One of my proudest moments was when Tim Sutherland called me a mad scientist. Seriously. The commitment to try and to try again, to fail and fail again, in the hopes that next time will be the time…is the essence of who I am. That’s one of the reasons that the tagline over at MarkHowellLive.com is “pushing boundary-free.” It’s also one of the reasons that I love this video. I hope you love it too.
What happens when the thing your organization is really good at…no longer matters? You know, when what put you at the top of the charts no longer is in demand? Or maybe it still is but it’s not exactly what people want anymore?
What happens? Do you just keep on keeping on? Maybe because you’ve invested in the scaffolding that holds it in place?
What do you do? Maybe it’s even the thing you are known for…but if you really look under the hood you can see the signs that it just isn’t working any more?
I love this paragraph from Chief Culture Officer by Grant McCracken. He’s describing the season when Coca Cola passed on developing non-carbonated drinks. After all, they no doubt thought, we’re Coca Cola! We are all about carbonated!
“The Coca Cola Company had a hard time grasping the significance of branded water and non-carbonated soft drinks, even when the evidence was piling up around it. The Coca Cola Company was very good at making Coke. It wanted to keep making Coke (p. 106, Chief Culture Officer).”
Got something you’re really good at making or doing? Want to keep making it even though sales are dipping? Even though the signs are everywhere that the times have changed?
“What is StrategyCentral about and why don’t you just put this stuff over on MarkHowellLive.com?
It’s a fair question. Actually a couple fair questions. Here’s my thinking. StrategyCentral is where I write about the intersection between strategy and purpose, but specifically it is my outlet to write about the ideas generated by the books I read in the areas of strategy and leadership, change management, customer-service, marketing, innovation, and design-thinking.
For the last 20 years I’ve been reading Tom Peters, Jim Collins, and Patrick Lencioni (along with millions of you). But I’ve also been reading Peter Drucker, Jeffry Pfeffer and Robert Sutton, Bill Taylor, Gary Hamel and Peter Block. In fact, I tend to read about 5 to 1 (maybe 10 to 1) business over ministry. Why? Because the intersection fascinates me. The intersection between strategy and purpose.
One of my core convictions is that most ministries (and I include non-profits) have no idea that a vision ought to have a strategy designed to move the organization in the right direction. I don’t remember where the idea came from…but I’ve had it for a long time. A long time. I do remember how struck I was by Tom Peter’s In Search of Excellence in 1987. I was a seminary student at the time and have no idea why I bought that book. I do know that today my book shelves are packed with ideas driven by the notion that strategy does matter.
StrategyCentral is where I write about the continuing journey. If you share my passion for making a difference strategically…I invite you to come along. You can sign up to get the update right here. You’ll also find over 1,000 articles by checking out the categories or archives.
P.S. MarkHowellLive.com is where I write about my other passion: boundary-free small group ministry.
I don’t know about you, but I look forward to this day all year. Greenberg Smoked Turkey, cornbread dressing, cranberry relish, sweet potatoes, and pecan pie. That’s worth looking forward to!
But…it’s not the whole reason I look forward to this day. I also look forward to it because it is a day that reminds me of all I have to be thankful for. Family. Friends. Health. A God who knows me and loves me. Even died for me. That’s a lot to be thankful for.
Hope you have a great day…wherever you are.
Got an hour? If you’ve not heard Andy Stanley’s message , you absolutely must watch it. Part One of a new series at LifeChurch.tv (Andy did a guest shot there while Craig Groeschel was speaking in London), A Church for Everyone is all about why they do what they do at LifeChurch.tv (and North Point for that matter).
This is good stuff. I don’t care what your persuasion is, if you want to see vision cast well, don’t miss this week’s talk.
It’s on several more times this week. You can see the times right here.
How’s this for smart positioning? Soul City Church launches in spring 2010 and is already putting out some very cool promos that pinpoint what they will be about.
Tripped across this video of a Gary Hamel talk on the idea of management innovation. Packed with some of the key ideas from The Future of Management:
If you've been along for the StrategyCentral conversation, you know that Gary Hamel's The Future of Management has been a constant source of challenging thinking for me. I want to invite you to join me and the Willow Creek Group Life team for a free webinar on Thursday, September 3rd from 12:00 to 12:45 pm CDT. We'll be discussing how to apply Hamel's principles to help organizations escape the shackles of conventional thinking.
I know most of you have already discovered Tony Morgan. Good stuff over there. In case you haven't read his article on the advantages of doing ministry without a ministry strategy…you really need to take a look at it. Right in line with so much of what we've talked about over here.
What's the number one advantage? "You give the loudest person the opportunity to decide what happens at your church." I know you can see where this is going…but you'll love it anyway! Click here to take a look.
