From Vision to Strategy: Leading Effectively

Chris McChesney, et. al. The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals (Jefferson City, TN: Simon & Schuster, 2026).

My wife says I have no networking fears. If someone is good or successful at something–i.e., preaching, business, finance, leading, or pastoring, I will find a way to “pick their brain.” I enjoy learning from those who have succeeded in areas that I desire to grow in as a follower of Jesus. Some of these connections are gracious enough to sit with me over lunch, invite me and my staff to visit their church, or coach me in mastering my craft and calling.

Around 2015, I met a successful entrepreneur who made millions of dollars after selling his business in California. Without fear, I reached out to learn more about his success and how he built his company. He was kind enough to spend some time with me. I asked many questions about leading organizations into the future and evaluating metrics. At the end of our meeting, he gave me The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals by McChesney, Covey, and Huling. The book is now offered in a revised and updated version with two additional authors: Walker and Thele (link below).

This book challenged me in the area of execution, and I think the contents of this work can also apply–albeit differently–in ministry.

From Vision to Strategy

Leadership circles and conferences talk a lot about vision, mission statements, culture, and core values. Some people are wired to think about these things and lead their organizations towards health, the future, and profit margins. What I have come to realize is that visionary leaders are not the greatest when it comes to systems, strategies, or evaluative techniques. They can see where to go but many struggle to design the systems and processes needed to bring their vision to fruition.

Here is where The 4 Disciplines of Execution solves some of a visionary leader’s toughest problems–i.e., how to get where they are going, get people on board, and help them achieve their own goals. The authors highlight two requirements for creating systems that move the organization forward: buy-in and allowing teams to create their own metrics that fit the organization’s vision and mission. What people buy into and what they can do to control the outcomes plays a major role in execution.

Wait … I Thought You Work at a Church

As a pastor, I think this book can be adapted into a ministry context. The authors distinguish between lead measures and lag measures. Most organizations focus on the lag measures, which are the goals they are trying to achieve. Think revenue streams. We want $500,000 in profit by the end of the year–the lag measure. The problem the authors reveal is that lag measures are difficult to move if lead measures–those things that actually move the needle–have not been developed or met–i.e., sales, calls, visits, customer service, etc.

Think about how this concept might shapes our mission to make disciples. We want to see people grow as followers of Jesus, we want everyone to be more like Christ after a year of membership, we want to reach more people with the good news, but what are we doing, what are our lead measures that help us achieve what they call a “Wildly Important Goal?”

We came to the realization that if we could get followers of Jesus to gather for worship, get involved in small group ministry, serve in one area of the church, give their resources, and be on mission–i.e., be equipped to reach more people, we will see disciples made, more people reached, and lives transformed. We know where God wants us to go, but lead measures are the tasks we perform to get there. Why are businesses thinking more and better about execution than we are when it comes to making disciples? Systems, process, and strategies like the 4DX framework assist us in executing our discipleship pathways.

Are We Winning or Losing?

We would do well to create a scorecard that lets us, our teams, and the church know if we are winning or losing at your lead measures, which drive the lag measure. The authors state that this evaluative tool must be simple, readable, and quick so that you know if you are on the right track. A scorecard, according to the authors, does just that.

I have personally used this in my own execution of writing a book. I created a scorecard in my office that requires me to write 500 words a day, Monday through Friday. A green check mark means I was successful in completing this lead measure that moves the needle on my lag measure–i.e., complete my bioethics book. A red circle with a line through it, notifies me that I did not execute my task for the day. That icon on the board tells me I lost the day. This one tool has paid dividends in my writing endeavors and can be a valuable resource when making disciples in the church.

Evaluation Is Essential

The church struggles with evaluation. Perhaps we are lazy or just afraid of what the data reveals about our current state. We assume if people are showing up to services that we are fulfilling the mission God has called us to accomplish–i.e., make disciples. The scorecard and the lag measure helps us see if we are moving in the right direction. Sometimes you could have the wrong lead measure, or the goal is outside of the things you can control. The point is: evaluation remains essential for hitting your wildly important goal, reviewing your lead measures, or moving towards your lag measure and “Wildly Important Goal.” As the body of Christ, we would do well to spend more time evaluating how we are doing in accomplishing God’s mission.

Highly Recommend

The pages of this book contain much more information about the 4DX model. We did not get to accountability, 4DX weekly meetings, or how to develop a plan to move your organization forward. Go get the book because the authors fill all the gaps that I left open or did not get to in this review. I highly recommend this work because it will help you build an execution plan so that you can achieve your “Wildly Important Goal.”

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