Do you remember when you first rode a bicycle?  It was a HUGE deal. The idea that could go further faster by simply learning to balance your body on a thin skeleton of metal attached to 2 wheels was amazing. I remember my dad teaching me… trying to convince me every time I fell over or felt like it was too much - that once I got the hang of it… it was going to change everything (how I hung out with friends, my walk/ride to school, etc). I also remember going from my BMX to a 10-speed.  That was pretty cool, but it wasn’t nearly as big of a challenge since it was just a small change or tweak to what I already had learned on my bike.  Yes, I could go faster sometimes, but other than the ability to change gears - there wasn’t much that changed. I feel that in a similar way, leaders need to remember stories like these to better understand what kind of vision they are casting for others. BIG Challenges, BIG Opportunities, BIG Vision... often results in taking much BIGGER STEPS personally and as an organization. Incremental change is not a bad thing.  We often need to adjust and tweak things in our vision to take it further… but those are smaller steps built on a much bigger LEAP when it comes to our vision. The practice of incremental change in an organization has always bothered me personally, because I’m impatient and I feel like small steps somewhere is NEVER going to get me where I want to go.  YET, movement is movement and sometimes small steps are needed so we can course correct earlier.  This is necessary sometimes. But sometimes... We need to take BIGGER STEPS towards our future.

This won’t happen if you’ve not cast a large enough vision for you, your team, and your organization! Here are some questions to help evaluate if your Vision is BIG ENOUGH to take BIG STEPS forward.

1. Can you accomplish it quickly?  - If the answer is yes, then your vision isn’t big enough.  Too many leaders are too concerned with looking for the “quick win” to help justify their job/position in the organization, that they will often cast vision that is simply too small and therefore doesn’t really take them where they want to go. [Tweet "Big Vision should always take time to accomplish. It’s not a TASK, it’s a MISSION!"]
2. Can you achieve it alone (or with your current team)? - This is a tricky question, but understand the importance of it.  If you are casting a vision that your current team of 2 or 20 can handle without having to hire more, contract out, or even rally more volunteers to the cause, then your vision is probably not big enough.  If you want to take BIG STEPS, you need to cast a vision that is slightly out of reach for your current team.  This will inspire them to know that if they can move towards that goal, then God can provide the people/help that is needed to help do it. [Tweet "Vision should always be larger than your current team can do on their own."]
3. Does it ONLY benefit you and your organization?  If the vision you are casting is simply about organizational efficiency and/or fiscal stability, it’s not big enough! Every organization that has ever taken HUGE STEPS towards a better future has had a vision that is fixed on helping others and making the world (our culture) a better place.  Non-Profits that grow often have to risk the future of the organization itself to see traction and take BIG steps towards their future.  Churches have to be far more concerned about who they are reaching rather than who they are keeping if they want to take BIG steps towards influence and impact in a community. [Tweet "Vision that is focused outside your organization/team is necessary to help take BIG steps towards a better future."]

I’m not sure where you are today, but more than likely you are wrestling with casting VISION to a group of people. Make sure your VISION is BIG ENOUGH to inspire you and others around you. Look at the past couple of years in your team and evaluate if you’ve taken any BIG STEPS lately. If not, go back and cast a BIGGER VISION!