Part one: Annual strategic planning starts early!

Looking Upward, Inward and Backward…

Before the planning retreats. Before the color-coded slides and quarterly targets. We believe there’s a deeper way to begin.

As we enter into fourth quarter, it is a great time to begin taking stalk and thinking about where we have been and where we are going!

We want to thrive as an apostolate and truly do what we say we are doing. For Bella, that is bringing souls to Heaven through dignified healthcare. What does that mean for you?

Each year we start early to develop our annual strategic planning. As a mission-led leader, you carry more than operations—you carry calling. That’s why, as you gather as a team to plan for the year ahead, begin with three simple prompts to guide your mission-driven planning:

Look Up

We pause. We breathe. We ask:

• Lord, what are You asking of us in this season?
  Not in general—but right here, right now, with these people, in this place.

• What is stirring in our hearts?
  What burdens won’t let go? What dreams are waking up again?

This moment is sacred. Often, someone shares a phrase or prayer that lingers for the rest of the year. We write it down. We honor it. We let it guide us.

Look Inward

We revisit our mission and ask:

• What are we still fighting for?
  Is the heart of our “why” still beating strong?

• Have we forgotten who we are?
  We remember the early days—why we started, who we served, what made us weep and hope and hustle.

• Has anything changed?
  We give ourselves permission to notice: Have we grown? Evolved? Are we being invited to renew or refine our core identity?

Look Back

We review—not to judge, but to understand.

• How did we do this past year?
  What moments made us proud? Where did we drop the ball?

• Did we do what we set out to do?
  If yes—celebrate it. If not—ask with curiosity, not shame: Why not?

We hold space for honesty. And gratitude. Always gratitude.

What Happens Next?

Once we’ve looked up, in, and back—we begin to plan forward.

Each year we create annual operational objectives that help us to stay focused on what is most important at that time in the mission. Objectives are different than our pillars which are more a set of norms for how we behave at Bella.

Annual operational objectives help us to have a framework for mission with really actionable steps for the year! By setting specific goals, we maintain focus on our why- to make people whole and get souls to Heaven. Operational objectives promote our commitment to stewarding the resources God has entrusted to us to better glorify Him.

Regularly evaluating objectives not only identifies areas for improvement but also celebrates progress, and fosters a culture of growth, collaboration, and shared ownership of the mission to maximize our Kingdom impact.

From our operational objectives, we create goals tied to these objectives with the hope to expand our influence and fulfill our call to serve others in a Christ-centered way to make them whole.

A Few Notes About Operational Objectives:

• The “theme” of the objectives is the same across the organization.

• Each team then creates goals consistent with these objectives that pertain to their “corner” of the mission.

• We check back on them often… How are we doing? Are we on target, behind or ahead?

• We keep working at them.

Our Annual Objectives Include:

• One objective that stems from our annual theme: It fosters individual formation

• Retain and Sustain: Mission satisfaction (Patients, staff, & supporters)

• Extreme Ownership: Fostering innovation and professional growth

• Refiners Fire: Pursing excellence through processes

• Financial Stewardship

There is not a right or wrong for annual objectives. They stem from what your organization is in most need of from your reflection. Allow your Christ-centered leadership to guide the year and maximize your team’s contribution to the mission. Part Two is designed to help you identify areas that may lead to the development of your Annual Objectives.

A Personal Note:

We know how easy it is to go from one year to the next without truly reflecting. To lead is to carry so much—people, outcomes, payroll, pain. So if this is your first time doing it this way, we just want to say: You’re doing it right. Start small. Start sacred. Start slow.