Visionary or Integrator? Lessons from Rocket Fuel for Church Leaders

Wickman, Gino and Winters, Mark C. Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want from Your Business. Dallas, TX: BenBella Books, Inc. 2016.

We have all heard the saying, “Opposites attract.” Think of this statement like the experiment many of us did in grade school with magnets. Remember when we would take the North Pole end and put it close to the South Pole end? What happened? The electrons spinning in opposite directions would “magically” connect in a magnetized embrace.

Many times, we use this saying to talk about the complementary differences in couples. You have the spender and the saver. You have the get it all out and the hold it all in people. You have the logistician and the fly by the seat of your pants kind of folks.

Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters take this concept into the business world in Rocket Fuel. They explain how explosive two opposites in leadership can be for furthering an organization’s reach and profits. They identify two kinds of leaders: visionaries and integrators.

Understanding the Visionary and Integrator Roles

The authors explain that the world is not made of an equal number of visionaries and integrators. In other words, you could not divide the world’s population in half and say, “this side are the visionaries and over here are the integrators.” Both of these roles are rare, but according to the authors, visionaries outnumber integrators 4:1 (p. 134). Thus, integrators are scarcer in our world–visionaries get ready to fight amongst ourselves for them.

The difference between a visionary and integrator can really be boiled down to one concept. Visionaries see into the future, while integrators are the ones who put traction to a vision. Visionaries see the big picture and the many possibilities for where their organization can go. Integrators hear the vision and go, “I know how to get you there.”

The world prizes visionaries and labels them as leaders, entrepreneurs, and ambitious types. These people are great at moving organizations into the future, building culture, solving problems, making decisions (both good and bad), and are like idea factories–pumping out a new idea every hour about how to go to the next level. Integrators, on the other hand, are the behind-the-scenes leaders with logistical minds, the leaders who put people into action, the organizers who develop strategies, systems, and structures to see a vision come to fruition. Visionaries are restless movers and shakers, while integrators are like the tortoise in that old fable–slow and steady wins the race.

Why Visionaries and Integrators Need Each Other

The authors talk about the positives of both roles. However, these two types of people are not good on their own. Visionaries need integrators; and integrators need visionaries. Indeed, these two opposites attract, and when they come together, it is like “rocket fuel” for any organization–including, as we will see in a few moments, a local body of believers.

These two types of people can launch an organization into orbit but are so different they have to be the right “fit” for one another. Visionaries need integrators to say, “Slow down, we haven’t even implemented your first idea yet,” while integrators need a visionary to say, “Speed up if we want to move to the next level or we are going to be left behind.” This causes, as you might have guessed, “friction.”

This book gives simple steps for how to find each other, build a working relationship, transition an organization into this model, communicate, setup an accountability chart, and create productive meetings. Through case studies and clients, they show how when the right visionary and integrator are coupled together, the better a company will become and the faster it will grow. But could this model work for a church?

Applying Rocket Fuel’s Leadership Model to the Church

As I read the book and took the assessments, I would consider myself to be a high functioning visionary. My God-given gifts and personality are used by God to advance the mission and vision for his church. While I am able to do some of the things of an integrator, it is not my “sweet spot” to use the authors’ phrasing. It drains me and takes me away from what God created me to do. Plus, I am having to burn the proverbial candle at both ends because at this point in ministry and the life of our church, I am the only full-time staff member.

This book showed me that we (perhaps, I) need an integrator. Someone who can really build the vision and helps us move God’s church to the next level–i.e., to reach more people with the gospel and make more disciples. I’m sure some people might question a book about business being used in the church. However, we are in a business–i.e., Kingdom business. We are in the business of reaching lost people with the gospel. We are in the business of doing what Jesus commissioned all of us to do, which is make disciples. Sure, it’s a business book, but if we can take some of its contents and apply it to the church to advance God’s Kingdom, we would be wise to do so. You know what the Bible calls people who refuse wisdom? Fools. I would submit to you that we should avoid that label at all costs.

Highly Recommend

I promise I am reading other books outside of the latest ones I’ve posted on business, organizational leadership, and strategic planning. The church I serve at is experiencing a season of growth, so I am doing my best to consume material that will help us fulfill the mission God has given to his church and prepare for what he plans to do in the future. Nevertheless, I highly recommend those of you who are leaders or are leading an organization to read this book (Link Below).

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