(guest devotion from my brother Chris)
The Power of a Plan
One of the best planners I've ever worked with/for was also one of the most divisive and destructive leaders I've ever encountered. It was as recent as last year that God opened my eyes to allow me to fully appreciate just how much there is to learn from "bad" leaders. But that's a discussion for another devotion. (Or someday perhaps a book or two!) Today, I'd like to talk about one of this leader's amazing strengths; Organization and planning.
We aren't all as blessed as Solomon was when his father David documented in detail the clearly defined plan of God in a manner that made it virtually impossible to fail. The building plans, documented. The materials and resources, arranged. The labor, both front line and management, identified. In 1 Chronicles 29:19-21 we read, "19 “All this,” David said, “I have in writing as a result of the Lord’s hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan.”
20 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished. 21 The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing person skilled in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command.”"
It will be the rare, if ever occurrence, that a plan this well imagined and realized will be handed to us. In most cases, we're on our own. Back to the example I mentioned earlier...
He once led us through a 4 day, 10 hour/day exercise where every single hour spent, led logically to the next. When we were recapping the accomplishments of that week on the final day it was incomprehensible that everything we'd done, every conversation we'd had, every exercise we'd completed brought us to exactly where this leader had intended us to be.
I don't know about you, but I sometimes struggle to deliver an intelligent hour long meeting for my team, and this man had managed to turn a mountainous task and turn it into something manageable; without us even knowing it.
How? Planning and organization. He put in the time...not just a little; a LOT! After that meeting, I asked him what the secret was to leading such effective meetings. In a nutshell, here's what he told me.
1) It's bigger than you...no matter what "it" is. Don't be so full of yourself that you forget to reach out to others. Ask questions, get others involved. Go to the experts. You'll never regret doing this.
2) Know what it is you want to accomplish. The answer can't be "We want to have a meeting..." Meetings aren't accomplishments, they're tools to be used to drive accomplishments. Know where it is you're going and then map backwards to get to the beginning.
3) Put in the time. I was dumbfounded when I learned just how much time this leader had put into preparation for this nearly week long session. Care to guess? 3 work weeks. Something he said has stuck with me since then; "For every hour you plan on meeting, you need to spend at least 2 hours planning and preparing." REALLY? Who's got time for this, right? If excellence in planning is our goal, we need to MAKE the time.
There's much more to being an excellent planner and, as noted above, this leader fell FAR short in many other areas, but I believe God crossed our paths so that I could gain invaluable insight into what it takes to be an excellent planner.
So let's apply this to something more important that leading a work meeting; our faith life.
It is bigger than me. The expert is the Author of all things and His word is my infallible source of all truth.
What I want to accomplish is an eternity in Heaven with my Father and my Savior. My place has been purchased and my salvation earned, but I must ensure that I do not allow my sinful ways to steal this gift from me.
Finally, I must put in the time to study, to grow, to learn; daily. Time in worship, both publicly and privately, is a critical component to my faith journey; starting with confession and prayer and centering always on You and Your word.
Link to daily bible reading calendar (chronological - one chapter per day)
One of the best planners I've ever worked with/for was also one of the most divisive and destructive leaders I've ever encountered. It was as recent as last year that God opened my eyes to allow me to fully appreciate just how much there is to learn from "bad" leaders. But that's a discussion for another devotion. (Or someday perhaps a book or two!) Today, I'd like to talk about one of this leader's amazing strengths; Organization and planning.
We aren't all as blessed as Solomon was when his father David documented in detail the clearly defined plan of God in a manner that made it virtually impossible to fail. The building plans, documented. The materials and resources, arranged. The labor, both front line and management, identified. In 1 Chronicles 29:19-21 we read, "19 “All this,” David said, “I have in writing as a result of the Lord’s hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan.”
20 David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished. 21 The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing person skilled in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command.”"
It will be the rare, if ever occurrence, that a plan this well imagined and realized will be handed to us. In most cases, we're on our own. Back to the example I mentioned earlier...
He once led us through a 4 day, 10 hour/day exercise where every single hour spent, led logically to the next. When we were recapping the accomplishments of that week on the final day it was incomprehensible that everything we'd done, every conversation we'd had, every exercise we'd completed brought us to exactly where this leader had intended us to be.
I don't know about you, but I sometimes struggle to deliver an intelligent hour long meeting for my team, and this man had managed to turn a mountainous task and turn it into something manageable; without us even knowing it.
How? Planning and organization. He put in the time...not just a little; a LOT! After that meeting, I asked him what the secret was to leading such effective meetings. In a nutshell, here's what he told me.
1) It's bigger than you...no matter what "it" is. Don't be so full of yourself that you forget to reach out to others. Ask questions, get others involved. Go to the experts. You'll never regret doing this.
2) Know what it is you want to accomplish. The answer can't be "We want to have a meeting..." Meetings aren't accomplishments, they're tools to be used to drive accomplishments. Know where it is you're going and then map backwards to get to the beginning.
3) Put in the time. I was dumbfounded when I learned just how much time this leader had put into preparation for this nearly week long session. Care to guess? 3 work weeks. Something he said has stuck with me since then; "For every hour you plan on meeting, you need to spend at least 2 hours planning and preparing." REALLY? Who's got time for this, right? If excellence in planning is our goal, we need to MAKE the time.
There's much more to being an excellent planner and, as noted above, this leader fell FAR short in many other areas, but I believe God crossed our paths so that I could gain invaluable insight into what it takes to be an excellent planner.
So let's apply this to something more important that leading a work meeting; our faith life.
It is bigger than me. The expert is the Author of all things and His word is my infallible source of all truth.
What I want to accomplish is an eternity in Heaven with my Father and my Savior. My place has been purchased and my salvation earned, but I must ensure that I do not allow my sinful ways to steal this gift from me.
Finally, I must put in the time to study, to grow, to learn; daily. Time in worship, both publicly and privately, is a critical component to my faith journey; starting with confession and prayer and centering always on You and Your word.
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