Weekly Thought – April 22, 2025
Fred sat on numerous business and ministry boards. His gifts of discernment, connecting dots, and maximizing operations enabled him to contribute to the development of numerous organizations. Vision building is a critical element of any institutional infrastructure.
Victory Through Vision
David Rockefeller was once quoted as saying, “The number one function of the top executive is to establish the purpose of the organization. Like the hub of the wheel, everything else grows out of this priority. “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (See Proverbs 29:18) The New American Standard Bible focuses on the way they perish: “Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained.” To be restrained, and to be concentrated on purpose, is essential to accomplishment. That is why the leader must define the “why” of the organization.
A leader must personally the vision and be dedicated to it personally. As they seek to maintain the vision, leaders must keep in mind these essentials:
1. Define the vision specifically. Leaders disperse the fog.
2. Express it so other people understand it. Lingo without logic simply confuses and doesn’t galvanize.
3. Get both organizational and personal acceptance of the vision. Nodding heads without knowing hearts keep the motor idling.
4. Repeat the purpose over and over. The Old Testament patriarchs set up stones of remembrance to remind the people of their story. (See Joshua 4:5.7, My wife, Mary Alice, always sent the children out the door with the following: ‘Remember who you are, where you’re from, and what you represent.” She kept their purpose “ever before them.”
When you have a clear vision, you view everything in its light. A vision is a filter and a grid through which all activity flows. You come to see the need for a vision broad enough that everything you do can be tied to it. The focused vision will both include and exclude. Despite the work it takes to craft an effective vision, it is a far better alternative to perishing.
This week carefully consider: 1) How aware am I of the vision statements of leading businesses or ministries? 2) What would a family vision statement be? 3) Who has a good approach to vision casting?
Words of Wisdom: “To be restrained, and to be concentrated on purpose, is essential to accomplishment.”
Wisdom from the Word: “When there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but the one who keeps the law, blessed is he!” (Proverbs 29:18 NET Bible)