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Making Vision Stick
There are lots of books about discovering or developing a vision for your organization, but this one is about making that vision endure the corrosion of time and complexity--how to make your vision stick . Influential author and pastor Andy Stanley reveals the reasons why leaders' visions often falter, and he delivers 5 in-depth strategies so that you can dodge the Many of us have good ideas, even great ones. The difficult part is putting them into practice and keeping that vision clear and visible to your organization--whether that's a business or a church--when there are so many things in the day-to-day living of that vision that can distract from it. Making Vision Stick offers valuable, practical tips and case studies. This is a book you'll want to highlight and dog-ear and pass around as you learn how to propel your organization toward the vision God has granted you. Vision is about what could be and should be, but life is about right this minute. The test of a true leader is in keeping that vision on track, day in and day out.
80 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
90 people are currently reading
929 people want to read
About the author
Andy Stanley
277 books846 followersAndy Stanley is the senior pastor of North Point Community Church, Buckhead Church, and Browns Bridge Community Church. He also founded North Point Ministries, which is a worldwide Christian organization.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
August 21, 2022
Stanley’s content is good. Perhaps it’s a compliment to his leadership and insight that I expected more. I loved some of the stories that he shared out of North Point. If you’re looking for a primer on vision, this short book is a great start.
June 4, 2019
This small book on vision is one that I have wanted to read for some time. Stanley is pastor of North Point Community Church in Atlanta, the second largest church in the United States. I have listened to his “Leadership Podcast” for the past few years.
He writes that this is not a book for those whose organizations have not developed their vision yet, but rather for those leaders who want to make their vision stick. He has described vision as a mental picture of what could be, fueled by a passion that it should be. He writes that one of the greatest challenges of leadership is making vision stick.
Stanley writes that it is the leader’s responsibility to ensure that those within their organization understand and embrace the vision of the organization. However, when a leader blames their followers for not following, the leader has ceased to lead. The leader has to communicate things in a consistent and coherent manner.
He gives five steps to make your vision stick:
Step 1 – State it Simply
Stanley writes that people don’t remember or embrace paragraphs, so the vision must be simple and memorable. He uses the One Campaign as an example. Their vision is “To make poverty history”. He indicates that if the vision is unclear to you, it will never be clear to the people in your organization. For your vision to stick, you may need to clarify or simplify it. The vision that Stanley has for his church is “To create a church that unchurched people love to attend”.
Step 2 – Cast it Convincingly
He uses Nehemiah 2 from the Bible to illustrate this step, stating that it is the ultimate illustration of casting vision. The wall had been torn down for a long time. Nehemiah casts the vision for why they need to rebuild the wall now. The three parts to this step are:
1. Define the problem. People have to realize how serious it is and what is at stake if they don’t get on board.
2. Offer a solution. A vision is convincing when people are able to see the connection between the problem and how the organization is offering a solution. Every vision is a solution to a problem. Stanley writes that:
“Buy-in hinges on your ability to convince them you are offering a solution to a problem that they are convinced needs to be solved”.
3. Present a reason. This is the reason that action must take place now. This is the answer to the questions “Why must we do this?” and “Why must we do this now?”
If the people in your organization don’t feel the problem, they will not be excited about the solution. You need to craft your vision as a solution to a problem. Organizations need to position themselves as a solution to a problem.
Step 3 – Repeat it Regularly
Stanley writes that regardless of how often you think you’ve repeated your vision, it’s not enough. He recommends discovering within the rhythm of your organization when the best time is to cast and repeat vision. At Stanley’s church the best times are each January (when they have their highest attendance) and May (when they are recruiting volunteers for the fall). The repetition is done in numerous ways (sermons, emails, recorded messages on CD, mail outs, etc.).
Step 4 – Celebrate it Systematically
Stanley writes that the leader has to find ways to celebrate the vision. When you catch somebody living out the vision the way you need to celebrate it. Stories do more to clarify than anything. They bring emotion to phrases and sentences in the vision statement. He goes on to state:
“Celebration clarifies the win. People will repeat what is most often celebrated. Every organization celebrates something. But if your vision doesn’t align with your celebrations, I assure you that what’s celebrated will overpower the vision and determine the course of your organization”.
Additionally he suggests that the first question that should be asked in the weekly staff meeting is “Where have you seen (vision statement) lived out this week?”
Step 5 – Embrace it Personally
Stanley states that:
“Your willingness to embody the vision of your organization will have a direct impact on your credibility as a leader. Living out the vision establishes credibility and makes you a leader worth following. When people are convinced the vision has stuck with you, it is easier for them to make the effort to stick with the vision”.
Stanley concludes the book by discussing how to know if your vision is slipping. He gives two categories of vision slippage indicators (ways to know when your vision is slipping):
1. Projects, Products and Programs
Stanley writes that leaders must keep their antenna up for new things that have potential to distract from the main thing. He states:
“Our approach stands in stark contrast to a practice many church leaders have adopted. I’ve actually heard this taught as a good approach to pastoral leadership. It goes something like this: When somebody comes to you with a ministry idea, tell them, ‘That’s a great idea! Why don’t you lead it?’ This is heralded as an effective way to involve people in ministry. I think it’s a great way for a church to lose focus. Vision, not people’s random ideas, should determine programming. Vision, not a cool PowerPoint presentation, should determine which initiatives are funded by your organization. Vision, not the promise of great returns, should determine which products are launched.”
2. Requests, Complaints and Stories
Stanley indicates that requests, complaints and stories reveal a great deal about what’s on the minds and hearts of the people in an organization. He writes:
“Consider this: if there was 100 percent buy-in to your vision by the people you work with, what questions would they ask? What kinds of stories would they feel compelled to tell? What would get on their nerves? Begin to listen. Really listen. If the people around you aren’t asking the right questions, telling the right stories, or complaining about the right things, your vision may be slipping.”
He goes on to state that what people complain about communicates their understanding of the vision.
This short book contains much helpful information about how to make vision stick.
He writes that this is not a book for those whose organizations have not developed their vision yet, but rather for those leaders who want to make their vision stick. He has described vision as a mental picture of what could be, fueled by a passion that it should be. He writes that one of the greatest challenges of leadership is making vision stick.
Stanley writes that it is the leader’s responsibility to ensure that those within their organization understand and embrace the vision of the organization. However, when a leader blames their followers for not following, the leader has ceased to lead. The leader has to communicate things in a consistent and coherent manner.
He gives five steps to make your vision stick:
Step 1 – State it Simply
Stanley writes that people don’t remember or embrace paragraphs, so the vision must be simple and memorable. He uses the One Campaign as an example. Their vision is “To make poverty history”. He indicates that if the vision is unclear to you, it will never be clear to the people in your organization. For your vision to stick, you may need to clarify or simplify it. The vision that Stanley has for his church is “To create a church that unchurched people love to attend”.
Step 2 – Cast it Convincingly
He uses Nehemiah 2 from the Bible to illustrate this step, stating that it is the ultimate illustration of casting vision. The wall had been torn down for a long time. Nehemiah casts the vision for why they need to rebuild the wall now. The three parts to this step are:
1. Define the problem. People have to realize how serious it is and what is at stake if they don’t get on board.
2. Offer a solution. A vision is convincing when people are able to see the connection between the problem and how the organization is offering a solution. Every vision is a solution to a problem. Stanley writes that:
“Buy-in hinges on your ability to convince them you are offering a solution to a problem that they are convinced needs to be solved”.
3. Present a reason. This is the reason that action must take place now. This is the answer to the questions “Why must we do this?” and “Why must we do this now?”
If the people in your organization don’t feel the problem, they will not be excited about the solution. You need to craft your vision as a solution to a problem. Organizations need to position themselves as a solution to a problem.
Step 3 – Repeat it Regularly
Stanley writes that regardless of how often you think you’ve repeated your vision, it’s not enough. He recommends discovering within the rhythm of your organization when the best time is to cast and repeat vision. At Stanley’s church the best times are each January (when they have their highest attendance) and May (when they are recruiting volunteers for the fall). The repetition is done in numerous ways (sermons, emails, recorded messages on CD, mail outs, etc.).
Step 4 – Celebrate it Systematically
Stanley writes that the leader has to find ways to celebrate the vision. When you catch somebody living out the vision the way you need to celebrate it. Stories do more to clarify than anything. They bring emotion to phrases and sentences in the vision statement. He goes on to state:
“Celebration clarifies the win. People will repeat what is most often celebrated. Every organization celebrates something. But if your vision doesn’t align with your celebrations, I assure you that what’s celebrated will overpower the vision and determine the course of your organization”.
Additionally he suggests that the first question that should be asked in the weekly staff meeting is “Where have you seen (vision statement) lived out this week?”
Step 5 – Embrace it Personally
Stanley states that:
“Your willingness to embody the vision of your organization will have a direct impact on your credibility as a leader. Living out the vision establishes credibility and makes you a leader worth following. When people are convinced the vision has stuck with you, it is easier for them to make the effort to stick with the vision”.
Stanley concludes the book by discussing how to know if your vision is slipping. He gives two categories of vision slippage indicators (ways to know when your vision is slipping):
1. Projects, Products and Programs
Stanley writes that leaders must keep their antenna up for new things that have potential to distract from the main thing. He states:
“Our approach stands in stark contrast to a practice many church leaders have adopted. I’ve actually heard this taught as a good approach to pastoral leadership. It goes something like this: When somebody comes to you with a ministry idea, tell them, ‘That’s a great idea! Why don’t you lead it?’ This is heralded as an effective way to involve people in ministry. I think it’s a great way for a church to lose focus. Vision, not people’s random ideas, should determine programming. Vision, not a cool PowerPoint presentation, should determine which initiatives are funded by your organization. Vision, not the promise of great returns, should determine which products are launched.”
2. Requests, Complaints and Stories
Stanley indicates that requests, complaints and stories reveal a great deal about what’s on the minds and hearts of the people in an organization. He writes:
“Consider this: if there was 100 percent buy-in to your vision by the people you work with, what questions would they ask? What kinds of stories would they feel compelled to tell? What would get on their nerves? Begin to listen. Really listen. If the people around you aren’t asking the right questions, telling the right stories, or complaining about the right things, your vision may be slipping.”
He goes on to state that what people complain about communicates their understanding of the vision.
This short book contains much helpful information about how to make vision stick.
December 21, 2025
Super quick book finished in one sitting. Good points to remember. I’d heard them from other sources before, so none of it was new, but I assume those other sources were referencing this book.
I’m not great at vision casting and I’m not entirely convinced by all the vision and mission statement stuff. That’s not how my brain works anyway.
But I DO try to I still certain ideals into our church members, and one of the tools I try to use is celebration. I didn’t know they did videos, but we do the same thing for our baptisms and they’re my favorite videos we produce. I also love to celebrate the things I’d like to reproduce.
Good tips. Good little book. Probably won’t be introducing hip hop at our church, but I can read past that part. :)
I’m not great at vision casting and I’m not entirely convinced by all the vision and mission statement stuff. That’s not how my brain works anyway.
But I DO try to I still certain ideals into our church members, and one of the tools I try to use is celebration. I didn’t know they did videos, but we do the same thing for our baptisms and they’re my favorite videos we produce. I also love to celebrate the things I’d like to reproduce.
Good tips. Good little book. Probably won’t be introducing hip hop at our church, but I can read past that part. :)
January 29, 2010
Vision leaks: “vision doesn't stick without constant care and attention” (12). Insightful and concise, Stanley offers five practices that give life and staying power to an organization's vision: state vision simply, cast vision convincingly, repeat vision regularly, celebrate vision systematically, and embrace vision personally. In closing, Stanley outlines a few immensely helpful indicators that vision is leaking. A must read for all leaders - A
February 2, 2016
Very good concise book. If you need to understand how and why to make vision stick, this is your go to!
August 16, 2017
Leadership training has become a real commodity, especially among Christian circles. Books, courses, and conferences about leadership have become commonplace, and although it could be argued that the Great Commission is, at its heart, a mandate to lead, one must ask the question: If everyone is leading, who, then, is following? Furthermore, not everyone makes for a great leader, a criticism which is usually met with some sentiment along the lines of: "Everyone leads in their own way, even if they don't realize it." Fine. As the kids like to say: "Whatever."
All of that having been said, for those who do have genuine leadership potential and/or find themselves in positions of leadership, there are some resources available which are better than others, and this thin volume by Andy Stanley falls somewhere in the middle. Not intended to be an extensive study, this book focuses not on casting vision, but on sustaining it over the long run and, as such, Stanley does a reasonably good job of providing a concise overview of a subject which he does know something about. It could even be argued that by paring his insights down to a bare minimum, he distills his subject in such a way that the essence is delivered without any filler or padding, which is a frequent fault of other books about leadership. In short, a reasonably tasty hors d'oeuvre, as opposed to a full, but bland, meal, although perhaps not enough substance to satisfy greater appetites.
All of that having been said, for those who do have genuine leadership potential and/or find themselves in positions of leadership, there are some resources available which are better than others, and this thin volume by Andy Stanley falls somewhere in the middle. Not intended to be an extensive study, this book focuses not on casting vision, but on sustaining it over the long run and, as such, Stanley does a reasonably good job of providing a concise overview of a subject which he does know something about. It could even be argued that by paring his insights down to a bare minimum, he distills his subject in such a way that the essence is delivered without any filler or padding, which is a frequent fault of other books about leadership. In short, a reasonably tasty hors d'oeuvre, as opposed to a full, but bland, meal, although perhaps not enough substance to satisfy greater appetites.
February 26, 2020
Quick and powerful reading. This book made me realize that I am weak with regard to being intentional in my efforts to be a leader. Very good ideas about how to develop and state a vision simply, cast it effectively, celebrate it frequently, and live it deeply. Beyond that we need to protect against vision-slip, which oftentimes comes in the form of new programs, questions, complaints, and stories. The author's story at the end about losing almost losing focus at his son's baseball game was a really good capstone thought.
November 16, 2017
Short but concise read. I first read Visioneering this summer and it changed the way I think about vision. I had a clear vision for this year and the challenge is how to make those vision stick. This book states practical yet powerful principles on how are you going to make your vision stick. How will it be remembered? How will it last? It's such a timely reminder for me as well because it's not so hard to get lost in the process and forget about your vision.
August 28, 2024
Making Vision Stick is a short and insightful guide on how to effectively communicate a vision. Stanley covers six topics: simplifying the vision, casting it convincingly, repeating it regularly, celebrating it systematically, embracing it personally, and preventing vision drift. Its practical tips were helpful to clarify my own ministry’s vision.
January 8, 2018
Quick read from one of the best leaders on the planet. How do you effectively build understanding and ownership of your vision throughout your organization? It's a 30-minute read that you'll refer back to for years. It's a must-read.
September 18, 2017
If you are trying to cast vision for your team and think they don’t get it. Read this book. It is helpful for casting vision and getting people to understand. It isn’t a one time thing to share your vision.
February 15, 2018
Personal thoughts on "Church leadership" books is that people try to run the church like a business, but the church is not a business. The principle of repeating what is most important is key however to a church otherwise you do lose what is most important - Jesus.
January 17, 2022
While I appreciated that this book wasn't bloated with fillers, there were times where I wished some more specifics and examples were given. I also think most of this content may be discovered in a google search, podcast, or other leadership books.
June 16, 2022
Significant!
My wife and I are launching a non profit literally right now. I read this on kindle and it’s helping me communicate the vision God has given us to reach the next generation of young adults for Christ in our world today. Thanks, Andy!
My wife and I are launching a non profit literally right now. I read this on kindle and it’s helping me communicate the vision God has given us to reach the next generation of young adults for Christ in our world today. Thanks, Andy!
January 25, 2025
I enjoyed this and got a good bit out of it.
I would have appreciated a little longer of a book about vision and whatnot, but 75 pages on how to make that vision stick is a good amount of pages.
A nice, insightful, quick read.
I would have appreciated a little longer of a book about vision and whatnot, but 75 pages on how to make that vision stick is a good amount of pages.
A nice, insightful, quick read.
February 4, 2018
A very quick read for anyone in leadership.
April 16, 2018
A very short quick easy to read book on the basics of visioning. I would recommend the book as really a good refresher. Keep the main thing the main thing.
May 30, 2018
Great quick read to empower you in leading your team.
July 29, 2018
A booklet, really. Solid stuff on making vision stick. I'm not sure if there's much value in this outside a larger conversation about vision.
October 8, 2018
Concise and right on point, in true Andy Stanley style.
November 14, 2018
Awesome little book! And so true.
December 27, 2018
Short, sweet, and to the point. Think of it as a shortened, early version of Stanley's book Visioneering.
January 8, 2019
Great quick rundown of vision and tenacity
Super fast read with multiple memorable moments and noteworthy bits. Terrific reminder of how to solidify vision and measure progress.
Super fast read with multiple memorable moments and noteworthy bits. Terrific reminder of how to solidify vision and measure progress.
November 4, 2019
It has sound principles and is succinct. However it lacks depth, especially given the price.
November 24, 2019
Great blog - er - book
January 21, 2020
Really practical ideas. Short and easy to read.
January 21, 2020
Very short, practical and good focus on important things. No fluff
December 31, 2020
Excellent resource for anyone that actively casts vision or is just looking to be sharpened and challenged! 10/10
February 3, 2021
Simple and to the point. The way any book should be.
February 24, 2021
Simple, practical and easy to understand. I like the examples
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews