Inspiring a shared vision

I read this article on leadership a couple of days ago.  I was from a newletter called "Tomorrow's Professor" that I get free from Standford University. This most current newsletter talked about leadership. I thought that I would share it with you.
In the church we often talk about developing a shared vision.  We spend a lot of time creating mission statements. This except from the longer article looks at creating a shared vision in an classroom but I think it would work for any committee in a congregation.

"Promoting and directing a group to clearly identify its mission and purpose is an important responsibility of a leader. Kouzes and Posner (2002) referred to this as inspiring a shared vision. For example, when a teacher begins a class discussion period, the first question could be, “When you leave this class period, what would you like to have accomplished?”  It is not sufficient for a leader to impose a goal on the rest of the group members. Successful leaders engage followers in a manner that elicits the personal commitment and energy of each member toward some shared ends, The goals of all members need not necessarily be the same, but there must be a mutual acceptance that all can benefit from the interaction and cooperation of the group activity.

Checklist for Determining Group Commitment to an Idea

•Value or principle-The idea is important to a core belief group membership.
•Credibility-The idea is grounded in evidence of its worth. There is a rational, justifiabie basis for pursuing the idea.
•Inclusiveness: The idea is shared so that all members can be a part of the vision.
•Clarity—The idea is communicated with enough illustration to be vivid in the minds of the group members. Clarity provides a common certainty For the context, including purpose, action, and outcome.
•Positive Perspective—The idea is stated in an affirmative way that communicates the hopes and anticipations of members.
•Passion—The idea taps the emotions and the hearts of group members, providing a driving force for accomplishing the vision. Passion can be the zest and enthusiasm that keeps members engaged and prevents apathy and indifference."

Reference: Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. (2002). The Leadership Challenge (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Taken from TOMORROW'S PROFESSOR(sm) eMAIL NEWSLETTER
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