As a leader, you must be clear. Despite having to balance leading a team, getting details checked off your to-do list, and actually accomplishing results, taking the time to cast a vision of clarity can seem impossible.
Andy Stanley puts it this way in his book, Next Generation Leader:
“Uncertainty is a permanent part of the leadership landscape. There will be very few occasions when you are absolutely certain about anything. You will consistently be called upon to make decisions with limited information. That being the case, your goal should not be to elevate uncertainty. Instead, you must develop the art of being clear in the face of uncertainty.”
Here are 3 tips to have clarity:
- Know your purpose and vision. You must know the vision of your ministry or program and be able to clearly communicate it to your team. What is the vision for your ministry, event, or program?
- Repeat your vision. Do you remember step one? Repeat it, repeat it, repeat it. Every time you speak or communicate with the people you lead, point them back to the vision. You’ll know that it is catching on when you hear the people you lead talking about the vision in their every day language.
- Reward the vision. Did you hear a volunteer share the gospel with a kid and her parent at the door? Celebrate it! Did you see your kids ministry intern take an extra measure to ensure the safety of the kids? Celebrate it! I’ve heard the phrase “What is celebrated is repeated.”
In your leadership journey, there will certainly be times of uncertainty. How will you grow your ministry? What week of camp will we attend? How will you get enough volunteers for next Sunday? Not knowing all of the answers is okay, but in all cases, you must have clarity when leading your team.