Baseball is a big deal in our home. We watch every Braves game, or, if we’re out of the home, we make sure the DVR has been set. In Atlanta, after the Braves hit a home run, they break out the “tale of the tape;” another way of saying they measure the length of the drive. Whenever the Braves hit one out, it gets measured.
Dr. Dan Erickson, founder of People Matter Ministries [www.peoplematterministries.com], has regularly used this expression in his leadership of staff and volunteers – “What gets measured, gets done.” It’s one thing for a person to say they will do something. It’s another thing for that project to come to fruition. If you have raised teenagers who are “domestically challenged,” you know exactly what I’m talking about. In fact, I’m wondering…could it be that “teenager” and “domestically challenged” are synonyms?? If your Bose headphones went missing for a month; only to surface under the bed of one of your teenagers, you understand. But, I digress; let’s get back to measuring.
A leadership buzz phrase in play for the past several years is “best practices.” A best practice is a technique or methodology that, through experience and research, has proven to reliably lead to a desired result. There are hundreds of documented best practices and they change from setting to setting, depending on your area of focus.
The most effective leaders I encounter – [uncommon] leaders – consistently employ basic, foundational best practices, either purposefully or intuitively. Some of these practices seem to apply to virtually any environment. One of those practices is:
§ Purposeful Measurement – a commitment to measure progress toward the objective. Are we moving the ball down the field; is the future picture growing in clarity because we are getting closer to seeing it realized?
Let’s apply Purposeful Measurement, to [uncommon] Vision. If we share the conviction that possessing, communicating, and connecting others to an [uncommon] Vision is mission-critical for any successful endeavor, is it possible to somehow measure vision effectiveness? Is there a tale of tape that can be used to help sharpen our vision; making it truly [uncommon]?
Thankfully, yes! Here are a few quick standards against which your vision can be measured:
- Honest Assessment – If you put your vision under the spotlight for a close-up, honest look, what are the results? Unfortunately, there are leaders all over the country who are perfectly comfortable peddling someone else’s vision, or one that is stale, having outlived its shelf life. Taking that route is often easier, faster, and requires less work; at least initially. But, over the long haul, it will fail to engender a heart-felt response by those you are leading. In your heart of hearts, is your future picture exciting to you? Does it give you a reason to get up in the morning; a reason to be inconvenienced; a reason to sacrifice; a reason to enlist others to its great cause?
- Clear and Understandable – When you spend time intentionally casting vision, telling others about it, how is it received? Are you met with puzzled looks; half-heartedness; disinterest? Or, are people eagerly listening, asking questions, wanting to hear more?
- Easily Repeated – Are those you lead, readily able to “carry” the vision; repeating it with clarity to others? To be effective, leaders need “vision-carriers;” men, women, or students who truly “get it,” then help positively influence others.
- Inspiring – If we were to define “inspiring” as; “To fill with an animating, quickening, or exalting influence;” would your vision pass the test? Are people moved to embrace, support, sign up for, and carry the vision to those within their sphere of relationships?
- Includes Elements of Faith, Risk, Courage, God-Dependence – We’ve established that things “run-of-the-mill” stand ready to greet us around nearly every turn in life. What grabs the attention of others and takes their breath away, are the things that are beyond them – the [uncommon]! Things that make a difference; things that we know add value; things that we want to give ourselves to, requiring us to stretch and move beyond the ordinary things of life are [uncommon]. Faith, risk, courage, and God-dependence are all essential elements of the [uncommon] Vision.
- Relevant – People may think of “relevant” as meaning just the latest “new thing” out there. In the context of [uncommon] Vision, “relevant” relates to the people who will be affected by it. Is the vision meaningful to them? Does it make a difference in their lives? Will they be changed as a result of engaging the vision? If so, how? Will their lives count to a greater degree? Can they help affect more life change in areas that they care deeply about?
- Translated Into Measurable Strategies – Are you able to take the essence of the vision and put together a strategic plan that moves toward vision realization? Stated differently, the [uncommon] Vision is not simply a stand-alone piece over which we wax eloquently, but do nothing practically. An [uncommon] Vision will affect our plans for the future.
Every week, I’m reminded of the fact that [uncommon] Leadership can apply to any setting, any age, and any walk of life. Today, I attended church…a place that has a vision to affect change in “neighborhoods, nations, and the next generation.” This church is intentionally focused on equipping people to lovingly share their faith with the Muslim community. Beyond that, they back up their words with actions, taking teams of people to Muslim countries, carrying with them, the love of Christ. We saw a DVD interview today of two young college students – [uncommon] leaders – who gave of their own time and resources, to take this message of love to a country that many would label as “unloving.” The results were amazing. Two, 20-somethings, pursuing an [uncommon] Vision as they follow an extraordinary God!
Commit this week to a purposeful measurement of your vision. Be certain that it is something to which you have honestly been called, not something borrowed or being used because it’s the path of least resistance. Lead in a way that causes others to take note. Live out the [uncommon] Leadership for which you were created!
