I heard Roger Glidewell early this afternoon speaking at Trinity Baptist College's Link Conference, and while he was sharing several great facts regarding youth ministry he made a statement that is true for all levels of leadership. I'll paraphrase his statement, 'A dream/vision generally starts with one individual, but it is up to an entire group to see that dream become a reality.'

The very picture of leadership requires a team, since one cannot lead unless he or she has followers. Hence, the need is to communicate vision clearly to those who follow in the ranks. From my experience, it seems that many heads of ministry and business are capable of creating a vision, but they can't communicate and motivate it effectively through to the fingertips of their sphere of influence. For others, the vision gets muddied with the tasks of daily life, but they are amongst their workers with steady fervor. I'd say this, the leader who is able to inject his inner circle with the power of his vision on a continual basis and empowers them to spread the vision with a positive outlook is the leader that will carry his organization beyond the standard threshold.

Enthusiasm, organization, and focus are all keys. Dr. Aquila is well-known for his WIGS, or 'Wildly Important Goals.' If it's been awhile since you've heard of them, or if you never have heard of them, you can see them here... 'Why You Need a WIG Session.'

What do you think? What type of a leader are you? Maybe it's time to step back from merely creating vision or from your tireless efforts in the ranks and to reorganize, rethink, refocus on how you can accomplish more through those who are around you.

Note: Roger Glidewell is the Founder and Executive Director of the Institute for Global Youth Studies. He's been involved with youth for many years, and his insight is quite refreshing.