I’m pumped to have author and speaker Joël Malm guest posting on my blog today. Joël’s a good friend of mine and a phenomenal leader. He’s also graciously volunteered to give away a FREE copy of his new book, Vision Map, to the first ten people who comment on the post. Vision Map is a fantastic book, so make sure to get your comments in!
I heard about a pastor who would quietly slip out of his office every Monday afternoon for about an hour. He never told anyone where he was going. His staff became concerned. One day two of them followed him.
The pastor pulled up near some train tracks, got out of his car and waited. A train rumbled past. The pastor got back into his car and drove back to the church. The staff watched him do this for several days before finally getting up the courage to ask him, “Pastor, why do you go watch that train every day?”
The pastor blushed. “Well, I just have to watch something every once in a while that is moving without me having to push it.”
If you’ve ever led anything –a department, a ministry, a church – you’ve probably had to push a bit. Leading this way can be exhausting. We all know pushing isn’t the answer. But how do you inspire the people you lead to take action and make things happen?
As the visionary or leader of your organization you spend lots of energy thinking about the vision. Or at least you should. But the reality is, those you lead probably don’t spend much timing thinking about it. It’s not their main focus like it is yours. Vision doesn’t stick. It has to be re-presented over and over.
I’m convinced that the main job of a leader is to share a compelling vision to the people they lead and remind those people of that vision over and over. Remind them why what they are doing is important. Remind them of the big picture. That is vision casting. And that’s the engine that propels the train down the tracks.
If you want the people you lead to take action you need to make sure you are constantly fueling their engine with the vision. Inspire them. Keep it simple. Don’t use big words. “We are all working so hard so that…” Make it clear. Remind them. Don’t assume they remember.
I wrote a book called Vision Map that talks about the importance of making a clear, concise vision statement to remind people what they are doing.
If you feel like you’ve been doing a lot of pushing lately maybe you should grab a copy of the book and take some time to get really clear about your vision and how you can translate that vision into action for those you lead.
I am giving away a FREE copy to the first 10 people who leave a comment.
Joël Malm is an entrepreneur, author and life-coach.
He has started everything from a business to a not-for-profit, and he’s even started a church.
As founder of Summit Leaders he takes people on outdoor expeditions around the world to places like Mt. Kilimanjaro, Grand Canyon and Machu Picchu. He has traveled in over seventy countries on six continents and speaks three languages. He holds a B.A. in Political Science and a M.S. in Counseling.
His book Vision Map, published by Moody Press, is available wherever books are sold.
He and his wife Emily currently live in Texas.
Justin Trapp
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