Vision Precedes Goals

The concept of vision is so important to the fundamental success of leadership within the skills taught in Tres Robles, I decided to devote another article to the topic. Based on my experience teaching vision, it often gets confused with goals. Hopefully I can clear away some of the potential confusion with this article. —Rick

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A clear vision of success that is effectively communicated becomes an agent of focus for everyone in the organization and precedes the creation of goals. Goals are determined by the vision. When your group accepts the vision, it provides a focus for energy and hope as they complete the goals developed to ensure success. The ability to clearly see your vision of success, more than anything else, creates a signpost of hope that gives guidance to all future efforts to succeed.

“If you can see it, you can be it!”

Vision starts as a picture in your mind’s eye of what future success will look like. Whether the vision is personal or for a whole organization, the ability to develop the picture seen in your mind’s eye into a written form that faithfully records the essence of your visualized success can be challenging. Your vision needs to be carefully written so it is clearly visible to others. Only then can members of your group start to see the big picture of success your vision predicts. With the big picture in focus others can clearly see where their efforts fit into completing the vision. No matter where each individual fits into the organization, his or her ability to clearly see and stay focused on the vision of success, greatly affects everyone’s ability to help complete the vision. The vision statement is like a pair of future-seeing-binoculars allowing all to visualize and bring into focus what success will look like in the future.

“A leader is a dealer in hope.” - Napoleon Bonaparte

Once people see exactly where their efforts fit into the vision they see why their efforts are be important. The importance of their efforts helps them take emotional ownership of the vision. A vision should evoke individual commitments and provide justification for all the energy, planning, and hard work needed to complete the vision. A clear well-written vision statement should compel and encourage others to focus on the successful completion of the vision.

How do you eat an elephant?

Many people become confused about the difference between visions and goals. Let my put it this way, vision statements are frequently short in length, big in scope and far-reaching. Goals are used to complete the vision. The vision is like the elephant, big in scope. We complete the vision of eating the elephant with a goal of eating the elephant one bite at a time. We then plan how to cook the elephant and plan to have enough ketchup on hand! Completing a vision often requires many goals. The sequence is: Vision to Goals to Planning.

Forward-looking terms in your vision statement should be sufficiently broad in meaning to prevent tunnel vision. The vision needs to bring a focus on success, but should be broad enough in scope to challenge. The verbs used in your vision should identify action and bring more substance to the vision statement than verbs that only state a desire. So “we will” is preferred to “seeks to.” I see “seeks to” as verbiage for excuses waiting to be put on the table when you are done pretending to have a real vision. Vision statements needs to have backbone, be emboldened with true grit, and ring of truth about what is to be, instead of what is wished for. A vision statement is not pretend, a pipe dream, a daydream, or a wish list that lacks substance. A vision statement conveys an affirmation of what one day “will be.” The future time frame of a vision should also be related in the present tense, evoking an image of it being realized right now in the present. Bold forward-looking visions stir the imagination of everyone involved and compel strong individual contributions thus defining a strong expectation of success fueled by the power of hope.
—Rick

BE - KNOW - DO of leadership

Access additional information about the 2007 Tres Robles, NYLT - [ Here ]

Troop Committee Challenge Online

An online version of the Troop Committee Challenge has been added to the BSA's Online Learning Center. This training is designed to help Boy Scout troop committee members better understand their roles and responsibilities.

This new version of Troop Committee Challenge has an animated Sir Robert Baden-Powell directing you on a hike that leads you through the training. The first stop on the hike presents the core beliefs and ideals of Scouting. After checking your ability to identify the 12 points of the Scout Law you move on down the trail to the Aims of Scouting, the 8 methods used to achieve the aims. Soon you are asked to match descriptions of different aspects of Scouting with the term most appropriate. A very informative portion of the training is provided by the animated troop committee members that discuss their responsibilities in the troop committee. Then after drawing a series of cards with questions and correctly answering the questions Baden-Powell gives a very romanticized Edwardian depiction of the lure of the outdoors for boys.

Although I am a strong supporter of computer based training and I like this training, it seems to lack sufficient depth to really be effective. No real discussion of the relationship between the chartered organization and the troop committee surprised me. Also a list of resources for the troop committee members could be very helpful to new leaders. The following resources should be listed as a minimum: Troop Committee Guidebook, Guide to Safe Scouting, and the Troop Record Book. Another frustrating aspect of the training is no ability to go back to a previous segment for review. With some additional work this training could become much more meaningful for new troop committee members. As with computer based training programs in general, no ability for interaction with a competent Scouting trainer and other leaders, leaves the training flat with little depth and they often follow a much too linear path. I still prefer a group training environment that provides the ability to learn through social interaction. Effective training in my mind is not just the giving of data, that can be done with books. Training must also leave a desire to become more involved and stay involved. I also find it interesting that this training is listed in the online learning center as "Supplemental Training" when in fact the Troop Committee Challenge is the Basic Training for Boy Scout troop committee members. —Rick

[ BSA Online Learning ]

Scouting For Food

Lompoc — January 27, 2007
 Lompoc Food Pantry, 903 E. Chestnut

The Lompoc Food Pantry is normally CLOSED on Saturdays.

Drop-Off time is only
1 pm to 2 pm

This One Hour Window to drop off food is due to the donated time of the Pantry Coordinator. [flyer]

For further information for contact Tara Height at 805-735-5613 or taraheight@verizon.net

Scouting For Food

January 27, 2007
 Santa Maria — Guadalupe

Drop-Off time is
10 am to 1 pm (Time Correction!)
Food bank of Santa Barbara County
490 W Foster Rd, Santa Maria, CA 93455 [map]

Sign ups for work areas will happen during December 14, 2006 Roundtable in Orcutt.
For further information for contact Joe Hughes 938-1617
or the Santa Maria Scout Store 925-1955.

Calendar Items

Weekly Scouting Term

This feature of Rick's News! presents a new Scouting term taken directly from the Language of Scouting web page each week. This information may help upgrade your understanding of Scouting terminology and the Scouting program. If you have a term you would like listed let me know.  [http://www.scouting.org/identity/los/]

council president
The elected volunteer Scouter who heads the council and chairs its executive board.

Weekly Web Site

Stuff, we all have it and we all seem to want more stuff. But how some stuff works can be difficult to understand. The HowStuff Works web site tells you just that. You can find a video on “How Computer Viruses Work ” to information on “Introduction to How Credit Scores Work” and so much more. Inquisitive minds of all ages will love this web site.

About
“HowStuffWorks” is the leading source of credible, unbiased, and easy-to-understand explanations of how the world actually works. Founded by North Carolina State University Professor Marshall Brain in 1998, the site has since grown to be an award-winning online resource for millions of people of all ages.

From car engines to search engines, from cell phones to stem cells, and thousands of subjects in between, HowStuffWorks has it covered. No topic is too big or too small for our expert editorial staff to unmask...or for you to understand. In addition to comprehensive articles, our helpful graphics and informative videos walk you through every topic clearly, simply and objectively.”

Quotable Quotes

Wit — Wordplay — Wisecracks

Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.