August 28th, 2010
12 Steps to Recovery for Vision Statement Addicts
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Wow – I just finished with your book today. I wish it would have been as clear and simple as this post. Good stuff!
Will, good stuff. I’ll push back just a bit (would you expect anything else)?
I agree that too many people get caught up in the “writing” of the vision statement, but…
I think you’re missing the boat by your strong words against a written statement.
Not everyone is a visual and auditory learner. Just as not everyone responds to writing.
If I’m on your team I would end up writing down various talking points – because that is how I process information. You can forbid me to do so … but I’d end up doing it anyway. Not because I’m rebellious but because that is just how my brain is wired. After I write it down I can throw it away because the act of writing clarifies my mind and helps me remember.
I do agree 100% that the vision transfers between people face to face telling stories.
If you want to fully engage all members of the community you’ll find that there are some people that have brains wired by God to process information best when they see it written with words on paper. This is why engineers almost always have a white board in their office. Talk to your dad – most engineers like seeing things in writing.
Will, thanks so much for this post. I do have a question however. I have been reading your book and think your model would be good to utilize for a visioning process for the department I oversee in my organization. The issue is that we are attempting to clarify the vision and guiding principles for community development. We have hundreds of staff around the world that need to be guided by this. Without a written statement how could we help all of our staff get on board and understand what we are attempting to do? I will not have face to face contact with all of these people, so something written is very necessary. Do you feel that your vision pathway is appropriate for organizations as decentralized as ours, or just local churches or where leaders have direct access to their followers?