Once an organization comes to realize that strategic planning can mitigate their decline stage, or in the language of a church ensure that the organization ‘goes from glory to glory,’ the question of how to strategically plan arises.
Since the book Holy Conversations is a resource centered on discovery by the congregation, the strategies outlined in it are selectively inclusive.
Rendle and Mann continue to process the question of “Who do you want to take to the balcony?” These people would be strategic people that would fall in the “productive 24%” that are not positional (neither ‘yes men’, nor ‘no men’) but rather are thoughtful, invested, and interested in the good of the organization.
Rendle and Mann would say that these are the type of people that you want on your planning committee. Their process of strategic planning would be committee based and would gather data, provide the board with recommendations for board implementation while giving voice to the congregation, and understanding the culture of the congregation.
In contrast, The First 90 Days is highly individualistic, as the book is written for the individual in transition.
As such it lays forth a strategic plan for an individual to implement over the first 90 days that they find themselves in a new context.
One of the great values that this resource brings forward is the STARS acronym (Start-up, Turnaround, Accelerated growth, Realignment, and Sustaining success). By differentiating the current position of an organization’s life-cycle using the STARS classification the individual can match the strategy to the organizational situation.
Meanwhile, The 4 Disciplines of Execution could be equally beneficial for both individuals and for teams. In this resource, the four disciplines are actually all facets of a strategic plan.
Much like Holy Conversations states that without dissatisfaction congregations are prone to put off strategic planning, The 4 Disciplines of Execution looks to catalyze the dissatisfaction through the creation of a WIG (Wildly Important Goal).
Don Cruickshank, MALM (Masters in Leadership & Management)
*Certified in Team Leadership
*Leading From Your Strengths Certified Trainer, Coach, Consultant
- Empowering individuals and organizations towards creating successful futures
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