Servant Leadership (Part 3)

Solid Vision

To be a genuine servant leader you must first have a proper perspective and then that perspective must be lived out as shown in our integrity and finally the leader must have a solid vision. Vision is really the third level of perspective a leader must have, which is a perspective on the future (see part 1 about the first 2 levels). Vision is more than a clever statement or idea. In order to explain clearly the necessity of having a vision I must answer three questions: “what is vision”, “what is needed for vision” and then lastly “why do we need vision.” Almost every leadership book will cover the topic of vision at some point and will usually give an exhaustive definition and explanation of each aspect of what a vision should include. In general there are three aspects to how they each define vision.

Autry describes the first aspect as the purpose, which answers “why are we here?” (Autry 26) George Barna defines the purpose for the leader by stating that he is here to “motivate, mobilize, resource, and direct people to fulfill a vision. (41) This answers what the defining reason for the leader’s existence is, which stems from our perspective on our self and our definition of leadership. The “purpose” should also include an ability to explain the purpose of the existence of the group in which the leader is leading. This must include the people around the leader, defining what it is they are there for (Autry 28). The servant leader must avoid chasing after the wind, as Solomon did, he must remember that his mission is not based on results, but on respecting God for who he is and following his commandments, which is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13) .

The purpose for existence is what sets the tone for the second aspect which Autry calls the mission (28). If the vision stays in the level of just the big picture, it is simply a dream. Often leaders fail because they do not articulate the answer to the question that is raised in creation of the mission “What do we do in order to fulfill our purpose?” (Autry 28). The purpose is too generic to give specific direction, so the mission is to give specific direction in fulfilling the purpose (Barna 41). It is at this level where the vision will usually grow old, either through the accomplishment of its goals or through the eternal venture to fulfill an unreachable goal. The servant leader must make reachable goals and must also be ready to re-adjust for a new reachable goal when one goal is reached keeping in mind to not allow it to become a cliché because “as visions grow older they tend to become wearisome clichés.” (Miller 69).

The final aspect that defines a vision is what both Autry and Barna call “values” (Autry 31, Barna 41). Values are the boundaries that are created as to what can and cannot be done to achieve your mission and purpose. For the servant leader this will emerge directly from their integrity. If there is a lack of integrity there will be a lack of values, if there is a high level of integrity, as is demanded of Christian leaders, there will be a high level of values. Too often Christian leaders sacrifice biblical truth and acceptance of all types of sin in order to try to accomplish their mission to grow the church by a certain amount. Let us hold fast to the gospel and the right preaching of his word and take heart to the warning by Paul to Timothy of false teachers who will teach to “tickle” people’s ears, giving them what they want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3). Rather we should proclaim the gospel message, as this is what sets the Christian leader apart from any other type of leader. Henri Nouwen points out that “the Christian leader thinks, speaks and acts in the name of Jesus” and we should be attempting to lead people to the knowledge that leads to eternal life.

If vision is having a purpose, mission and set of values in order to lead people to their potential there needs to be groundwork set in place. Miller says that often vision is “the result of some tearing circumstances” in the leader’s life leaving him in complete need of guidance from God (64). Though vision may emerge from a number of things, the primary point that needs to be drawn from this is that the vision must be passionately grasped by the leader. The leader must “think on it day by day and dream of it at night” (Miller 72). If the leader is passionate about his vision then this will increase the confidence of others to join in on it.

Trust and Vulnerability are also needed to accomplish the vision God has laid on the leader’s heart. Risk is the evidence of trust and vulnerability. Miller uses the analogy of walking, he says “imbalance must be risked as one foot moves forward” (172). So it is with the servant leader, he must allow himself to be vulnerable and risk looking bad by taking a step out in faith toward the vision. Max De Pree says that if risk isn’t connected with it, “you probably just have an idea.” (Shelley 30). Ideas are just something that is simply sitting in the mind of the dreamer, but vision is something that must take real risk and real challenges. The servant leader must remember that he is there to challenge his followers to be different and to flee complacency. Servant leaders must themselves be reminded, and remind those they lead, that this will not be an easy task.

A vision must be understood and accepted. It must be understood in its explanation, this is why Anthony Robbins places “mastery of communication” as one of the seven mechanisms that can ensure success. There are many strategies to create a detailed, and often overcomplicated, description of one’s vision. Though there is great usefulness to having a strong and detailed vision statement or declaration, it must be able to be shared in a simple manner. Albert Einstein said “if you can’t say something simply, you don’t understand it." When understood it must follow that people accept it. De Pree makes a distinction between agreement and acceptance, we may not have everyone agree with us but we must have people accept the vision and strive for it with us. If a leader has no followers, he really isn't a leader. The servant leader must strive to make the vision simple and something that is relevant to those they are serving so that they can have maximum buy in and acceptance.

There is great need for vision in the life of the servant leader. Barna says that “vision is at the heart of great leadership” and “vision is to a leader as air is to a human being: Without it, you die” (37, 39). The necessity of this characteristic lies in the fact that the people of God need to constantly grow and not to settle in a state of complacency. Vision is the manifestation of the integrity, in that it desires for the leader and those they lead to take risks and grow together, which is firmly grounded in their perspective. The servant leader must have an understanding of what a vision is, must see what needs to be in place in order to achieve the desired outcome and must see its necessity in his life.

In order to accomplish the tasks of a leader one must be genuinely committed to living a life of strong character. This strong character includes the aspects that were discussed over the previous two posts. The leaders must begin with a proper perspective on himself. After he is able to perceive himself and others from the proper perspective he can solidify this paradigm through a lifestyle of integrity. And then with these characteristics as a foundation, vision is possible. The servant leader takes hold of these characteristics and through the mercy of God, changes the world.