In Part I of “Following a Vision to Go to the Other Side of the Hill,” we laid out four keys to guide a project from inception to conclusion. Using the metaphor of “going to the other side of the hill” and talking in the context of launching a web based communications platform, we’ve addressed the first two steps a leader must follow – be able to see the big picture, and in Part II, explain to their followers the steps needed to get to the other side of the hill. Today, we address the third key in this process:
3. Help each person involved in the project see how what they do makes a difference in getting to the other side of the hill.
Throughout the movie, Braveheart, Wallace helps people see how their contribution to the effort makes a difference. There comes a scene in the movie where Wallace realizes that unless they can get the help of the nobles, their cause is doomed. Against the advice of his closest friends, he leaves to have a meeting with one of the most important nobles, a man by the name of “Robert the Bruce”. In that meeting, Wallace explains why The Bruce’s role is so important – The Bruce is the one man who can “unite the clans.” This is why what he decides to do is key to making the vision of a free Scotland a reality.
What’s My Role in Going to the Other Side of the Hill?
With regard to instituting a web based communications platform, there are four types of people with whom the visionary leader will need to speak:
1. Those who are “on board” and just need to be encouraged so they can see more clearly why what they do is so important.
2. Those who are part of our leadership team, but resist coming “on board,” perhaps for some of the reasons we identified earlier.
3. Those who can contribute their skills to the project but need to be persuaded to come “on board” and make it happen.
4. Those who are on the fringes – they may be people who will eventually be served by the web based ministry, or they may be people who can help financially, but will not be closely involved in its creation.
Note that each group or type of person requires a different conversation – we are meeting them at different places as it relates to their involvement with the project. To the extent these conversations don’t take place, and the contribution that each can make clearly articulated, resistance to change will remain.
In many churches, this resistance is passive, rather than active. Imagine attending a meeting where someone suggests moving from a single monthly printed newsletter to multiple monthly emailed newsletters. For example, the Youth Ministry might have their own e-newsletter, the Sports Ministry their own e-newsletter, the Church School their own e-newsletter, etc. The key is to allow different groups to communicate with those who use their ministry – all online, and all linked together.
Some churches might organize staff and key volunteers after such a meeting, taking that suggestion and making it happen. However, there are a number of churches where everyone involved might say “great idea,” but never act on it.
Why is that? Why is it that many churches seem stuck in neutral, unable to go beyond a simple, static web page and leverage group email for permission based communications about the ministries and life of their church, or other key uses of a web communications platform? It’s not because they don’t see the value such an online service provides. Often, I believe, it is because they have not understood clearly that until key stakeholders are mobilized to help them see why their help is needed in this third step, they can’t move forward.
The visionary leader must understand that if he is to mobilize key stakeholders, his grand ideas need to become more than just that – grand ideas. They need to be made into a vehicle that others can understand, appreciate and can “climb aboard”. In the fourth and final article, we’ll address this fourth step in the visioning process:
4. Create a vehicle that we can climb on to so we can go to "the other side of the hill."
In our fourth and final article, we’ll address this issue.
3. Help each person involved in the project see how what they do makes a difference in getting to the other side of the hill.
Throughout the movie, Braveheart, Wallace helps people see how their contribution to the effort makes a difference. There comes a scene in the movie where Wallace realizes that unless they can get the help of the nobles, their cause is doomed. Against the advice of his closest friends, he leaves to have a meeting with one of the most important nobles, a man by the name of “Robert the Bruce”. In that meeting, Wallace explains why The Bruce’s role is so important – The Bruce is the one man who can “unite the clans.” This is why what he decides to do is key to making the vision of a free Scotland a reality.
What’s My Role in Going to the Other Side of the Hill?
With regard to instituting a web based communications platform, there are four types of people with whom the visionary leader will need to speak:
1. Those who are “on board” and just need to be encouraged so they can see more clearly why what they do is so important.
2. Those who are part of our leadership team, but resist coming “on board,” perhaps for some of the reasons we identified earlier.
3. Those who can contribute their skills to the project but need to be persuaded to come “on board” and make it happen.
4. Those who are on the fringes – they may be people who will eventually be served by the web based ministry, or they may be people who can help financially, but will not be closely involved in its creation.
Note that each group or type of person requires a different conversation – we are meeting them at different places as it relates to their involvement with the project. To the extent these conversations don’t take place, and the contribution that each can make clearly articulated, resistance to change will remain.
In many churches, this resistance is passive, rather than active. Imagine attending a meeting where someone suggests moving from a single monthly printed newsletter to multiple monthly emailed newsletters. For example, the Youth Ministry might have their own e-newsletter, the Sports Ministry their own e-newsletter, the Church School their own e-newsletter, etc. The key is to allow different groups to communicate with those who use their ministry – all online, and all linked together.
Some churches might organize staff and key volunteers after such a meeting, taking that suggestion and making it happen. However, there are a number of churches where everyone involved might say “great idea,” but never act on it.
Why is that? Why is it that many churches seem stuck in neutral, unable to go beyond a simple, static web page and leverage group email for permission based communications about the ministries and life of their church, or other key uses of a web communications platform? It’s not because they don’t see the value such an online service provides. Often, I believe, it is because they have not understood clearly that until key stakeholders are mobilized to help them see why their help is needed in this third step, they can’t move forward.
The visionary leader must understand that if he is to mobilize key stakeholders, his grand ideas need to become more than just that – grand ideas. They need to be made into a vehicle that others can understand, appreciate and can “climb aboard”. In the fourth and final article, we’ll address this fourth step in the visioning process:
4. Create a vehicle that we can climb on to so we can go to "the other side of the hill."
In our fourth and final article, we’ll address this issue.
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