I remember the first time I ever led a strategic planning retreat for my company. It was a hot mess.
During our full-day offsite, we spent most of the day debating the answer to one fundamental question: “What do we do?” We couldn’t even get on the same page with that question.
Strategic planning requires high-level thinking, purposeful retreat, intentional reflection, visionary leadership, and listening to the Lord. This can be daunting and debilitating for leaders at any level. How do we balance being fully surrendered to God’s plan for our businesses while seeking to create a plan that positions us for faithful and fruitful leadership?
As we’ve refined our strategic planning disciplines and developed healthy planning processes, we’ve seen six types of leaders when it comes to strategic planning.
Where do you fit in this strategic planning maturity model?
1. The Rebel Leader
A leader who rejects strategic planning, seeing it as an attempt to control the future, which they believe should be left entirely in God’s hands.
“You should never have a strategic plan because you’re not in control, God is.”
2. The Firefighter
A leader stuck in reaction mode, constantly dealing with crises and relying on quick fixes instead of seeking God’s wisdom for the future.
“We can’t plan—we’re too busy putting out fires. God will get us through whatever comes up.”
3. The Opportunist
A leader who only creates a plan when big opportunities arise, missing the biblical call for disciplined, long-term, sustainable leadership.
“We plan when something comes up. Until then, we wait for God to open doors.”
4. The Executor
A leader adept at handling short-term tasks and managing immediate operations but often overlooks long-term vision and the bigger, God-sized plans for the future.
“Let’s handle today—God will show us what’s next when it’s time.”
5. The Planner
A leader who excels at creating well-structured, thoughtful plans to manage resources wisely, but may lack a broader, integrated vision that ties strategy to mission and purpose across every aspect of the organization.
“A good plan is our roadmap and helps us be faithful with what God has entrusted to us.”
6. The Integrated Leader
A leader who embeds strategic planning into the culture and DNA of the organization, seeking God’s guidance in every decision and ensuring that every domain of the business operates with a ministry-first mindset.
“Strategic planning is the heartbeat of our organization—a way to steward our calling, follow God’s lead, and align our work with His purposes.”
Understanding these six types of leaders can help us see both our strengths and our blind spots in how we approach our call to leadership. Set aside time this week to reflect on your approach to strategic planning. Where do you fit in this model? What’s one step you can take to move from reactive, self-reliant leadership to proactive, God-centered strategic planning?
Yes, let’s approach our stewardship and strategic planning with open hands of surrender. But, let’s have an Expo marker in our palm and a whiteboard at our side as we listen, lean in, and lead out toward the flourishing of our teams, our clients, our communities, and the world we’ve been called to serve.
