In today’s episode of the Leader Fluent Podcast, I’m talking about “The 5 Stages of Vision Casting.” Vision is an important part of leadership, which means the ability to cast vision is an essential leadership skill. In this episode of Leader Fluent, we’re going to look at the five stages to casting vision, and how to maximize each stage in your leadership environment. 

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SHOW NOTES:

Author Michael Hyatt said, “Vision, as I see it, is a clear, inspiring, practical, and attractive picture of your organization’s future.” But for that vision to have its greatest impact, the leader must communicate it in a clear and compelling way. It’s not enough to simply have a vision; you also need to create buy-in so the vision can be fulfilled. As author Ray Pritchard once said, “Good leaders have a vision; better leaders share a vision; the best leaders invite others to join them in spreading this vision.” 

The question is, how do you get others to understand the vision, embrace the vision, and rally around the vision? In other words, how do you effectively cast inspiring vision in such a way that people want to join you in the journey to a better future? I believe there are five stages in effective vision casting. 

1. CELEBRATION 

Vision casting doesn’t start by looking at the future; it starts by celebrating the past. This lets people who have “paid the price” for yesterday’s vision know how much they are appreciated. It’s a simple way of showing honor and respect to the people who paved the way for the church or organization to get to where it is today. 

Celebration sets the tone. It focuses on the wins, and it reinforces the organization’s ability to influence positive change. So, what should you celebrate? Celebrate growth, impact, testimonies, and life change. 

2. THE PROBLEM 

So often leaders share a vision before they’ve ever defined a problem. And yet, every vision is the answer to a problem. In this stage of vision casting, you’re introduce the problem you hope to solve. 

To make the transition from “celebration” to “problem,” use a phrase like this: “We celebrate the impact we’ve made over the last 12 months, but our mission is not done.” Or you might get very specific and say, “We celebrate what God has done in the last five years…but there’s a problem.” Use statistics, research, demographics, photos, and stories to raise awareness of the need you’re trying to meet or the problem you’re trying to solve. Then, once people feel the weight of the problem, transition to the next stage of vision casting.

3. THE SOLUTION

The solution is the part you’ve been wanting to get to all along. It’s the exciting picture of the future that you want people to see. And now that you’ve honored the past and helped people feel the weight of the need, their hearts are ready to hear the solution. 

Begin to unfold the vision in a clear, compelling, and specific way; the key is to connect the dots between the problem and the solution. That’s when your vision carries the most weight because people see the vision as something we must do not just something we could do.

Every leader has to create and cast compelling vision. In “The Insanely Practical Guide to Create, Communicate, & Capture Vision,” I take the guesswork out of vision to help you see, share, seize, and safeguard your vision. Get this downloadable 36-page guide today HERE.

4. THE PRICE 

Every vision comes with a price tag, and the bigger the vision, the bigger the price. And the bigger the price, the more intentional you have to be about layering your vision-casting. In other words, you must cast the vision to different groups of people at different times.

At each vision gathering, celebrate the impact, I introduced a need or a problem, share the vision (which is the solution to the problem), and share what the cost of the vision will be (which by the way, sometimes the cost isn’t money as much as it is time or change). 

5. PARTNERSHIP                                                                

Partnership is where you invite people to participate in the vision. This is where it becomes a shared vision. And as the leader, you must lead the way in what you’re asking people to do. 

Let me wrap up with one simple tip that I’ve found makes a big difference. When I do a vision casting talk, I always manuscript it. Manuscripting the vision helps me clearly articulate each of the five stages of vision casting. Furthermore, it helps me transition smoothly from one stage to the next, and it ensures the vision casting has substance, not hype. Substance creates security in the vision casting process. As you follow this five-step process, you’ll see the greatest buy-in to the vision God has given you for the future.

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