Summer 2024 | Vision

Talking Leadership

Pursuing God-inspired Vision

I had a strong sense that the organization didn’t need my vision. Instead, I needed to get in touch with God’s vision for Compassion. To do that, I started out by doing a lot of listening and learning.

By Outcomes Magazine | Compassion’s Jimmy Mellado reflects on vision and leadership.

Thought Leader

Vision as Your North Star

In today's fast-paced environment, characterized by rapid technological advancements and disruptive market forces, the need for a robust, shared, and clear vision is more critical than ever before.

By Dr. John C. Reynolds | Prioritizing organizational vision in an uncertain world.

Lead Story

Crystal Clear Vision

When there is clarity of vision, people usually end up pulling in the same direction and towards a shared goal. So, what is an organizational vision statement? What is its relationship to a mission statement? And how is it developed?

By Dr. Gene Habecker | How vision statements inspire organizational effectiveness.

Biblically Speaking

A Vision for God-inspired Change

The character of God and the account of Nehemiah’s Jerusalem rebuilding project can inspire us when facing challenging leadership. Nehemiah’s story reveals the power in a change initiative that springs from God’s heart.

By Dr. Doug Nuenke and Lindy Black | Lessons from Nehemiah’s rebuilding project

Leadership Legacy

A Vision that Endures

Christian leaders have long understood the importance of establishing a vision for the people they steward... A vision that endures requires a leader to immerse themselves in their organization’s past, present, and future.

By Dr. Jennifer Holloran | Immersed in an organization’s past, present and future.

Raising the Bar

Passing the Torch

The biblical narratives of transition—from Moses to Joshua, Elijah to Elisha, and Barnabas to Paul—serve as clear mandates for leadership transition. If these transitions matter to God, then it is not just a good practice but a divine imperative... [...]

By Steve Woodworth | Leadership transition with a multi-generational vision.

Reflections

The Vision Thing

I knew the mission statement by heart, so mission-check, values-check, strategy-check. And now I heard it again, someone asking, “But Naomi, what is your vision?” It was time to get serious about this vision thing.

By Dr. Naomi Cramer Overton | Vision comes from who God is and who we are.

Power Source

Visionary Leadership

We have many tremendous examples of visionary leaders in the Bible, one being Nehemiah who led in specific and intentional ways to see God’s vision for the Israelites to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem become reality.

By Chris Jorgensen | Applying Nehemiah’s four-part vision formula.

Foundations

From Mission Drift to Mission Driven

Mission drift happens when an organization moves away from the kingdom purpose God has given it. When Christian organizations drift, their testimony and ongoing eternal impact are compromised.

By Becca Spradlin | Stewarding both mission and vision through transitions.

Empowering People

Vision Guides our Decisions

Once the vision is clear and concise, it becomes the rubric for all decisions moving forward and empowers the team to make decisions that support the vision.

By Dr. Ashley Graves | A decision-making rubric for organizations and individuals

Better Boards

The Five W’s of a Visionary Board

Beyond oversight, the role of a nonprofit board includes championing the cause, inspiring the community, and securing and mobilizing resources. A board unified by a compelling vision will more likely fulfill these roles with genuine passion.

By Steve Waiksnoris | Embracing a vision for sustained impact.

First Person

Talk Like a Teenager

I should have seen it coming. After all, persuasive communication runs through her genes... Like her mother, however, my daughter seldom sees “no” as the final answer. Instead, she decided to lay out a clear and compelling vision for change.

By Heather M. Day | Four steps to communicating vision.