Making Vision Stick 8: When the Passion Slips

Even when we State Our Vision Simply, Cast Our Vision Convincingly, Repeat Our Vision Regularly, Celebrate Our Vision Systematically, & Embrace Our Vision Personally, Andy Stanley warns us that there will probably be times when we feel the passion for our vision “slipping”. When (not if!) that happens, remember: being committed is NOT the same as feeling committed!

What to Do When the Passion Slips

The 1st thing to do is a “don’t do”… Don’t fake it! The people who know you will sense something’s wrong, so just be honest about it. Admit it to some safe people (like in our Vision Team Meeting). I gaurantee you’re not the only one “not feeling it”! If we can come clean with each other, it gives each of us permission to be honest… And then we can pray for each other. Passion comes & goes, but commitment never wanes. We will do better in the long run if we see each other committed to the vision in both the good times & the tough times, when we feel like it & when we don’t; it proves that the vision is more important than our feelings! This transparency builds trust & trust is critical to the stickiness of our vision.

Beginning next time, I’ll share Andy’s VSIs (Vision Slippage Indicators).

Making Vision Stick 7: Embrace it Personally

Here’s the last of the 5 principles in Andy Stanley's book, Making Vision Stick, that he says will help us fulfill our responsibility to get our vision to stick…

Embrace it Personally

Let me put this one simply: we’ve gotta walk the walk if we’re gonna talk the talk. If we’re not living out our vision, we can’t expect anyone else to! When we live out our vision, we are leading from influence… NOT position! When we live the vision out in such a way that people realize we’d be doing it even if there wasn’t a vision, then people see it as more than “just a job” … It’s our calling! And when we live it like we believe it, it sets others free to believe it, too, without reservation or suspicion!

So, now we’ve identified the 5 principles to get our vision to stick: state our vision simply, cast it convincingly, repeat it regularly, celebrate it systematically, & embrace it personally… But what do we do when we feel the passion for our vision “slipping”? I’m glad you asked… I’ll talk about that in my next post!

Making Vision Stick 6: Celebrate it Systematically

OK… Here’s #4 of the 5 principles in his book, Making Vision Stick, that Andy Stanley says will help us fulfill our responsibility to get our vision to stick...

Celebrate it Systematically

Celebrating victories does more to clarify vision than anything else because they provide real-world examples of the vision’s concepts. When we celebrate the things that illustrate our vision, people have a chance for an “A-ha!” moment. Listen to this CRITICAL point: we are celebrating something (intentionally or not!), but if what we celebrate isn’t our vision, it will overpower our vision. Andy puts it this way: What’s celebrated gets repeated. Are you celebrating what you want to see repeated?

Once we state our vision simply, cast it convincingly, repeat it regularly, & celebrate it systematically, we need to embrace it personally… That’ll be next!

Making Vision Stick 5: Repeat it Regularly

In his book, Making Vision Stick, Andy Stanley says Stating Our Vision Simply & Casting it Convincingly are the 1^st & 2^nd of 5 principles that will help us fulfill our responsibility to get our vision to stick. Here’s #3…

Repeat it Regularly

Speaking our vision once or twice will NOT make it stick! We must say it over & over… The only way to do that is to weave it into the fabric of who we are. It’s not hard to do, but it doesn’t happen by accident… We must do it intentionally! Preaching it isn’t enough, by the way… It’s just the beginning. Letters & e-mails can’t convey emotion (& may not even get read), so they aren’t effective enough, either. We need to figure out the best ways & times to repeat our vision for maximum stickiness.

Andy Stanley had a brilliant idea: he recorded a 12-minute message about their vision on CD along with a new pre-release song from their worship team & then gave one to every family in church for 3 weeks & asked them to listen to it on their way home from church. They got GREAT results!!

Once we state our vision simply, cast it convincingly, & repeat it regularly, we need to celebrate it systematically… That’ll be next!

Making Vision Stick 4: Cast the Vision Convincingly

In Andy Stanley’s book, Making Vision Stick, he reminds us that we, as leaders, are responsible for making vision stick… If the people we lead don’t "get it", it’s our fault, not theirs!

Here is the 2nd of 5 things we can do to increase stickiness...

Cast The Vision Convincingly

It’s not enough to have a vision that’s easy to communicate, it must move people to action. Here are 3 principles for casting a compelling vision…

1. Define The Problem That Your Vision Addresses. When people understand what’s at stake, it grabs their hearts! They sit up & say, “We must do something!” Ask yourself these 2 questions: What is the need or problem our vision addresses? And What will happen if this need/problem continue to go unaddressed?

2. Offer a Solution to That Problem. When people believe that you have a compelling solution, it captures their hearts! They sit up & say, “We must do this!” Important: A compelling vision statement says what it’s going to do, but NOT how, who, where, etc… Those details are covered in speeches, newsletters, & websites.

3. Present a Reason Something Must Be Done Now. When people understand why they must act now, it moves their hearts! They sit up & say, “We must do this NOW!” Here are some great questions that create the passion we need: Why act now? What’s at stake now? Why not allow another year or two to go by? What makes this season unique for our team?

Once we state our vision simply & cast it convincingly, we need to repeat it regularly… That’ll be next!

Making Vision Stick 3: State the Vision Simply

In Andy Stanley’s book, Making Vision Stick, he reminds us that we, as leaders, are responsible for making vision stick… If the people we lead don’t "get it", it’s our fault, not theirs!

Here is the 1st of 5 things we can do to increase stickiness...

State The Vision Simply

For vision to stick, it must be memorable. For vision to be memorable, it must be clear & simple… People remember & embrace sentences, NOT paragraphs! Andy adds, “It is better to have a vision statement that is incomplete & memorable than to have one that is complete & forgettable.” If we fail to make our vision stick with a first-time guest, we may never have a second chance… We can always expound the vision for them later.

A clearly-articulated, easily-understood vision will focus our efforts & resources like a laser for maximum effectiveness.

Once we state our vision simply, we need to cast it convincingly… I’ll talk about that in my next post!

We're Baaaa-aaacckk!

The first thing that hit me was the smell of pizza!

No, really!! It's not spiritual, I know, but it's the truth.

The first thing I noticed when I walked out of the plane in Miami last night was the strong smell of pizza. The whole team noticed it, in fact, & several who got off the plan before me had their face stuck against the glass the stood between us & the pizza shop responsible for the wonderful smell (there was a small space in the glass & they had their noses stuck in the space... Seriously!)

So, anyway... We're back, we had a great trip, & we're thrilled to be home.

I'll be posting regularly again now, too.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for us while we were gone... We needed it!