One of the biggest challenges facing ministry leaders is getting bogged down in operational matters.  As Harvard Business School professor Kash Rangan notes,

Leaders typically ask, “Am I accomplishing my program?” But that is too narrow a view. Nonprofit leaders need to be more visionary. They need to stretch themselves more and worry about mission impact. I believe nonprofit leaders get too bogged down in operational issues, be it fundraising, or managing the board, or program execution. They need to be more strategic.” (Reference.)

Being strategic simply means developing a vision and a plan for the future.  Some suggestions as to how this can be achieved:

1.  Minimize immediate distractions. I have recently moved my computer monitor from the most prominent spot on my desk to the side.  This small action promotes my strategic thinking, rather than being captive to the constant interruption of attending to incoming emails.  Another way is to attend to emails only a couple of times a day.

2. Write a strategic plan. For a good overview on how to achieve this click here.  Warning: the danger with this is that ironically it can promote a focus on the operational load. This happens when the plan is viewed as some sort of final act. The key is to keep the vision fresh and to regularly think strategically; Where do we need to go to achieve our mission?  How will we achieve this?

3.  Spend time each week thinking strategically – for me this is best achieved early in the morning.

4.  Dedicated thinking time. Once a month spend at least a day out of the office dedicated to strategic thinking/visioning.

5.  Make it part of your conversations with stakeholders. Just about all communication should somehow reinforce your vision and plans.

…Mark Brown  http://brownblog.info/