In a great post on sharing your vision as a leader https://knowyourteam.com/blog/2019/07/11/how-to-share-company-vision/, Claire Lew provides a clear and concise definition of vision. She writes, “A vision is a picture of a better place.” In other words, what world do you want to create?
Jesus’ vision was to give glory to the Father. It was to teach people the real nature of God and make the remote, invisible God, visible. “Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father.” (Jn. 14). If we understand this as Jesus’ guidepost, we can see that all His actions and the lessons He taught were to help us understand His vision. He was consistent in His approach and communication of His vision.
As a priest and a leader, a clear picture of your vision must be in place. When moving to a new assignment, it is important to understand where the parish is. Are their practices and values similar to yours? If so, it is reasonable to assume that your vision is probably one that they will understand and support. Yes, some minor changes and tweaks may be required, but it should be relatively easy to garner enthusiasm.
The challenge here may be motivating current staff or expanding the parish to a broader base. While drastic change is obviously not needed, no change can be misinterpreted as complacency or lack of leadership. It is important to ensure that others know you appreciate where the parish is, but they also need to see your passion and energy to make it even better.
On the other hand, your approach would have to be markedly different if your vision is not aligned with the current state of the parish. It may require major changes to get to the better place you envision. Having said that, it is rarely, if ever, a good idea to implement wholesale changes without understanding and support of those who will be involved.
In a previous post, we talked about the Golden Circle developed by Simon Sinek. https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare In a nutshell, you must always start with “Why”. Help them to understand why you want to make the changes and why these changes will make things better. They need to understand that before you begin to say how you will be making changes or what will result from those changes.
In a post by Stacey Ferreira https://www.inc.com/stacey-ferreira/4-ways-to-share-your-vision-lead-a-successful-team.html, the author says a good way to gain collaboration and buy-in is to say, “These are my ideas. Here are the benefits and challenges I foresee. Now I want your input to create the direction of the vision.” In this way, you are providing the vision and direction but inviting them to contribute so it is a shared vision rather than a mandated one. This helps to encourage participation, motivate engagement and help understand the decision processes needed to get there.
She crystalizes the intent by using the following example. Leading to a vision can be likened to doing a puzzle with others. You can give them the pieces but if they can’t see the final picture, they do not know how the puzzle pieces fit together to create the picture.
Vision is critical for any leader; garnering support and alignment is equally important for your success.