Without a vision the people will perish – Proverbs 39:18
We have been discussing the concept that true leadership begins with a vision.
A Great Way To Crystallize Your Vision
One great way to clarify and sharpen the vision in your heart and mind is to take some time alone to think, meditate and write down your thoughts. It does not matter if what you are writing down makes sense. You can go back and edit and organize your thoughts later.
The key is that writing out the vision will clarify your thoughts and allow you to put them in order and discover the vision that is in your heart. This will also keep your vision sharp.
There is a very interesting command found in the book of Habakkuk in the Bible.
Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that reads it. Habakkuk 2:2
Example of Cecil Day of Day’s Inn
If you have traveled at all in the USA, especially by road it is possible you have spent some nights in Day’s Inn. I was very fascinated to read some facts about Cecil Day who founded this chain of motels.
One outstanding fact is that they constructed 40,000 rooms in just 4 years. There has not been a company that has done this since (or before) the appearance of Day’s Inn.
Time Alone.
Cecil had the vision AND he put this vision into a set of goals. (We will discuss more about goals in the next article). He habitually used to retire to his little house at the beach in Georgia to take some time alone. During this time he would walk along the beach thinking and praying.
This time alone would revitalize him as well as giving him a new perspective outside of the influence of the tensions and demands of the office. It was during these times that his vision for the chain of hotels was maintained.
Always have a pen that writes (or a pencil) and notebook nearby.
Ideas and pieces of your vision can come to you when you least expect it. Always be ready to write down any inspiration or idea that comes to you.
Cecil Day was awoken at 2am and began to write. He wrote for 14 hours and at the end of this time he had the complete vision written out for the chain of hotels known as Day’s Inn. What he had written was way beyond what he knew himself to be capable of doing.
The vision will always be bigger than you and beyond your capabilities to fulfill.
But this is the real challenge of a leader with a vision. It takes faith to carry out a vision.
A true leader who has a real vision:
- Will believe in his vision. His faith will be contagious and others will follow.
A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He is inspired with the power and energy to get it done. Ralph Lauren
- Will be committed to his vision. Those who follow a leader will be inspired or discouraged by the example of their leader.
You choose the quality of your followers by your example.
- Will keep the vision alive. No one is going to follow a dead vision – at least not with a heart commitment. A true leader inspires a heart commitment from his followers.
- Will never give up.
Remember Winston Churchill – We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.
Any leader who gives up with the pretext of “I guess this just was not to be” dishonors the vision and God Who gave it to him – the commitment needs to be complete for the vision to live.
- Will not be stopped by any difficulty or obstacle. You need to have a commitment that will include a determination to overcome all difficulties and eliminate all obstacles. Develop a mindset that always looks for solutions.
Warning:
If you have a vision you choose to ignore, your personal life will stagnate and you will likely end up with a critical spirit.I am sure you have met folk like that – but it is not you right?
To summarize:
- The vision is clarified by spending time in solitude, thinking, meditating, praying and writing.
- Always carry a notebook. Write down everything that stands out to you during the day.
- Spend time every day reading good motivational and inspirational material that will keep you focused on your goals and your vision.
- Recommit yourself to your vision every morning – this commitment will help you avoid discouragement when things go wrong.
