for getting fresh vision for today: 1. Brainstorm as a team - I am a huge believer in the power of team vision - go on a vision retreat! 2. Pray about it - really - if you are in ministry and/or leading a church 3. Get around people that can help you with vision. 4. Read books that will inspire you - in your field - read people that are doing what you want to do. 5. Read some good books on vision - I will recommend three on vision at the end of the show. 6. Go to some great leadership conferences - Willow Creek Summit is a great one! Recommended books of the show: I am going to give you three! Nanus, Burt. Visionary Leadership. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, 2001. Barna, George (1992) The Power of Vision. Regal Books, Revised and updated, 2003 Andy Stanley - Visioneering. Multnomoh Press Quote of the show: "A leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees farther than others see,
