FollowtheLeader.indd

FOLLOW THE LEADER

of the leader of what he sees himself doing – and others participating in.
It is a clear understanding of God’s will for his life, and for the life of the
people he leads. The clearer the vision is to the leader, the more clearly he
will be able to articulate it to his followers.

Principle:

“Vision must be crystallized, visualized,

verbalized, and summarized. It must first be

clearly crystallized and visualized in the head

of the leader; only then can it be clearly verbalized

and summarized for the heart of the follower.”

In the final analysis, the leader lives his life’s vision. He becomes inseparable
from his vision. His vision produces vitality and velocity in his life. He
thinks about it by day – and dreams about it at night! He mulches
over it while he works, and mulls over it when he rests. Ultimately
and continually, his vision compels him to action – and propels him to
productivity. Vision sounds the death knell to complacency, inactivity,
and a lack of involvement. It forces a person out of the bed...out of the
shadows...out of the bleachers...out of passivity...out of inactivity...
out of anonymity...out of mediocrity – and compels him to seize the
moment and lead!

“Ideas won’t keep; something

must be done about them.” 1 7

(Alfred North Whitehead, English philosopher

and mathematician)

Harvard Business School professor, John Kotter, says this about vision:

Vision plays a key role in producing useful change by helping to direct,

align and inspire actions on the part of large numbers of people...

The word ‘vision’ connotes something grand or mystical, but the direction

that guides successful transformations is often simple and mundane.^18