~ ENVISAGE the BIG picture !! ~

(slightly condensed version)

To my friends.k.

"A story is told of two Eskimos sitting on a frozen lake fishing. One Eskimo had a hole in the ice about the size of a manhole. The other Eskimo had a hole the size and shape of a whale! THAT is vision. He was ready for every EVENTUALITY.

VISION is the ability to be able to see (envisage) the big picture. It is the ability to be able to understand where you want/or need to go and how you are going to get there.

THERE are many biblical examples of those who had vision. We celebrate the victory of David over Goliath but what was the difference between David and the soldiers of the Israelite army?

It was a matter of vision.

THE enthusiasm generated by vision creates power to achieve the seemingly impossible.

ANOTHER quality needed in leaders is that of courage!

WHEN Walt Disney wanted to see his dream realised he needed a bank to finance the new theme park. He had to visit 317 banks before one would finally believe that what he was proposing was worthwhile. CAN you imagine 317 banks?! It takes courage to keep going to see a dream realised. (* That paragraph reminds me of the Movie "Pursuit of Happyness" with Will Smith and his son Jadyn. Mine interpretation.k.)

IT TAKES COURAGE TO OVERCOME THE FAILURE THAT WILL COME! IT TAKES COURAGE TO OVERCOME THE RESISTANCE THAT WILL COME! IT TAKES COURAGE TO OVERCOME THE FEAR THAT WILL BE INEVITABLE! IT TAKES COURAGE TO OVERCOME FATIGUE THAT WILL CREEP UP ON YOU!

IT is important that a leader leads from the front. By nature that position will take courage because it is a lonely place.

AUSTRALIAN evangelist, Bill Newman has written, "SUCCESS IS NEVER FINAL, AND FAILURE IS NEVER FATAL. IT'S COURAGE THAT COUNTS."

ANOTHER thing a leader needs to be doing is developing quality relationships. RECENTLY I received a report on an assignment I had written on leadership. The marker wrote: "You may need to link with other like-minded people as leadership can be a lonely task."

LEADERSHIP can be lonely and so leaders need to discipline themselves to develop quality relationships.

LEADERS need friends outside their ministry to help them keep perspective on life and situations. Leaders need quality relationships within their ministry to make things happen. Leaders are those with the ability to mobilise a group of people toward a common objective to fulfill a strategic purpose. Leadership involves relationships and we need to develop them so that we can be more effective in ministry.

ANOTHER area where a leader needs to develop a quality relationship is with a person who can be a trusted mentor to them. Someone who can check on their personal and spiritual growth.

LEADERS need to be developed. Good leaders need to be people of vision, courage and they must be able to develop quality relationships." A. Collins (International Teams, AUSTRALIA)

(Reprinted by permission of International Teams Australia.)