Progress and healthy growth require the right changes at the right times. And effective change requires your best strategy.
- What changes are you making?
- Why are you making those changes?
- What are the outcomes you desire?
As a leader, if you want to move forward, change is always in play. What is your best strategy?
To successfully lead change, a smart strategy is always needed.
Before we get to the seven main questions…
These first three questions will get you started regardless of the project size; from the overall vision for your church to a departmental goal or team project, it begins here.
Three starter questions for strategic thinking:
- What is your desired outcome? (vision and direction)
- What changes are required? (the price you are willing to pay)
- How will you get there? (the step-by-step plan to follow)
The most challenging element, however, is not the development of the plan; it is sticking with the plan that you created. That’s where so many strategies fall apart.
That doesn’t mean your plans won’t need to be adapted along the way; they nearly always do. But that’s very different than failing to follow through in the execution of the strategy.
In my practice as a coach and consultant, one of the most common things I see is not the inability to make a good strategy; it’s the inattention to following through with it.
Developing a perfect plan is far less important than the diligent execution of the plan.
Let me share an excerpt with you from my book Confident Leader.
The primary difference between good and great is disciplined diligence. Discipline deals with your inner character. Do you have the right stuff? Diligence deals with your outward focus. Are you doing the right things?
You will drift from your strategy if you are not disciplined in who you are (vision, values and culture) and diligent in what you do (completing the necessary steps.)
Without discipline you will drift toward comfortable relationships and leadership that doesn’t stretch you. Without diligence you will drift toward an inward focus, discipleship without evangelism and maintenance over progress.
This will inevitably leave you falling short of your desired vision or goals.
The following seven very practical questions will help you stay focused and on track in seeing your plan through to the outcomes you desire.
7 Practical Questions to Create Your Best Strategy
1. Who Is the Point Leader, and Who’s on the Team?
Leadership always matters. God’s presence and power is essential, but He chooses to work through called and gifted leaders who are committed to His purpose.
It starts with the point leader. Do you have the right person for the job? And then who is on the team? It matters to get the right mix of talent and the right chemistry.
An important but seldom asked question in the strategic process is, “Are you and your team excited and passionate about what you are doing?”
Going through the motions because something seems like the right thing to do will rarely get you across the goal line. Instead, a God-inspired purpose and plan are needed with a high passion for seeing it through.
