The Power of Clear Vision

0:01 Whoever it is that you have a responsibility to steward, put a little more intentionality into envisioning, re-envisioning that group of people, Talking a little bit more not about what I need you to do, but motivating them from the heart for why it's important to do it. Once again, I want to welcome you to the Lead to Win podcast, where we help you win in the areas of life that matter most. I'm here again with Pastor Jeff, as always, and this week we're talking about vision. We're just coming out of a vision weekend here at church. I know we do those multiple times a year and a lot of times people ask well, what do you talk about on those vision weekends?

0:44 Why are those important? Why would you have one of those? And I thought it would be helpful for our audience and people listening to the podcast to understand why vision is so important. Well, I think about you know, the reason behind the podcast is to encourage that person out there that you can win in the areas of life that matter most. And I know maybe someone tunes into this podcast who is maybe a pastor. I think there's senior leaders that are leading churches who are looking to be good stewards of that responsibility. I know that there's also ministry leaders and staff positions. And then I've heard from a lot of friends that are in the business and marketplace space.

1:27 Um, I believe when you think about taking care of people and that's really what we believe winning is, winning is being a good steward of what God's given you responsibility for, and uh, and so we, we are stewarding people Then I think you have to. You have to talk about vision, about vision, and that's kind of the space I've been living in. I do those multiple times because I realized that in our world today, with the amount of competing voices, that one of my top responsibilities is clarity. One of my top responsibilities is clarity, and when I think about the word vision, I think about the importance of clarity and so, bringing clarity to the responsibility I have, which happens to be being the lead pastor of Milestone Church, I believe that it's my responsibility.

2:22 I can't delegate that. I have to be a person who is bringing that clarity. Here's what I believe that it's my responsibility. I can't delegate that. I have to be a person who is bringing that clarity. Here's what I believe God has called us to do. I think, as a senior pastor or lead pastor, it's very important that you communicate that as a steward of his people and his church and a communicator of his word. Vision doesn't originate with us. We simply are receiving what God is saying to his people, to his church. We don't own the church. He's the head of the church and so my responsibility is to hear his vision, then get confirmation.

3:05 I think a lot of people miss that part as well. They're like okay, well, I heard from God. Well, moses heard from God and a lot of people in the Bible heard from God. You're not more spiritual than them and God would always use other people. Two or three voices. Two or three voices to confirm something. So then I'm going to go, my wife, our leadership team, our elders, and I'm going to get clarity and kind of hey, here's what I sense God's saying. By the way, how you ask the question determines whether you're open to feedback. It's not like thus says the Lord you know, god took a coal from heaven and touched my ears or something like that, right, yeah, god told me, you can only use a few times.

3:46 You get a few of those trump cards but you just got to be really careful with that. So I generally am like I here's what I sense God is saying and I'm going to get confirmation, and then it's my responsibility then to cast that vision to the congregation and then my hope is is that they carry it. It's great, but they can't carry it unless it's clear, right? So vision is a sense, whether we're talking about church or we're talking about a business or a team. Where are we trying to go? Yeah, what are we trying to do? And it's amazing how it might seem obvious to the leader, but the team, the people, don't always know what it is, unless you tell them. Right, yeah, I mean, I've always said I have more vision for my family than I do the church.

4:27 I think it's important to know how to cast a clear, compelling, vital vision. My wife and I, at the season we're at, we have to come together regularly and talk a bit about like why are we doing this and where do we feel God's calling us to go as a family? I think that's changed. That's one of those things in culture that's changed where families now young people especially have access through technology, different things. They have their own schedule, they have their own hobbies, they have their own interests and a lot of families are frustrated. We don't feel like we're on the same page. Ask a family how well do you do when you try to figure out where you're going to go eat or what you're going to watch for family movie night? There's a lot of tension because there's a lot of competing visions.

5:07 We live in a customized, personalized world, so it's never been more challenging. And I'm not saying impossible, I'm saying it just takes more energy, intentionality and effort. If your passion is to move a group of people in the same direction, toward a desired future hopefully it's, it's, it's God who's saying here's my desire for you, here's my plan for you Then then you have to spend a considerable amount of more effort and clarity and intentionality to help people all grab a hold of that. So good, so yeah, so it takes more work than it used to.

5:48 I know the podcast. A lot of people listening to this are leaders or watching this are leaders and they have great intentions and they want to do the best. They want to serve people and a lot of times, unfortunately, there's frustration because they feel like the people don't just get it or they won't follow me. Help us understand. I've heard you say this when are people at in regards to vision? Why is it difficult? Why is it so much more complicated than just tell them where to go and they'll go there? Well, I'll we always say for our team what they're probably not thinking about right now is what we're discussing. Okay, you know they're. They're not thinking about your building or your children's ministry. I just came out of a meeting where we were analyzing the exact amount of time it takes to leave a service and get out of the parking lot and then relating that to our service times and how long the service should be, so that we can understand when to add services in a way in which we can serve all the people coming to our different campuses.

6:48 I bet you didn't have a class on that in seminary. They don't teach that in a class. I didn't figure I'd be okay. Now, if we go to 845 here, 16 minute turnaround, let's see the math of that. I did not think that's what I would be doing, but here's what. I know that we're not even that concerned about service times or times that we flip the service or time for people to get off the parking lot. I think you have to always come back to vision is what produces your? Why? Wow, vision produces why. Why would we put that much effort? Why would we want to serve these people? Why would we want to be more excellent?

7:28 Why would we? Why would we? Why would we? Why would we? It's all an attempt that our vision is reaching people, building lives, reaching lost people, helping understand the message and the person of Jesus Christ, building lives, doing what Jesus said before he ascended into heaven make disciples, not make attenders and listeners to content. So if that's our mantra and our target is the great commission and the great commandment and people matter to God, then for us, then the vision of that then moves us to sacrificial behavior, because you're trying to take care of the people. Trying to take care of people, You're trying to help their experience.

8:10 If they have a great experience at church with their family but it takes them forever to get out of the parking lot and they're frustrated and they don't feel like anybody's thought about them, it could hinder their ability or their desire to want to come back or to continue to take steps. Exactly, we're not trying to be excellent for excellence sake that. We've all been in an environment where it's kind of like, look, this is kind of gross and really about you, but we are trying to be excellent to serve people so that those people can meet Jesus. And so, going back to just this, this purpose behind why we we have to stay in tune, with casting clear vision. I know this podcast is coming out.

8:51 You know we're facing the summer Right A lot of leaders, a lot of pastors, a lot of senior leaders. This is a time for some rest, some fun. That's good. I've got some things planned for this summer some fun, some stuff with my kids, my youngest daughter doing a trip with her, and then my wife as well, and so I'm looking forward to that. But I want to also challenge leaders with the idea of recalibration, which is more than just fun or just rest, but really getting back recalibrated. Rest, but really getting back recalibrated, re re, energized, in tune with the vision that God has actually given you and and and the responsibility you have to cast that clear and compelling vision.

9:37 And, uh, I think, I think that when you get outside of the fray, execution and administration kills creativity. So when your soul gets quieted, then you're able to kind of be renewed, uh, fresh and anew with the vision that God's given you. Most of the time, though, there there are always people who you know just just don't follow well. There are people that just don't play well with others. I shake thousands of hands a year. I'm still an old school pastor shaking hands, standing in the foyer. I went and greeted at 101. I'm praying for a family tomorrow at a funeral. I'm around a lot of people.

10:18 But again, that's not just you on a task list, that's you with your vision. You do those things because they line up with your vision of what it means, the role that you're in and what it looks like to actually serve people Some of those. You're not looking for things to do. You have plenty of things to do, but you're like this is my responsibility and this is how, as the chief communicator, the chief vision caster, I have to model what these things look like. Yeah, and I mean the place where our church is is that I'm trying to articulate a vision for God, and God that loves people. In this reach of people, building lives. I want this big church to to feel smaller and more personalized.

10:59 So anytime I'm able to add, and it's possible for me to do that, then then then it's. It doesn't take a lot. Right, you're modeling it, just show a little care. Yeah, just give a little touch here and there. I mean, I think that that goes a long way in our world today. Yeah, you were talking about this idea of creativity and the senior leader. I think a lot of times they're trying to come up with something innovative as opposed to finding innovative ways to say the same thing. We'd love to be able to say you say the vision one time and the people get it. We know vision leaks. Statistics will tell you that most managers are direct report. You have to tell the people that you're leading seven times before they think you're serious in doing it.

11:40 I've watched you do this this weekend. You got up on the platform and were preaching. What do I want for you? I want you to care about people. It's like wow, that's pretty basic, but you put energy and emotion into letting them feel that, because you know how important it is to go to a church where people care about the lost and care about others. You don't just assume that's going to happen. Yeah. So I'm around a lot of people and I'm with them and I think there's people who don't want to follow. I think there's people who don't play well with others, but by and large, I have this. I believe it's fairly well grounded in actual experience with people.

12:20 We as leaders, a lot of times as dads, as parents and as managers or wherever your post is or responsibility maybe you have four employees in your company or three, or you're a part of a team. I think we can assume. Well, you know people just don't want it, they just don't want to follow today, people you know it's just the end times and people are. You know it's just like it's just. You know the world is just. You know we believe what social media? Social media? We read some article in the morning from some feed that the average person today has the inability to ever follow and be anything great due to so-and-so statistic. Yeah, some sort of negativity. Yeah, people are people. People have always been people.

13:01 Times change and you need to understand culture, but the reality is people respond to a clear and compelling vision. It's great and I love Habakkuk. I've recently been reading in that Habakkuk. Really it's a time before the exile, and if you read Habakkuk two he starts out having kind of a pity party with God. It's like a lot of the prophets do that. A lot of prophets do, but we do a lot. We do too, you know they're like us, my kids, man, they're demon possessed my team won't do this. My church is not generous. We're not in the right region. We're not in the right region. I've pastored, you know, multiple churches in multiple areas and I've had multiple range of emotions, but here's what I've learned.

13:48 Habakkuk said all that to God and then God said here's what I want you to do Write the vision, make it plain that he that reads that vision may run with it. It's a herald, which means that they have to be able to understand it, to carry it and communicate it to other people. And then he talks about the timing of it being completed. But my message that I would say to any frustrated leader or my team, the first question you have to ask yourself is you can't delegate this. Is it clear? Wow, what are we trying to do? Seems so simple.

14:28 Is it clear? Did they know? I shared with our team last week about vision and I need you to see it. I need you to carry it. I spoke about, you know, as our church is growing, we want to maintain the clarity of the vision of who God's called us to be, and and I just simply asked them I need you to carry it and execute it with a good attitude, and I have grace for mistakes. We work with a lot of young leaders. I mean, come on, we're all learning Like, yeah, it's how you get better. It's how you get better. I mean, I got a shot. I was. I'm not the same pastor I was when I first started and you know I mean.

15:09 And so I think we, we work with, we work, and it doesn't mean you have to be young to make a mistake. I have grace for mistakes, but I don't have grace for a bad attitude, Right. And so you don't know if someone actually does have a desire to follow until clarity happens. So I think a lot of times we're dismissing certain people's abilities based on what we presume them to be, but we, as the leader, haven't actually clarified what we're asking for them to do. That's so important I'm thinking about. We have the way to win here. I'm thinking about leading one of the development groups and I had a guy in my group who had just moved. He was just new to the church and he said you know, I've been going to church for 10 years.

15:52 My wife's been dragging me. I've never understood what we're trying to do. This is the first time anybody's ever explained to me what we're actually trying to do. And he's like I, like coming to church so much more. Now that I know what we're actually trying to do and it could be obvious, you could think well, of course they understand what they're trying to do. They don't. There's so many other visions out there. So I think what you're saying is so important for us to be able to be clear and to be compelling, so that the people we're trying to lead and inspire towards a preferable future know what we're actually trying to do. Yeah, I mean you could use three C's I mean I'm a preacher, right, but it's like you have to get clarity, you have to see it, you have to own it, you have to know it's from God.

16:34 Then you have to communicate it or cast it, because they can't carry what they don't know and you can't cast what you don't own. You can't carry what you don't possess, right? So you have to communicate it. And really, I think, really what happens to you over time, if you keep growing and developing, as you said, you're not that much wiser. It's not like it's new information. You just get better at communicating. That's good. It's really what happens. You just become better at communicating that vision. So it has to be clear, you have to communicate it and what your real goal is is for your team and those around your congregation, your business, for them to carry it.

17:21 You're really looking for people that carry the vision Even more than what they do. You want them to carry that vision. Yeah, right, that's what you're looking for. I'll give you one more C, and actually I'm just giving back because you said it. The other thing that causes people to want to carry something is when they understand their contribution Right, right. So there's a unique contribution God gives. Nobody else can do our part. That's what stewardship means. You've been entrusted with gifts and talents and you offer your part to the vision in a unique way, and when you understand how your contribution is significant, it makes you want to carry that vision. I think a lot of times, staff members, team members, younger team members be like I don't want to carry that vision, I don't care about it.

18:06 Well, if your contribution is central to that vision, you're going to care about it so much more. Well, we live speaking of vision, we live in a picture age right, like there's so many more photographs taken because we have, like, we have a camera on our phones, right, so everything we do is totally a picture. So we have a perspective, we have a picture of everything. But anytime you're looking at a picture from an event, our young people are looking back over camp. Yeah, or they're looking back over the. What's the first thing back in the old days for us, when we got our high school annual? Yeah, you go looking for your own picture.

18:48 Looking for your own picture. In fact, in the old days you could turn and they would have your number and they would know all the pages you were on the index. Yeah, man, I only got three pages. That dude's a loser. He's got like 15 pages. He's on the thing. He wants to work for the yearbook. He wants to work for the yearbook. He wants to work for the yearbook team. Yeah, but you want to see yourself in the picture, Right? And I love the Ephesians passage that talks about when this body comes together and every joint is connected and it's growing in a healthy way. It says that there's more love to be imparted and everyone would say, oh, it would be great if there were more love, the more love of Jesus for a hurting world. But the answer is as each part does its work.

19:33 And so what are we as leaders? We are casting a compelling vision that is so clear that we communicate it. We communicate it and then it ultimately is something that people are carrying that then results in their contribution. It says as each part does its work, and so ownership produces donorship. I mean, you're down on what you're not up on. So contribution, and what is every leader looking for? They're looking for more people to contribute to whatever it is that God's put in their heart. But it's your ability to cast that clear and compelling vision, and here's the deal when they see themselves in it that creates sacrificial living.

20:24 That's one of the things I've noticed about the way that you lead. You see things quickly and you're a maximizer. You're futuristic, so you're always out in front, but you don't always move at the speed that you want to move at. You're a consensus builder because you don't think like is this vision clear and compelling to me? You are always asking the question is this vision clear and compelling to the people? Why do you think that's hard? Why is that hard for leaders to do? To start with where, not where they're at and their, their level of emotion towards it, but the people's emotion. Yeah, I think I think for a lot of leaders the test really is what's your motive in the first place? So my vision is for God's people to flourish, to become who God's called them to be.

21:12 I don't see winning as me getting to some destination and everyone's not coming with. There's not the team aspect I believe teams win championships great. So for me I can't just go ahead because I don't see winning as me being ahead at any point or destination, but it's bringing everybody along, which, in my opinion, is servant leadership and a better picture of who Christ is in our lives. I'm not saying I'm perfect at it and I have got ahead, and I think some of the best things in my life have come as I was willing to let God help me take the next step, when I was interested in how everybody was doing and where we're at and didn't kick down doors.

21:57 Some of the best things in my life have been when I led with that perspective. Some of the worst things in my life have been when I grasped it. You know, forced it, pushed it, went ahead. You know I didn't originate this saying but it to me is so powerful If you've ever done any level of taking care of other people. Your goal is to take people where they don't want to go. I preached to thousands of people this weekend and I'm like you care about this. You care about heaven. It's like you care about hell. Yeah, I don't want to go there, it's hot. You know, okay, you care about heaven, hell. You care about lost people.

22:37 You care about, you know, the next generation. You care about making a kingdom impact. You care about seeking first the kingdom. You know saying that and they're warming up to it. They're like you know what I really care about right now? I feel like my job is taking all the life out of me, but I don't really enjoy what I'm doing and I thought I was going to be compensated more and I took this promotion but it isn't what I thought it would be and I've got a kid that's in trouble and me and my wife, I'm not getting along with my mother-in-law. I got a new marriage. That's what they care about. It's true, they're thinking about those things and vision is this idea of hey, for a moment, let me lift your perspective up just a little bit higher and when people begin to see, focusing on what God cares about impacts their life.

23:25 So it's taking people where they don't want to go. They don't really want to go there, really Not in the natural sense yeah that's not their highest motivation. And when they get there, they say we did it. They get the credit. It's like we couldn't have done it without you. That's really what the essence of visionary leadership is. So good. I hope you were listening there, because he's intuitively doing something there that I hope you caught right. Like we're talking about motivation and heart and character and you're explaining how, like in your head, you could have just charged ahead, you could have gotten frustrated, you could have beat him up for what you were saying, but instead, instead, you chose to appeal to them and invite them to participate in something that they can't really see yet, but as they see it and as they take steps, they're going to be like man, this is actually so much better.

24:15 We actually really like this. Thank you for taking us to this point, so I appreciate you being so thorough to take us through that process. And the principle of clear vision. It applies to marriage, it applies to your kids. Like vision for the future gives you power in the present, like there is discipline with your kids, but as they get older it's more leading them to here's what God would have available for you. Let me not just talk to you about morality, let me talk to you about a vision for a godly marriage. So so we move toward that which we see, we move toward the screen that we're we're looking at, the dashboard that we're looking at, and so I would say, mom, you know, dad, husband, wife, teenager, young adult, new business owner, team member, really, wherever you're at, I just want to give you one thought Whoever it is that you have a responsibility to steward, put a little more intentionality into envisioning, re-envisioning that group of people, talking a little bit more, not about what I need you to do, but motivating them from the heart for why it's important to do it.

25:30 So good, I love, I love the apostle Paul, ephesians. One I want, I want you to, to have the eyes of your heart enlightened. I that phrase. When I remember reading that, it just jumps off yeah, what an internet. Eyes of your heart, the eyes of your heart and the vision and heart, the eyes of how we see the world. Through our heart motivations it influences our life. It's so good. I was just listening to you talk about that. I'm thinking about particularly that marriage relationship. People use language like we fell out of love or we just grew distant, language like we fell out of love or we just, you know, we're just grew distant and so much of what you're saying. There is a failure to re-envision, to re-communicate love.

26:11 Here's what you mean to me, here's who you are, here's where we're going and the strength that comes as a result of that. Like you said, it applies in the workplace, it applies in a church, it applies in a family and certainly in a marriage. Continuing to re-envision that and understanding that's your responsibility. Not waiting for the other person to do it for you, but you going and serving that other person by going first. I just encourage you, know, summertime, take a little time recalibrate, get in that space where you can hear from God. If you're a senior pastor, senior leader, you just can't delegate that Like you got. You gotta just go. You gotta go wrestle with it. You gotta get some blank pieces of paper, you gotta sit down.

26:52 You, you, you, you have to. I would say, more importantly than any of the things you do outside of your personal character and walk with God, you have to give clear vision to the people that you have responsibility to steward. It's amazing. You cannot delegate that. And I just think if I were to say something to my younger self is I would be more patient and I would cast a clearer vision before I got frustrated. I would ask myself the question have you paid the price, have you been patient enough and do they really understand what you're saying? Before you get so mad.

27:34 Wow. I think the frustration is they're not seeing what we're seeing, and the reason they're not seeing it is because we haven't let them see it. We haven't helped them to see what we want to see. So it's not fair to be frustrated with them when we haven't given them the opportunity to care. Yeah Well, thank you so much. I mean, this has been so rich, so many valuable things here on Vision and I just want to thank you. I hope you enjoyed this. I hope you got some practical takeaways. Thank you for joining us on the Lead to Win podcast. We'll see you next time.