For lunch the other day, K-Mac and I joined a church planting round table hosted by Fellowship Bible Church Dallas to listen to Senior Pastor Gary Brandenburg speak on leadership and vision.  I found his insights encouraging, challenging, and applicable, not only in a church planting context, but also in business.

Let’s briefly unpack his main points.

• Exegete the Culture

  • “A culture can be defined as the sum total of shared experience.” Gary makes a valid point.  As window treatment professionals, do we know our customer profile? Who are we trying to sell to?  Furthermore, does the culture we currently are engaged in needwant what we have to offer?  Most of us aren’t in the business of selling people what they don’t want, so if we are positioned in a culture that doesn’t want our products we either need to move social spheres, change our product lineup, and/or influence the culture in a positive direction.  Whatever the case, KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER PROFILE!
  • “Pay attention to the power of shared experiences.” Consumers talk. Are YOU listening? Are you responding to their needs?  Are you promoting your product / service in a way that speaks to their experiences?  How is your vision for your company reflected in this? Great vehicles for exploring what people are talking about include becoming engaged in online conversations via Blogs, Twitter, and other new media.

• Establish Your Priorities (& Communicate Them Wisely)

  • My mother raised me on a very basic maxim: “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” My father further built on this foundation by reminding me to “establish what is central.  If priorities are like a dart board, determine what is central and then spread out from there.”
  • “Remember that early statements have a disproportionate impact on how you are perceived.” Gary’s reminder is potent.  At Sewell Shutters, it’s almost comical the way a number of our brainstorming sessions take form.  Doug Sewell, our Production Manager Jimmie Byers, and I will regularly find ourselves discussing future investments, staffing issues, pricing considerations, etc. and inevitably someone will at one point in the conversation call a timeout and declare emphatically “Now, we’re JUST TALKING here!” Point of fact, I’d feel like something is missing if that line didn’t come out during a meeting!  The reason for this is that we’ve all learned in the past that what one person proposes for consideration can easily be taken by someone else as a statement of fact.  I remember one time Doug and I discussed moving one department under my supervision.  I took it as a done deal, and the next day (while Doug was out of the office) proceeded to inform the department of a policy change.  They, however, weren’t appreciative of the move, and I was soundly correctly upon Doug’s return with the now famous “I was just talking!”  Vision casting take-away: Remember that what you consider inconsequential  may be received as earth shattering to your constituency (employees, customers, vendors, and even competitors).  CHOOSE YOUR WORDS WISELY!
  • “Don’t promise too much too soon.” We’ve all heard the warnings about over promising and under delivering.  There is definitely truth to painting a wildly wonderful vision and giving it too short a timetable.  For example, declaring that we will relegate our top two competitors to the dust heap of history by next month might be a little ambitious.  Furthermore, when it doesn’t come to pass, low level disappointment can set in and trust is damaged.  The flip side of this is to under promise and over deliver.  While this definitely helps to protect us from the downside, it also can adversely affect potential growth, especially as we develop a reputation for being overly cautious.  The solution is striking a balance.  Envision Confidently and Deliver on that Vision! In other words, lay out the plans for a spectacular tower, calculate the costs, be reasonably confident you can afford it, and then begin construction.

• Plan Your Preaching (or Promotion)
  

  • “No pastor ever plans to fail but many fail to plan to succeed.” Strategically written and promoted content is king! If you hope to lead your constituency toward reaching the vision you’re laying out, it is imperative that you plot out a timeline of targeted messages that build on each facet of the vision while continually reminding people of the the overall goal.  For example, Gary loosely plans out his sermons six to twelve months out.  At Sewell Shutters, we are constantly looking into the future and planning content that will further build on our vision.  Be on the look-out for an e-book we plan on releasing closer to the fall!
  • “Preaching provides three weekly opportunities.” Gary refers to Aristotle in listing these opportunities as establishing credibility, communicating competency, & casting a clear and compelling vision. Aristotle teaches that successful rhetoric has three aspects: Ethos, Logos, Pathos – or appeal based on character, logic, and emotion.  Your marketing content should establish your credibility, persuade consumers with objective logic, and move them to action through emotional appeal.

BOTTOM LINE: Establish your vision considering the culture, carefully establish and communicate your priorities, and strategically develop marketing content that spreads your vision to your sphere of influence.