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 REACTIVE | wHAT’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
- 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?
- 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?
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
Strategic Leadership 