July 14, 2008  

Leadership Tools
Hugh Ballou

LEADERSHIP TOOLS...

...Is not just about strategies and techniques. It is also about living life to the fullest! This month's writers are leadership trainers, consultants, and process facilitators who work with a wide variety of leaders in many walks of life. This month we focus on what matters - your life.

This edition of Leadership Tools is about knowing what you want, not wasting time in getting it, appreciating the family God gave you, and being sure that you can attain balance between work and personal life.

Are you trapped in a downward cycle where work is the enemy and you don't have time for the most important activities? Write us and let us know your challenges, your successes and give us your comments.

Leadership is about Foundations, Relationships, Systems, and Balance in that order. However, this month the Foundations and Systems sections are related, so they are grouped together. Plan to succeed or plan to fail. You need all four to succeed!

Enjoy!

FOUNDATIONS
Be Sure of What You Want!
By Hugh Ballou
Have you ever finished a week at work and looked over your “To-Do” list to find that you haven’t progressed at all? In fact, many times you might feel as if you are even losing ground to your list! Well, here are some strategies that you may find helpful.

Remember Why
In past months we have looked at foundations as identifying values, goals and priorities. Now, it’s time to review these. It’s July. It’s the beginning of the second half of the year. Yes, if you are in ministry your program year might not begin until August or September. However, if you haven’t thought ahead about the fall – you will fall! You will fall victim to “The Tyranny of the Urgent.” Don’t let this happen to you.

Review your notes about what you value in ministry and what you have identified as your purpose in ministry. Make changes to these. Your perspective may have changed some and you will want to make notes about your change in perspective. In fact, if you haven’t reflected on how life and leadership has changed over the last 6 months, then you might not be growing in your leadership skill, or you may not be as honest in your thinking as you might want to be.
Your foundation is the “why” that will motivate you and keep you on track! Review these whenever you are evaluating your goals because they are strategically linked together. Every goal must build on these values and purposed statements or the tension from being out of alignment will negatively affect your success.

SYSTEMS

Don't Waste Your Time Doing Unimportant Things!

By Hugh Ballou

Identify Tasks and Set Priorities

Make a list for major tasks. Be specific. Write each task on a note card – one per card. Place all of your task cards on clear table top (dining room table, board room table, etc.) and begin to move then around sorting them in groups that are related. It is possible that all of these tasks will fit into a few groupings. Then you can move the cards into lists by priority or deadline or event date.

Once all the cards have been sorted, then reflect on the results. The visual impact of these lists will help you clarify some things. You may be able to combine tasks or work on parts of some tasks at the same time. It will be more obvious which tasks depend on the completion of other tasks. Once you have finalized the lists, then commit them to goals sheets, calendar or other management device for planning and tracking.

The time spent in planning at this point will save you mountains of time later. If you can use this foundational piece when structuring each day’s activities, then you will not find yourself wondering what to do next or forgetting that there are steps to take each day that will save you time and agony later. You will also have a way to keeping up with the overall goals so you don’t lose track of important tasks and then have stress over them when it’s almost too late – or even when it is too late!

Covey Grid

Stephen Covey teaches that identifying important tasks for each day and taking action on these tasks will help prevent this tyranny of the urgent in your life. Put your tasks into categories of important and unimportant. Yes, I wonder why I am doing what I classify as “unimportant” as well. There are things that we must do that we would rather not do. So, let’s be honest. Do these in the most expedient fashion when these tasks do not interfere with important tasks and before they become urgent.

Likewise, schedule important tasks when you can deal with them effectively, not when they are “on fire” with urgency. Dealing with tasks because you have to do them now might not be the best use of time and resources. If you know a task must be completed be a certain date, then schedule it when you are best able to complete the task – not when if must be done. Once it becomes urgent, you lose control and it (the task, the job, your supervisor, etc.) controls you! You must control you!

The most ineffective use of a leader’s time is dealing with these low impact (unimportant) tasks in “prime time.” Use your most productive time for the most important tasks and schedule the less important tasks for other times.

Use the following Covey grid for sorting out your tasks and in evaluation your effectiveness. Where are you spending most of your time? The upper right quadrant is where you want to spend your most productive time. It will not happen if you can’t plan ahead. So pay the upfront cost, which is far less than the delayed cost, and spend time planning your work.

Covey Grid

Important & Urgent	Important & Not Urgent
Not Important & Urgent	Not Important & Not Urgent

This all sound like a piece of cake. What about the unforeseen that comes your way during the day? What about people who want your time and need you? Well, have a strategy for this as well. Allow for “sliding priorities” that come into the workday. Do not plan you day so tight that you cannot recover when the unforeseen happens. On the other hand, if you have put something on your calendar, then give the event priority when you are asked to give time to a less important activity. Let the person know that you have plans for this time and make an appointment to meet with them later. You do not need to explain what you are doing or talk about your life. Stay focused, be sensitive to the person or issues at hand, evaluate the priorities, and make a decision that will continue to let you be the effective leader God has chosen to do your job. Do not feel guilty for protecting your time. God has given you just so much time to do the things you have been called to do.

Thoughts to Ponder

• Plan your day (yesterday not today) and work your plan
• Not urgent becomes urgent when left unattended
• Not important can be delegated or dealt with in slack times – if left unattended, then the not important becomes urgent and you are spending productive time on unimportant things.
• Place your priority on important tasks and schedule them before they become urgent in order to devote your best efforts to them
• Practice effective leadership each day to strengthen your skills

RELATIONSHIPS

Family Ties
Cheri Hill
I recently went to visit two of my cousins to catch up and to see the youngest one’s new 9 week old baby boy. While I was there I was handed a picture which showed 160 people posing together (wide lens camera!). I was astonished when I was told these were all of my cousins who live in Norway and each year they all come together for a big family celebration. At first, I was amazed that I had 160 cousins in Norway but what surprised me even more was all 160 of them actually come together each and every year! 

I have over 400 relatives in Minnesota, at least 200 scattered all over the west coast, and who knows how many more living around the country. We never get together. In fact, I hardly know any of them.

15 years ago I did travel back to Minnesota for a family reunion (my mom’s side of the family) over the 4th of July weekend. We were all camped out at one of my Aunt’s lake houses. The really cool thing was they gave everyone a booklet that diagramed the family tree and gave a mini history of the parents (my great, great grandparents who came from the old country) and their eight children, and their children and so on, so everyone knew which relative you descended from. It made it a lot of fun and more important we all realized just how we were actually connected. It was wonderful to learn who every one was, what they were doing, their successes and what was coming up in their future. 

Of course, as we were leaving everyone hugged and cried and said how important it would be for all of us to stay in touch. 

We never did. Time marched on, lives grew busy, current addresses became obsolete.

When our ancestors migrated to America, I don’t think they realized that over time each successive generation would not know the next.   How the family tree would have its roots transplanted to destinations around the country, even around the world. 

As we celebrate what makes America strong, please take this as a gentle reminder that maybe its time you have a real family reunion (longer than one day) so you can reach out to those ties that bind….your beautiful family.    

Cheri S. Hill, President and CEO (Chief Empowerment Officer!) of Sage International, Inc. is co-author of Incorporate & Grow Rich!; creator of the educational series: After the “Inc.” Dries…®; and host of the highly acclaimed, SageAdvisers® Teleseminar Series.  She is a much sought after public speaker due to her wonderful ability to simplify the intricate aspects of incorporating.  For over 15 years, Cheri has taught thousands of entrepreneurs, sole-proprietors, investors and professionals how to properly structure their business and personal assets to safely grow, protect and leverage their hard-earned wealth.  In 2005 she earned her designation as a Certified Estate Planner (CEP).  She is a founding member and past President of the Nevada Registered Agent Association, currently serving on the Board of Directors.  Her memberships include The National Speakers Association, Toastmasters International, eWomen Network and the Asset Protection Society.  She serves as faculty for CEO Space and is a certified NxLeveL Instructor for the Nevada Small Business Development Center.

More information is available on Cheri’s web site: Sage International, Inc.

BALANCE

A Truly Balanced Life
By Gail Lynn
Ten years ago someone said to me that you can’t have happiness in LIFE, RELATIONSHIPS, and CAREER. Pick two” he said “and that’s all you get”. “Hogwash!” I said. I’m the type of person if you tell me something is not possible get out of my way and let me show you it’s possible (within reason, of course). At the time the statement was made to me it seemed impossible so I made it my goal in life to make it possible. Today, I believe I do have balance in all three areas of my life. I absolutely love my life and I love being me! I, like everyone else on this planet, have my moments. However, I NEVER have a bad day – only bad moments. I truly wake up every morning with a zest for life, excitement for what the day will bring and gratefulness for the gifts that God has bestowed upon me.

So, how did I get here? You are have heard that Rome was not build in a day. It took a lot of dedication and consistent focus (and I can’t forget to mention the therapy!) to create my wonderful life.

Here are some bullet items to guide you in your quest and journey to a truly balanced life:

• A clean, safe, calm home to retreat to;
• A healthy diet AND exercise to stay fit, healthy, trim and full of energy;
• Self-Care, whether it be reading, meditation, prayer, soaking in a hot tub, a new hairstyle, new clothes, you need to take care of your personal needs. It’s not selfish. It’s necessary;
• Loving relationships (I am talking unconditional love and surrounding yourself with people who love you for no other reason than for who you are);
• Quality time with family and friends;
• Passion for what you do.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? The problem I have seen is that most people don’t know how to manage their time in order to juggle all of the above. With that being said, next month I’ll talk about time management and effective ways to plan your time.

For more information or questions contact Gail at: gail@gforceconsulting.com.


Gail Lynn has been doing planning and project management for more than 15 years, and is the owner of G Force Consulting, LLC.  For more planning, organization and time management tips visit www.gforceconsulting.com (services page).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Conclusion

Arrive at your place of comfort utilizing the best of what you can learn from others. Build your foundation, maintain your relationships, utilize effective systems and keep a healthy balance in your life. Begin today. There's not an arrival point. It's simple a journey.

Grace and Peace to you in your duty and delight as a Christian leader.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Hugh Ballou

 © 2008 Creator Magazine All Rights Reserved

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