Cast the Vision Convincingly

Good Monday morning...

If you are like me, I really don't like salesman, well, at least "trained" salesman. I realized a few

ears back that we are all salesman, whether we like it or not. Let me explain. When you started school as a young child, you had a task that was set before you, what you had to do was get confident in the information you were being taught (you had to "sell" yourself on the information you were receiving.) When you had your first date, you had to "sell yourself" to your potential mate that it was worth their time to spend time with you. When it came time to get a job, you had to "sell yourself" to your potential employer.

What I want to see happen in my life and yours is the ability to "Sell Gilead" without feeling like you have to a "salesman". That we understand the impact and importance of what we do for patients and their families and make it a part of our thinking in every aspect of our life.

A great illustration, maybe a little bit of a litmus test, is - When you hear that someone has cancer, do you think "I need to get their information so we can send them cards and check up on them." Or stated by our current Vision/Mission statement, "Share The (Their) Journey."

This week Andy encourages us to "communicate it (vision/mission) in a way that moves people to action. I am thankful that we've seen some success in this area. We continue to see people who want to do something (rice bags, lap quilts/afghans, gift bags, stuffing envelopes, mowing, building, repairing etc.) over the past years. The growth in volunteerism tells me that we've been able to attract and engage people who want to do something in productive and growing way.

Here are the steps we will need to address our vision communication quest, read over them a few times in your book and review them here in this post...

1. Define the Problem.

2. Offer a Solution.

3. Present a Reason

Andy helps us keep our feet on the ground and our pride in check when he reminds us, "One problem we all wrestle with is that our visions are rarely new or unique."

So, here is a homework assignment, please take the time to do this before the retreat, and if you wish, begin a conversation here on the blog page. Please do yourself a favor, read and re-read the pages assigned to help you digest this concept, then, do the following on a piece of paper taht you can bring to the retreat.

Put these three thought provoking, vision communicating tasks on a piece of paper and write your own perspective. How would you define or answer these three...

1. Define the Problem.

2. Offer a Solution.

3. Present a Reason

See ya next wee, till then, let your mind run wild with these three!