Strategizing #2

It has been fun hosting friends & family at our house & taking them to the sights & sounds of the greater Vegas valley.  I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of just being with friends, and enjoying life.  Life is too short, to not experience the richness of it with friends.  I do have to remind myself of that continually, because I tend to be more of a human doing, than a human being.  That thought frustrates me at times.

Now on to Strategizing………Strategizing has been one of my core life & team components for years.  I’ve learned that I love to do it, but have to surround myself with executors, otherwise my strategic plans become internal car crashes, awaiting the EM-T’s to rescue them.  That can become very mental, but most of the time, God is very faithful in bringing the right people at the right time, to help execute the strategy.

Experts, business men, you rockers & rollers, I’m open to your advice on how to become better in this area of formulating a plan, to move a ministry, project, initiative, person, business, etc….. forward.  I’m by no means the leading authority on strategy, but remember what a wise person once said “Fail plan, plan to fail!”  Think, think, think, where are you heading in life, with what you want to accomplish?  You will end of somewhere, but I hope it’s not by accident, or an accident.  You ever been to an accident scene?  Never joyful experiences!!

If your by yourself, get a ton of paper & have fun doing some strategizing.  More than likely, if you truly dig deep, you’ll feel like a cast member out of the movie “A Beautiful Mind.”  That’s normal, but necessary, because a true strategy will require hours & hours of work, and overhauling, to bring a plan to the table that is worth advancing.

If your with a team, a white board (I prefer a flip-chart), is a must.  A note taker is critical too, because with the way I chart, oh boy!!  Remember, this is not rocket science, it’s strategizing, so don’t get mad a people for random thoughts, or ideas.  I tell teams, “Have fun!”, “Enjoy the Journey!”.  Yes, if you’re the MC of the strategizing meeting, then you have to keep people focused.  That can be a bit tricky, but if you let them know up front that you may have to reel them in, let others share & don’t dominate, then it helps when you later have to say, “Shut up!!!!”.  Just jackin!  No really, it helps when you have to refocus everybody, and I promise you, you will!!  If your ADD, than designate a person to help you stay on task.  Nothing frustrates team members more than a leader that can’t stay on task.  What a waste of time for everyone!!

#1.  Get paper (Individual), or a Flip-chart (Team). Use different color sharpies for different ideas if you want.

#2. Trace history. Whether it’s personal, or corporate history, tracing history will help you determine how you arrived at your current destination, whether it was by accident, or intentional.  I don’t think you plot future, without first reflecting on history!!  This can be painful for some, and a joy for others.   Be prepared for all kinds of emotions.  Truth can hurt, but more often than not, it will help you determine the things you’ve learned in the past, and the things you don’t want to take into the future.

#3. Determine where you are right now. I like to ask, “What is our current state of affairs?”  “We just traced our history, & now that we’ve done that, where are we at?”  I also like to ask, “What are we doing well, & what are we pathetic at?”  This part of strategizing is really a state of affairs address.  For some, it can be very painful, because truth often times hurts (especially if you’ve been at the helm for any length of time).  That is why I like the team mentality.  We arrived here together, and yes, I’m the leader, but I’m not the only one that has helped us arrive at this destination.  All of you have played a part!!  That can lead to rejoicing, or the weeping and gnashing of teeth.:)   This is not a point a finger meeting, this is just a dealing in reality meeting.  Sometimes “Reality Bites!”  Don’t panic, don’t attack, don’t blame, just face the facts, and move on.  The fact that you’re even having a strategizing meeting, declares to me, you’re not willing to end up in some random destination, and stick with the status-quo.  You want to change, you want to move forward, &  I applaud that.  Way to go!!

Not done yet, but I’ll stop there for today.  If you’re leading any type of initiative, if you’re trying to plan your life out, it would behoove you to plan a day/days, take a couple of hours, disconnect from the world, just long enough to begin the process of strategizing.  After all, you’ll arrive somewhere!!  The question is:  Where will it be?  Think, plot, plan, before moving ahead.  Your not living a McLife.  Savor life enough, to enjoy the journey, but you’ll enjoy it so much more, when you can see out of your windshield.:)

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