Paint, Communicate, and Anchor the Vision of your Organization

I read recently a quote from leadership guru and expert, Warren Bennis. It was one of those statements that jumped off the page at me. I couldn't wait to share it with so many of you who are young leaders who read this blog. Here's the statement:

"It is the responsibility of the leader to Paint, Communicate and Anchor the vision of an Organization."

Wow. What a description of the responsibility that leaders have. I know that as the lead pastor for Next Level Church, I take that responsibility very seriously. I know that the vision of NLC is one of seeing countless lives changed by the Message of Jesus Christ. We want to "Help people reach their Next Level of Becoming more like Jesus Christ in their everyday lives." And I've got to do everything I can to creatively connect the people of NLC with that vision! Here's a few of my thoughts on how we attempt to "Paint, Communicate & Anchor" the vision of NLC.

1. Paint it. For me, it's all about creativity. We are constantly trying to use creative ways to communicate the vision of NLC, and the message of the Gospel to our listeners. Word pictures are huge for me. I'm an illustrator and story teller to the core. I believe that story telling was a popular method of Jesus, and continues to work today. We are living in a visual generation. Don't just tell me, show me. And stories do that. They paint pictures of realities, yet to be created. I love painting the vision in as vivid of a format as I can.

2. Communicate it. I believe the days of "classroom style" learning as the primary method of information dissimination are behind us. The emerging generation and the speed of life demands that we continue to be creative in how we dissiminate information. Heck, you're reading a "blog" right now. Something that a decade ago didn't even exist! Technology plays a huge role in how we as leaders communicate our message to our listeners. At NLC, we want to be asking, "What does this message look like when it's communicated in a "non-traditional" format. ie... through iTunes, or on an iPod, or CD, or even on a cell phone? How do we keep pushing the limits of "how the message gets out?"

3. Anchor it. I love the wording that Bennis uses here. It's so visual. Every vision must be anchored to something. If it's not anchored to something, it's a whim, not a vision. And we all know that whims don't make it too far in the world of leadership. People weary of whims pretty quickly. The anchor of a vision is that which ties it to something greater. For us, it's 2 fold. 1) The Bible. The Vision of Next Level Church is unquestionably tied to the Bible. We believe the Bible gives us the example of how we ought to love people in a real world and our vision is firmly anchored in that! 2) Our Core Values. The Core Values of Next Level Church are simple:

1. People Matter to God.

2. Relationships are the conduit for Life.

3. Everyone has gifts to be used to serve others.

4. We believe in reaching the unchurched.

Everything we do at NLC is centered around those 4 basic concepts. Helping people realize how much they're worth to God. Getting them connected to others who are pursuing God like they are. Encouraging them to use their gifts, talents, and abilities to serve others. And mobilizing them to reach those who are disconnected from God and His Church.

It's the responsibility of the leader to do 3 things well for any organization: 1) Paint the vision, 2) Communicate the vision, & 3) Anchor the vision. That's what I want to spend my days doing for NLC and the Body of Christ. It all comes down to Life-Change! And that's what we're all about...

Just a Leadership Bloggish Thought,

Matt