The recent postings concentrated on focus – understanding how God has positioned you and your team, both with gifts and provisions. We assumed that you have already created the purposes for your project. (The issue of purposes was discussed in the posting dated 10/23/2009.)

• The purposes God has for your project
• The preparation God has made for you and your team in this work

• Your mission defines the work of the project
• The vision gives you direction for where and how the project will move forward

• The mission involves the creation and presentation of classes within the community – the work that will be done and services to be offered
• You need a vision now to guide your decisions about how to proceed:
  
  
  • Types of education and classes
  • Age groups
  • Learning environment
  • Teacher styles
  • Christian outreach from the school
  • Who in the community will be reached
  • Much more…

Larry

We have talked about a lot of background information related to BAM, business as mission, projects.  Most recently we began looking at models that can help us focus our attention and energy.

Larry

Last time we looked at the hedgehog concept by Jim Collins in his popular book, Good to Great.

 

• Penetrate the community with the Gospel
  
• Serve the people in the community 
  
• Generate funds for the ministry 
  
• Provide a means and place of Christian discipleship 
  
• Provide meaningful work in a Christian environment

Blessings,

Larry

It seems all too easy for business to become fragmented these days. There is so much change. New technologies

• New industries
• New tools
• New emerging markets
• On and on...

 If we cannot maintain our focus, it is easy to get distracted. We can find ourselves pulled in too many directions to maintain excellence in all areas.

If this tendency is true in business, we must recognize that it is also a risk with a BAM project.

Jim Collins and his team wrote a popular business book – Good to Great.,
In addressing the challenge of focus, he encouraged companies to consider a Hedgehog Concept.

Collins defined the “hedgehog concept.”

1.      What you can be the best at—you should:

• Determine what should be attempted by ability, not ego
• Determine what you cannot be best at
• Keep it simple and straightforward
• You may not be doing it now. Your core business may not be the thing you could be the best in the world at

2.      What drives your economic engine—strive to:

• Determine your organization’s single economic denominator
• Understand what the key economic drivers are
• Build your system according to that understanding

3.      What you are deeply passionate about—seek to discover:

• What ignites your passion and the passion of those that work with you
• The passion can be found in the mechanics of the work or can be focused on what the company stands for

Collins compared the discovery/definition of these three arenas to moving out of a fog into a clear understanding. That is pretty huge when it comes to knowing what to focus on.

When you can determine where these three areas overlap, you have an excellent idea of where you should be focusing.

Next time we will look at a variation of Collins’ model that considers the spiritual dimension important for a BAM.

Blessings,

Larry

As we defined it in our first post, Business as Mission is about real, viable, sustainable and profitable businesses. However, it is a business with a Kingdom of God purpose, perspective and impact. Our desire is that it will lead to transformation of people and societies spiritually, economically and socially – to the greater glory of God.

•  Business must be financially sustainable. 
• They must produce goods or services that people are willing to pay for.

Blessings,

Larry