In the On-Deck Circle

I'm at the Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, where the offices for the National Association of Church Design Builders are located. Today we kick off the sixth annual training event for our group, with the goal of becoming a Certified Church Consultant. I was part of the inaugural class in 2004 and have had the privilege of being involved in leadership in every event since.



Our theme this year: Fielding a Winning Design-Build Team. The three jam-packed days of learning include a review of every process that goes into a church building process, from initial dream to completed building - and beyond! We will be also be introducing four principles for consultants to apply to their companies and to the church clients they work with. So, let's get started by heading to the on deck circle!

Clarify the Win

Define what is important at every level of the organization

When you don’t clarify the win:

• As long as the win is unclear, you force your team to guess what a win looks like
• If the win is unclear, you may force those in leadership roles to define winning in their own terms

The advantages of clarifying the win:

• When you clarify the win, you help your team stay on the same page
• When you clarify the win, you can manage your resources more effectively
• When you clarify the win, it creates the potential for positive momentum
  

Four steps to clarifying the win

1. Sum up the win in a simple phrase
2. Keep the win as specific as possible
3. Restate the win frequently and creatively
4. Meet to clarify the win at every level

This material has been adapted from the book "7 Practices of Effective Ministry" by Andy Stanley and his team at Northpoint Ministries. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it as a great leadership text for your team to read - and apply!