If you are like me you have little time for New Year's resolutions which express our wishful thinking but seem to fade by the time the Christmas tree is taken down. Year end is, however a great time to think about what we want to actually accomplish in the coming year and then design a plan for how we will get there.
This is not about making a list of activities - all of us have plenty of those. Rather it is about understanding our key priorities and the outcomes we want for those priorities along with a simple plan for each of them that explains how we will accomplish the outcomes.
I follow three very simple steps which have helped me stay intentional for many years:
1. Determining my main Big Rocks of life or my priorities.
2. Determining the outcomes I want for my Big Rocks.
3. Developing a simple plan that I will follow for the year.
The only thing left is to work the plan with a monthly "time out" to review my progress and determine whether I am on target, need to realign or adjust.
There is nothing complicated about this. But it is deeply intentional since I know that the one thing I cannot get back is my time. How I invest my time matters since I have it in decreasing quantity each day.
Here is my plan for 2009 following the three steps above. If you desire more information on how you and your staff can live intentionally the book Leading from the Sandbox, lays it out. Even the most simple plan can help us move from activity to results with increasing effectiveness.
T.J.’s Plan for the coming year
Personal Development: Ensuring that I stay healthy in my spiritual, emotional, professional and physical life.
-Monthly Retreat time, annual retreat, prioritize schedule according to Big Rocks and delegation of issues that can be delegate.
-Read and think regularly on leadership and missions, develop relationships with other mission leaders and continue to write for the church, leaders and staff
-Invite accountability and input from a key group of friends, from my board and be transparent with staff on schedules and priorities. Keep my prayer team aware of needs and schedule.
-Spend quality time with my “friends for life” on a regular basis.
-Monitor the amount of refreshment that I enjoy so that I don’t run out of margin
-Join Weight Watchers and walk at least one mile per day
My Marriage: Keep my marriage vital and growing
-Encourage Mary Ann in her ministries and affirm her kingdom assignment
-Find ways to lighten her load and ensure that she gets the refreshment she needs
My Family: Stay engaged with Jon and Chip as Jon launches out into the workplace and Steven continues his college education
My Family: Stay engaged with Jon and Chip as Jon launches out into the workplace and Steven continues his college education
-One or two international trips with Steven (he is still in college)
-Be intentional about connecting with the boys in person when in town and on the phone when I am on the road.
Pray for them regularly and be available to them whenever they need me.
Try to find at least one extra fun thing that we can do together as a family this year (the kids do not live at home).
My Work: Provide the highest possible level of leadership and direction to my staff (for sake of brevity here I will share the broad plan that has more detail behind it)
-Build a strong, unified, aligned, strategic, and results-oriented team to lead ReachGlobal
-Develop current and future leaders of ReachGlobal and influence national partners
-Mobilize Resources: Summary: Mobilize key resources necessary for ReachGlobal to flourish and build for the future
My Ministry: Stay engaged in using my strengths for the building of God’s Kingdom in the most strategic ways possible
-Help other ministries grow in their governance, leadership and effectiveness. Blog regularly for ministry leaders
-Teach leadership skills internationally
-Engage in helping the poor and marginalized in my work globally
-Encourage pastors who work in really difficult circumstances internationally
My Writing: Complete a new manuscript
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