<h3>Overview of the Six Critical Questions</h3>This kit provides a framework for exploring Patrick Lencioni's Six Critical Questions, as outlined in his book "The Advantage." These questions are integral to creating organizational clarity, a key component of the "Four Characteristics of Organizational Health." This solution is designed to enhance team cohesion and initiate a path toward greater clarity within your ministry.<blockquote>The Critical Questions are: Why do we exist? How do we behave? What do we do? How will we succeed? What is most important right now? And Who does what?</blockquote>While a single day can't achieve complete clarity, this session aims to make significant headway, with a particular focus on Values (Question 2) and Strategy (Questions 4 and 5). The day concludes with a discussion on identifying the most critical objective for the present moment. Consultants may adapt the timing and focus based on ministry priorities, in consultation with leadership.

Downloads Available

<ul><li>Facilitator Slide Deck: Intended for consultant guidance only, encouraging whiteboard or flip chart use for enhanced engagement over direct slide presentation.</li><li>Session Materials: Includes Presentation Notes, a Sample of the Six Questions Answered, and Handouts.</li><li>Staff Meeting Integration Guide: Designed to facilitate ongoing team discussions about the topic.</li></ul>

<h3>Expectations for this Consulting Service</h3>Integrity, Communication, Respect, Excellence—these sound like great values, but they were once associated with Enron. The goal of clarity isn't merely to produce polished statements, but to uncover what is genuinely true for your organization. This process is a team health check, not just a wordsmithing exercise.Once your leadership team achieves cohesion, the subsequent step is ensuring alignment and clear communication of that alignment. This solution is designed to be implemented on your turf, providing firsthand insight into what your ministry needs to gain clarity. Remember, achieving organizational clarity is an ongoing journey, not a one-day event. This solution offers a model for future discussions and highlights areas needing attention, with follow-up conversations crucial for building sustained buy-in.

<h3>Defining Success</h3>Imagine a parent leaving your children's ministry, upset and approaching a volunteer. How does that volunteer respond? Or consider a first-time guest wondering if there's a place for them, approaching the information table. Will the guest services team perceive the subtext of their questions and respond with genuine care, not just rote information?The ultimate goal of this solution is to equip every member of your ministry to respond to strategic situations in a way that embodies your core values and reflects genuine care. While strategy alone cannot anticipate every scenario, the right strategic framework prepares everyone with the right posture and guardrails to ensure your ministry's values are consistently expressed.

Understanding the Six Critical Questions

A guide to understanding and applying Patrick Lencioni's Six Critical Questions for organizational clarity and team cohesion.

<h3>Pre-Planning</h3>Schedule a conversation with the Lead or Executive Pastor before the session.<ul><li>Clarify objectives &amp; outcomes:<ul><li>Why does the team want to go through the Six Critical Questions?</li><li>What issues, tensions, or opportunities are prompting this session?</li><li>What will success look like, and how should it set the stage for future clarity?</li></ul></li><li>Understand team &amp; context:<ul><li>Who will participate, and how well do they work together?</li><li>Are there relational or organizational challenges you should know about?</li><li>What recent changes (staffing, growth, strategy shifts) could affect the discussion?</li><li>Are there competing priorities or pressures right now?</li></ul></li><li>Explore mission &amp; culture readiness:<ul><li>How clearly is the church’s mission articulated and lived out today?</li><li>What values—stated or unstated—shape the team’s behavior?</li><li>How open is the team to honest dialogue and potential changes?</li></ul></li><li>Plan logistics:<ul><li>Confirm date, time, location, and technical needs.</li><li>Set expectations for confidentiality and psychological safety.</li></ul></li></ul>

<h3>Pre-work</h3>Teams will be asked to watch a 20-minute video overviewing the Four Characteristics of A Healthy Organization. And asked to grade your ministry on each of the Four Characteristics.<h3>Day Together </h3><ul><li>9 am — 4 pm preferred Timeframe</li><li>Review of Pre-Work</li><li>Overview of Six Questions</li><li>Activities related to uncovering answers to the Six Critical Questions. Focus is on Questions 2, 4, and 5.</li></ul><h3>Follow-up: </h3><ul><li>Provide the church with a summary report highlighting key insights, answers to the Six Questions, and your recommendations.</li><li>Include the Staff Meeting Integration Guide so they can continue to process and refine clarity on their own.</li><li>Encourage them to plan quarterly check-ins to revisit clarity and keep it alive with their team.</li><li>Offer to be available for a short debrief call if they have follow-up questions or want help thinking through what comes next.</li></ul>

Guidance for Consultants

Send this email to your team before your session. They’ll watch the following video and answer a few questions to get ready. Just fill in the blanks to make it personal!

Advantage Model

<h3>Pre-work Email Draft</h3>Hi [Church/Team Name],I’m excited to get an opportunity to spend time with you on [DATE].I love working with people on organizational strategy and vision, but I’m especially excited to be joining you as you are on the cusp of the new building. [Something about them and why you’re excited to be with their team specifically.]What We Will Discuss I’ve been in leadership development for about 12 years and have heard countless methods for how organizations should firm up strategy, but I’ve never seen anything more effective than the strategic lens of the Table Group (Patrick Lencioni).The goal is not for your team to know which words to put on the walls in your new building. The goal is that every Sunday morning a key volunteer will know exactly how you’d want them to respond to any situation. When faced with a challenge, they will know what values should drive their choice and be able to make a decision you’d be proud of. (What do they say to the angry parent? What do they do when someone asks for help? When they have limited time in their week, which ministry in your church should get their time?)The 6 Critical Questions we discuss will provide a strategic lens that actually leads to action.How to Prepare<ul><li>Watch this 26-minute video (A quick overview of The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni): https://vimeo.com/789323337/6e78933144</li><li>Please email me your response to David’s final question: Send me a grade (A, B, C, D, F) for each of the 4 Characteristics of a Healthy Organization. (Just to me only, don’t copy the team: [Your Email])</li></ul>Thanks! See you all soon, [Your Name]

Pre-Work

<h2>Welcome to the Six Questions Session</h2>We’re excited to spend this day together working through Patrick Lencioni’s Six Critical Questions framework. Our goal is to help your team gain clarity, alignment, and actionable focus around what matters most for your ministry.<h3>What you’ll find on this page:</h3><ul><li>A sample agenda outlining the flow of the day so you know what to expect.</li><li>Links to five key videos, each diving deeper into one of the crucial areas we’ll discuss. Please watch these videos ahead of time or revisit them afterward to reinforce what we cover.</li><li>A note that full speaker notes for each section are included in the attached PDF. This resource details exercises, talking points, and facilitator guidance so you can review or revisit the conversation later.</li></ul><h3>Handouts:</h3>You’ll receive two versions:<ul><li>A simple handout that gives you space to capture your team’s insights on each question in a straightforward format.</li><li>An optional complex handout, which includes tools for identifying a Thematic Goal, Defining Objectives, and Standard Operating Objectives—as well as insights on meetings from the Table Group model. Feel free to use this if you’d like to go deeper, but it’s not required for today.</li></ul><h3>Sample Schedule</h3>(See attached PDF for full details and exercises)<ul><li>9:00 – 9:15 am Starter Exercise — Get moving and talking to break the ice.</li><li>9:15 – 10:30 am Overview + Questions 1, 3, 6 — Establish shared understanding of why you exist, what you do, and who does what.</li><li>10:30 – 10:45 am Break</li><li>10:45 – 12:30 pm (includes lunch) Question 2 — Explore how you behave as a team.</li><li>12:30 – 2:30 pm Question 4 — Discuss how you will succeed strategically.</li><li>2:30 – 2:45 pm Break</li><li>2:45 – 4:00 pm Question 5 — Identify what is most important right now.</li></ul><h3>Key Videos</h3>Watch these videos for deeper guidance on the areas we’ll focus on:<ul><li>Four Characteristics &amp; Overview – Watch here</li><li>Question 2: How do we behave? – Watch here</li><li>Question 4: How will we succeed? – Watch here</li><li>Question 5: What is most important right now? – Watch here</li></ul><h3>Next Steps</h3><ul><li>Use the simple handout during the session to capture your team’s answers and insights.</li><li>If you want to dig deeper, explore the complex handout later or in follow-up meetings.</li><li>For detailed instructions on leading each section, refer to the attached speaker notes PDF.</li></ul>We’re looking forward to a great day with you and your team!