4 solutions to vision, mission and strategy challenges

April 5, 2018

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I love how Donald Miller talks about mission, vision and strategy. In his book, Building a StoryBrand, he talks about how companies attempt to exorcise employee lethargy with “the most sacred document available: the mission statement.” 

Miller continues, 

The corporate mission statement is like the holy grail of organizational effectiveness. With monastic dedication, executives gather for off-site retreats where they etch painstaking phrases onto tablets few will ever read and even fewer will understand or apply…Needless to say, only in very rare cases has a mission statement actually led a company to be on a mission.

When we asked Christian leaders the top leadership skill they’d like to personally develop over the next 12 months, vision, mission and strategy were near the top of that list.

What is vision to you? How does it differ from mission and strategy? Does it really matter how you define those terms, as long as you have an overall goal? Is the problem more than just a new or updated mission statement?

Because these three words—vision, mission and strategy—are often interchangeable, many leaders disagree over precise definitions. However we define them, we can’t escape the basic concepts that capture the how and why of our organizations.

Here are four ways to help you overcome this challenge. 

#1 Know what Scripture says about vision, mission and strategy

The following concepts serve as a foundation for seeing leadership development from God’s point of view. 

When tackling the “lofty” side of leadership – the meaning behind our business, the vision of our church, or the culture of our organization – it’s important to keep in mind that God always sees the big picture. 

If we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s guidance, He gives us our mission, helps us see His vision, inspires our strategy, and influences our culture. 

Concept #1: Discover your organization’s culture by identifying its primary value. To the Israelites, the temple was the main thing that identified them as God’s people, and gave them a place to gather, worship and sacrifice. Therefore, the temple defined their culture. 

What one thing defines your company? What biblical mandate summarizes your church’s reason for existence? Let that “one thing” become everything.

We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.—Ezra 5:11

Concept #2: Head off problems and respond to opportunities by focusing on your purpose.When failure seems inevitable, or an opportunity beckons, refocusing the organization on its big-picture purpose energizes the team to handle either extreme – whether they need to gear up for an emergency, or get excited to chase a new horizon.  

In the following verse, the Israelites were told to be strong before they rebuilt the temple. They needed to prepare for the heavy lifting that would reestablish the glory of their people. 

‘Let your hands be strong, you who now hear these words that the prophets spoke when the foundations were laid for the rebuilding of the temple, the house of the Lord of Hosts.'—Zechariah 8:8 

We have more of what Scripture has to say about mission, vision and culture in the full eBook > The Top Five Challenges Christian Leaders Face.

#2 Know you are not alone with the challenge of vision, mission and strategy

When it comes to this challenge. It’s vital to understand you are not alone. Leadership can feel lonely enough already. We don’t need to walk around thinking we are the only one with the challenge of vision, mission and strategy. Take comfort in the words of some of the Christian leaders who follow us. They remarked about the Bible and its role in their leadership here:

God’s Word inspires courage to follow the dreams, goals and visions God has given me. The Word of God has comforted me in times of loss. God’s Word has given me instruction on how to live faithfully in the church and the world. —Toni 

The Word is the source of vision which provides ongoing life purpose. For me, that is to add value, from a biblical perspective, to people and to organizations. Our walk with Christ is the foundation for leadership through character development and values expression.—Barry

We have more of what other leaders have to say about vision, mission, vision and culture in the full eBook > The Top Five Challenges Christian Leaders Face.

#3 Know the tips for overcoming the challenge of vision, mission and strategy

We dive into several tips for leaders in the full eBook. Here are just a few to get you started:

1. Great leaders don’t overcommit. 

Did you breeze right passed this point? Don’t. Many Christian leaders have become too busy. Chronic busy-ness makes us ineffective. This happens in churches, businesses, organizations and individuals. We get busy by overcommitting, and then we lose sight of our first love. 

How does this happen? In The overcommitted church, Thom Rainer points out three things churches do that diffuse their vision and mission. These can be applied to business as well: 

• You equate activity with value. Busy leaders are often deemed to be leaders of value. 

• Failure to have a clear purpose. Even the best leaders can only do so many things well. Once you lose a clear and defining purpose, you will ultimately lose motivation.  

• Leaders have failed to say “no.” Some leaders can’t say “no” to new programs and ministries because they have no clear or defining purpose on what they should do. Other leaders simply lack courage to say “no.”  

2. Great leaders commit only to the essentials. 

Can an overcommitted leader become a balanced leader? The answer is “yes.” However, it won’t be easy. Inertia often carries the day.  

Here are three realistic but challenging approaches toward balance:  

• Don’t add without subtracting. Are you too busy? If so, don’t even think about adding a task, event, activity or program without taking at least one away.  

• Determine the essentials.Establish a simple one-line strategy for remembering your mission. If you keep it simple, you will keep your busyness to a minimum.  

• Evaluate all meetings.Some leaders have committee meetings, business meetings, and program meetings—for no other reason than because that’s what they’ve always done. Evaluate all meetings ruthlessly: 

Would the world fall apart if you eliminated a few meetings? 

Do you really need that weekly business meeting? 

What decisions could be just as easily handled via text or email instead of a 30-minute (or longer) meeting?

We dive deeper into helpful tips for vision, mission, vision and culture in the full eBook > The Top Five Challenges Christian Leaders Face.

#4 Know where you can find additional resources for vision, mission and strategy

Lastly, I’d regret it if I didn’t send you for more resources on this challenge—especially since we have so many leaders who have addressed this challenge specifically. To name a few:

• Changing an overcommitted church to a balanced one  

• 7 tips for introducing new ideas 

• How to create an inviting small group 

• Why churches need blue-ocean strategies 

• How to create a thriving team 

Remember, from all of the Christian leaders we surveyed, from leaders at churches, to organizations and various businesses, one of the top challenges was properly handling mission, vision, strategy and culture. Once you know what Scripture has to say, you understand that you are not alone, you have tips to combat the challenge and you have additional resources to help when you need them, you can overcome this challenge. You can and you will.

If you want to dig deeper on this and the other top challenges, download the full (and free) eBook > The Top Five Challenges Christian Leaders Face.

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