A great deal rides on a leader’s ability to cast vision. Not only must leaders capture a vision, they must effectively communicate the vision in such a way that they inspire teams and catalyze forward movement in organizations. Unfortunately, leaders tend to complicate vision casting. But as business author, Dave Anderson observes, the key to effective vision casting is to keep it simple…“The best things ever spoken or written were brief.” Dave sites the following example:

• The Lord’s prayer has 66 words in it
• The Gettysburg Address has 286 words
• The Declaration of Independence has 1,332 words

On the other hand, the United States Department of Agriculture regulation on the sale of cabbage has 26,911 words. Your vision must have substance, but you must keep vision casting simple. People don’t remember complicated messages.

Question: What can you do to simplify your message? How clear and concise is your vision?