Strategic Planning

Our Group leadership team just went away to the mountains for our spring Leader Retreat. It was so amazing!

We spent a lot of time looking at the barriers that we're facing in our work. We met in teams and brainstormed and shared and laughed and cried. (One of the purposes of the retreat is to grow together as friends so that facilitates trust in all our interactions. It works!)

The "aha" for me--and maybe all of us--was after we'd listed our barriers and itemized points underneath each one, our Brand Champion, Jeff White, spoke up. He said that we could transform each negative barrier into a positive statement that fit our five core values. And he was right. Our values are innovation, people-friendliness, authentic learning, quality, and servanthood.

It was brilliant. And it was a great (long) exercise to get to the realization that whenever we're experiencing barriers in our work, ministries, and life...perhaps we're not being true to our core values.

Maybe that insight will save you hours of processing. If you're blocked somehow, what core value do you need to get back to?

Comments

[Courtney Walsh]

This is so dead on to what I've been feeling lately. Just feeling like God is really calling us to put aside the 'flash and sizzle' and get back to the basics - why are we really doing this in the first place? Are we being true to those reasons of why he called us to this ministry to begin with?

It's so easy to allow the 'other stuff' to get in the way. We have been really feeling like it's time to clear the calendar of all the big 'events' and just concentrate on the ministry.

Back to the core. Figure out what's at the heart of it all and let everything else go.

Such wisdom in your advice.

[Henry Zonio]

Great reminder. I don't know how many times I've hit a roadblock and sit there for way too long only to realize that I wasn't even headed in the right direction! Roadblocks are a good indication of values drift.

[Chris Yount Jones]

Yes! Getting back to what God called us to do. I love that!

[Glen Alan Woods]

I agree with your comments. For my part, this is the sort of thing that occasionally causes me to reassess my core values to make sure they are in line with God's purposes. Core values are sails without wind if they rely solely on human ingenuity and fortitude, rather than on the grace and power of God. Thank you for these thought-provoking posts. They truly serve the web community well.