Have Faith in the Future:

Vision, Purpose, and Hope

Unit 10

The real task is to know what is the destination? That is the vision-driven leadership, which has characterized Judaism from the very beginning. From the moment that Abraham hears a call, “Lech lecha me’artzecha, umi’moladetecha umibeit avicha el ha’aretz asher ar’eka,” (Bereishit 12:1) to go to this unknown destination, to create a new kind of society – to Moshe Rabbeinu’s vision of the burning bush – we have been a people of visionaries.

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Rabbi Sacks�(Vision-Driven Leadership in the 21st Century)

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Leadership requires us to be full of hope

Leadership work is, by definition, future-oriented and active.�It requires that we stay in motion, evolving and growing, driven by the belief that to be human - to actualize our own humanity - means working to change our worlds (big and small) for the better.

Jewish leaders should strive to see themselves as partners with God, playing our part in the project of creating a just, vibrant, holy world.

The caveats are:

• You may not use words in your pictorial depiction
• You may use every color marker
• Think about representing the events and people in your life�that were important elements in your leadership journey

Take 15 minutes to draw (give a pictorial representation of)�the critical defining moments – that brought you to be in this room today - defining moments in your own leadership journey.

2.

Your only job is to respond to the prompt. You can share things from a personal lens, a professional lens, a leadership lens, a national lens, etc. Each person will respond to the prompt 3 times, sharing their vision for the future with new people in the circle each time.

1.

It’s (exactly one year later than today)

and it’s been an incredible year.

Future Vision�Circles

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In groups of three,�respond to the prompt:

1.

Spend a few minutes writing down�a declaration based on your vision circle work.

2.

What will you commit to doing�to help make it the year you just described?

• Find out the reality on the ground: what are the gains and losses of change? What do you hold dear and what do you need to wrestle with?�What is your leadership challenge?
• You have many narratives that make you up, try to stay open to all of them and not let one take over.
• Lead from the inside out – listen to the “other” in you – it will help you value the diversity in others.
• When you are faced with ambiguity, and you feel like you may be going into unknown territory hold steady – connect with your purpose.

• Recognize that change implies loss. Be prepared to help yourself and others deal with it.
• Leadership alone is tough. Find helpers. People who you can trust to push you to a place where you can grow.
• Be generous to yourself
• Stay hopeful: be, as Rabbi Sacks says, an “agent of hope in a world serially threatened by despair.”

UNIT LESSON SUMMARY:

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Leadership requires�vision, purpose, and hope.�This is a profound Jewish value.