Joshua’s leadership work was nearly done.  The land was divided, and the people were settled. But before he died, he used wisdom to cast a vision for the next generation.   

¹⁴ “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” …. ²⁵On that day Joshua made a covenant for the people, and there at Shechem he reaffirmed for them decrees and laws. ²⁶And Joshua recorded these things in the Book of the Law of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak near the holy place of the LORD. ²⁷“See!” he said to all the people. “This stone will be a witness against us. It has heard all the words the LORD has said to us. It will be a witness against you if you are untrue to your God.” ²⁸Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to their own inheritance (Joshua 24:14-15, 25-28 NIV).

In his final leadership action, Joshua casts a vision for the Israelites to renew their commitment to follow God.  He does this with wisdom in three powerful ways.

Joshua used wisdom to cast vision by recalling the past. 

Joshua recalls their history. He spends much of his farewell address reminding them of the ways that God has led them to the place they now are.  He shares the stories of the past to provide vision for the future. He wisely links future vision to past events. 

Some leaders only look to the future and paint a glorious picture of what can be with no connection to the past. But serving leaders link future vision to the stories that brought them here. They find vision from the past and project that forward into an even better future. They remind the people they lead that they are rooted in what has come before. 

Joshua used wisdom to cast vision by setting a personal example.

Joshua called the people to recommit themselves to following God and then made his well-known declaration, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” He wisely leads by example. He will pursue the vision no matter what the choice of the people is. This commitment and personal engagement is a strong motivation to the people and they also agree to serve the Lord.

Some leaders call others to a high level of commitment, but they don’t get personally involved. They ask others to pay a price they are unwilling to pay. But serving leaders cast vision by their own action. They move before calling others to move. 

Joshua used wisdom to cast vision by using visual reminders.

Joshua set up “a large stone” as a visual reminder of the commitment they were making. He wanted them to recall their commitment every time they walked past this stone. He wisely understood that a picture is worth a thousand words.

Some leaders rely only on words, hoping that repetition will make the vision stick. But serving leaders add visual reminders to the vision. They paint word pictures; they share stories and give examples that help the vision to stick in the hearts and minds of those they lead. They stir their hearts before asking for their hands.

For further reflection and discussion:

• When I share vision, how do I root it in the past? Even when significant changes are needed, have I found ways to look at the past to help articulate the way forward?
• In what ways do I model the vision I ask others to work towards? Can I consistently invite people to follow my example? What impact does that have on my leadership?
• How do I help people visualize the vision? Are there physical objects that I could use to remind people of the vision as Joshua did? Do I tell stories and give personal examples that bring the vision to life? What other ways can I help connect people’s emotions to the vision? 
• In addition to these reflections above from Joshua’s life, read all of Joshua 23 and 24. Reflect on how he wisely used his farewell speech and covenant renewal to project a vision for the future. What do I learn from his example that I can apply to my own leadership?       

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

Serving Leaders Produce a Thriving World: They Shape the Vision

 September 18, 2024

Snippet:  Reflections for Serving Leaders, latest issue

Serving leadership works! Serving leadership produces environments where people come to life, find meaning and purpose, and bring their best selves to the mission of the organization. Everything, even the bottom line, improves and thrives as a result!

The biblical foundation for serving leadership, and The Serving Leader Model®, is found in Paul’s vision for the church.

¹¹ So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. ¹⁴ Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵ Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶ From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work (Ephesians 4:11-16).  

The serving leadership principles outlined by Paul in this passage produce a thriving church and will also produce a thriving workplace because they are based on God’s design for the universe! In this series, we’ll look at five actions serving leaders take. First, in this issue, the shaping of vision. The Serving Leader Model® calls this “Run to Great Purpose”. Vision addresses the question, “Why do we exist and why does it matter?”  

Serving leaders shape the vision by identifying purpose.    

Paul invites his readers to see the purpose of where they are going. “…until we all reach unity…we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” As he describes this vision he gives meaning and purpose to all that they are doing.  

Some leaders focus on the tasks people need to do and push for completion of the tasks without articulating a higher purpose. But serving leaders connect the work to a higher purpose. They clarify the purpose and share it with everyone in the organization. This does not mean that they must create a new or different vision from a previous leader but they do ensure that it is clearly identified.  

Serving leaders shape the vision by raising purpose high.

Some leaders put a purpose statement on their official documents but never refer to it again. But serving leaders work continually to keep it in front of the people they serve. They talk about it; they share stories that connect with the purpose. Serving leaders help people thrive by continually keeping the vision in front of the entire team.  

Serving leaders shape the vision by embedding purpose.

Some leaders talk about their vision but don’t deliberately get the vision embedded into the systems of the organization. But serving leaders keep working until every aspect of the organization is infused with purpose. This includes all the internal systems. Serving leaders ensure that vision is used when bringing new people to the team; they use the great purpose to evaluate individual and team performance and they use their purpose to make financial decisions. They recognize that where purpose is clearly identified, continually shared and embedded throughout the organization people thrive!

For further reflection and discussion:

-Reflect on your own leadership in the area of vision/purpose. How effectively does my leadership shape the vision of my organization? How does my leadership in this area impact the thriving of our team?

-Do we have a clearly defined vision? If so, what can I do this week to raise it higher? If not, what process will I follow to develop one?  (Use the Vision Discovery tool below to assist you in this process.

-How well is our vision embedded into all our internal systems? What is one step we can take to include vision in our internal training?

-Read again the scripture above (Ephesians 4:11-16) considering your organization in the area of vision or great purpose. What is one step you can take this week to improve?           

Until next time, yours on the journey,

Jon Byler

Click here for a resource from Center for Serving Leadership to help you in this area: Vision Discovery Tool

In the next issue, we’ll look at how serving leaders create thriving by setting the values.