Monthly Archives: November 2023

Strategic Leadership and the Mind of God

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Strategic leadership begins with the mind of God revealing His plan.

Now the Lord said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it. – Joshua 8:1-2

A little context is necessary here. A few chapters earlier in Joshua, the people had obeyed exact instructions from the Lord, attacked Jericho with some very unconventional tactics and had seen God do a miracle in defeating that great city. Then they went to attack the city of Ai which was a lesser city. The spies they sent said the city didn’t need a full-scale attack so they sent a small group to take it. They got beaten badly and chased by the enemy. They were pretty discouraged and ready to return to cross back over the river. To be sure, the main reason for the defeat was sin in the camp of Israel but it should be noted they did not seek out God’s plan for this battle; they relied on previous experience. We often do the same.

As well as the sin in one person, there was a greater sin of relying on previous experience and their own abilities rather than seeking God’s wisdom and His plan. God’s initial response to them is to encourage them after their loss.

Confidence in man leads to failure before God but man can learn from his failures if he has a humble heart. Failure helps us to distrust ourselves, to know God better and to rely on him.

For those who walk intimately with God, great success leads to even greater humility. For those who do not know God well, success can lead to a prideful stance.

Joshua’s strategic plan:

  • He receives the target and plan from God.
  • He plans the details relying on God’s direction.
  • He employs the whole army.
  • He implements the plan relying on God to work.
  • God gives victory.

Some lessons from this story

  • Strategic leadership begins and ends with God in all its phases of thinking, planning and execution.
  • The purpose of strategic leadership is to establish God’s reign in this world by overthrowing what is man-made and replacing with God’s desires.
  • The secret of victory with God is to obey.
  • Human tendency is to stop short and put aside what God said and do what man thinks is right.
  • If leaders don’t seek God’s mind, failure will follow.
  • God’s guidance is dynamic. We must not rely on what we knew yesterday to act today. We must know His mind.

Note: this blog is a summary of a devotion given by Djasrabe Siangar at the African Round Table in Nairobi, Kenya October 22, 2023

Thinking Strategically

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As mentioned in the post “Strategic Leadership and the Mind of God”, all effective godly strategic leadership begins with seeking the mind of God. Once we have committed our way to Him and are seeking to fulfill His desires, we can begin the work of planning our actions. Before we jump into that process, we must be assured we are thinking strategically.

Proactive versus reactive

Due to the enormous needs and challenges we face as leaders, it is often hard not to get caught up in what some have referred to as “the tyranny of the urgent“. (for an entertaining clip that shows a man playing “Whack-a-mole” see this presentation by Dr. Lori Behar)

Sometimes crisis comes along when we have no choice but to react with little time to really think through the process but for many leaders, this is a way of life that is often justified by us saying “God is in control”. While of course He is in control, reactive is not a lifestyle He desires for us.

Proactive VS REACTIVEwHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
Proactive Reactive
Before it happens After it happens
Intentional Driven Urgency driven
Easy to ignore Impossible to ignore
Anticipating needs and challenges Disconnected Responses

Some questions for thought:

    • How does reactive thinking affect the mission?
    • How do we need to increase proactive thinking?
    • Where am I at in the amount of proactive or reactive thinking?
    • Do I take the time needed to think proactively?
    • Where do I need to grow?
    • What are the consequences if I don’t?

Nehemiah’s Strategic Example

Nehemiah 6:3 – Can we learn something from Nehemiah in the building of the wall?  In this verse he says “I am carrying on a great project and cannot come down, I am doing a great work.”  His enemies were trying to distract him from the work but he would not drop what he was doing to engage them.  What do we know about him and how could he make this statement?  How does his response show his leadership and in particular, his strategic thinking?

Proactive Thinking

  1. Get to the Balcony – Look from above – where are you going? What are the trends? Where are the open doors to build movements?  What are the issues that need to be addressed?
  2. Connected to the reality – What is the reality on the ground? Morale? Volunteers? Trust? Fruitfulness? What is essential that is working? What is not? What is weighing us down?  What things do we need to try?

Categories of engagement

Where do you think we spend most of our time?

boxes we spend most time in

The goal is to build sustainable movements for fulfilling the Great Commission. As you think about the above boxes, what do you think should go in each one? (starting in the second and then thinking about box 3). Box 1 contains things we need to keep doing while we think about the future.

Reflection

  • Take some time alone to think about how much time you spend thinking about box 2 and box 3?
  • How will you incorporate the proactive thinking of box 2 and 3 into your leadership?

Note: this blog is excerpted from a talk given by Dr. Lori Beyar on October 22, 2023 at the African Round Table gathering in Nairobi, Kenya

Biblical Strategic Planning

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  • A vision without a strategy remains an illusion. (Lee Bolman)
  • Without strategy, execution is aimless. Without execution, strategy is useless. (Morris Chang)
  • When a plan or strategy fails, people are tempted to assume it was the wrong vision.  Plans and strategies can always be changed and improved. But vision doesn’t change.  Visions are simply refined with time. (Andy Stanley)

The concept of Strategic Planning has been around for a long time.  This is not something new.

    • Noah used it in the project of building the ark.
    • Moses demonstrated strategic planning and leadership in guiding the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness to the Promised Land. He developed a clear mission and strategy, organized the people into tribes, and delegated responsibilities to leaders within each tribe. 
    • Nehemiah used it in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.
    • Solomon’s construction of the Temple in Jerusalem involved strategic planning and execution. He developed a detailed plan, organized the workers and resources, and managed the project to completion. 

What is Strategic thinking?

    • Strategic thinking is simply an intentional and rational thought process that focuses on the analysis of critical factors and variables that will influence the long-term success of an organization, a team, or an individual. 
    • Strategic thinking includes careful and deliberate anticipation of threats and vulnerabilities to guard against and opportunities to pursue. 
    • Ultimately, strategic thinking and analysis lead to a clear set of goals, plans, and new ideas required to survive and thrive in a VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) environment. 
    • This sort of thinking must account for economic realities, market forces, and available resources.

Strategic thinking in strategic planning

    1. Identifying opportunities and challenges
    2. Setting a clear direction 
    3. Analyzing and prioritizing options
    4. Developing innovative and creative solutions 
    5. Considering multiple perspectives 
    6. Anticipating future scenarios 
    7. Integrating short-term and long-term perspectives
    8. Learning and continuous improvement

Strategic Planning Tips

    1. Clearly define your mission, vision, and values to correct lack of alignment
    2. Conduct a comprehensive situational analysis (SWOT/ PESTEL) (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats/Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environment, and Legal)
    3. Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound)
    4. Involve key stakeholders to correct poor communication and engagement
    5. Foster a culture of collaboration and innovation
    6. Prioritize and allocate resources effectively (Budgeting)
    7. Develop an actionable implementation plan (Organize)
    8. Communicate and cascade the plan to avoid siloed thinking
    9. Monitor progress and adapt as needed to accommodate external environmental changes – Macedonian call (refers to a God-given vision that directed the route Paul took on his second missionary journey)
    10. Foster a culture of continuous improvement

Note: for suggestions on planning tools and ideas, refer to other articles on this site as well as other external sources.  The principles given above, when followed will lead you to effective plans 

Some thought questions for you to ponder as you look at your current plans

    • What difficulties did you encounter in coming up with a credible plan?
    • As you think through building a plan to address your priorities, what challenges created the most difficulty?
    • How will you address those challenges?
    • Who could you ask for help? (most likely others have encountered similar issues and have found a way around them)

Note: This blog is an excerpt from a talk and discussion given by Dr. Moses Chungdu October 23, 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya at the African Round Table.

Strategic Implemetation

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STRATEGIC EXECUTION IN THE BIBLE

    • Joseph demonstrated the power of strategic planning and execution when he handled the famine in Egypt rightly from the interpretation of the dream to the mitigation of the famine.
    • Joseph did not end with interpreting the dream but went on to plan and Pharoah felt Joseph was best placed to implement it.
    • He had an elaborate plan which he executed to the end.
    • He could have left it to the God who had interpreted the dream to bring it to pass but he trusted Him enough to plan for it and followed the plan.
    • Faith does not go against reason it goes beyond it.

STRATEGIC PLANNING EXECUTION PITFALLS

    • Lack of leadership commitment 
    • Poorly defined goals and objectives
    • Inadequate resource allocation 
    • Insufficient communication and engagement
    • Lack of accountability and ownership
    • Siloed organizational culture and coordination challenges
    • Inadequate monitoring and evaluation (KPIs)
    • Inflexibility and resistance to change
    • Lack of adaptability and learning
    • External environmental factors 

MEASUREMENT CHALLENGES IN STRATEGY EXECUTION 

We will not be able to determine if we have executed properly if we don’t measure our progress.  What are some of the challenges we can encounter?

    • Lack of clear and measurable objectives
    • Limited availability of quality data
    • Our metrics don’t align with our strategic goals
    • Complexities and interdependencies of our initiatives
    • Time lag between our actions and our outcomes (by the time we get the data, it’s too late to do anything about it)
    • Resistance to measurement and accountability
    • Cultural and/or organizational barriers

Example of success from one of our national team leaders

One country went from not being very successful to enjoying the benefits of their planning.  Here is what they did differently to change the outcome.

  • The leaders made a decision that they needed a planning tool and to consistently use it.   It wasn’t the tool itself, it was the commitment to use it.
  • They looked at their national strategic plan once a month
  • They set weekly goals together as a team

Questions for thought

    • One of the impediments to effective strategy execution is poor organization. Reflect on your local ministry/strategy and discuss how best to organize yourselves for effective implementation (i.e. the right people in the right place doing the right assignment using the right tools/methods).
    • Based on your thoughts about the challenges of strategic planning and execution, are there people you could consult with who have been successful?

Note: this blog is an excerpt from a discussion let by Dr. Moses Chungu at the African Round Table on October 24, 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya.