I am not a techie, but I am Mac guy, so I was mesmerized, like many of my techie friends, with Apple’s new iPad. This week when Steve Jobs introduced it, I felt an instant urge to hold one. Did anyone else get that urge? (Please don’t give me an idolatry lecture…I know my priorities…I’m not obsessing, but I am fascinated.) Being one that is always looking for ways to improve my productivity, I can see how I would make use of such a product.
I’m older now than I used to be. I have aches I didn’t once have. My hair is more gray. Recently my youngest son said, “Hey Pops, you are starting to look old.†He doesn’t realize how much I’m starting to feel it also. It isn’t completely bad though. As I have entered what may be considered my “middle agesâ€, I am realizing some benefits from being the age that I am today.
I rearranged my office over the weekend. It wasn’t a whim. Those that know me know I’m not wired very much for spur of the moment decisions. This office makeover was definitely purposeful.
Another variable in determining strategy that is often overlooked is the strengths of the people within the organization at the time. I posted before about the way organizations typically replace senior leaders. (Read that post HERE.) Organizations usually replace the top position with someone opposite from the one that leaves. They do this to build on a strength they feel the former leader didn’t have.
Even so, in my position, I often have to say “Noâ€. I have to consider the amount of money and energy expended as it relates to the entire church organization. Honestly, there are times I feel like the dream killer more than I get to be the dream enhancer, because I often have to be the “No†voice, but the fact is, as with any organization, we operate with limited resources and sometimes saying no is the right decision at the time. In these times, I have to walk the delicate balance between saying yes and saying no.
Change is necessary, however, if organizations want to continue to improve and grow. The simple fact is that change requires a certain amount of faith. Faith is much easier to believe, and even to preach, than it ever is to live by.
In our recent series “Hunger†at Grace Community Church, I shared a system I have used for spiritual growth that has helped me mature. I had numerous people ask me the following week to describe the details of my “systemâ€. It really isn’t anything scientific or deeply thought out, but has helped me greatly.
Tweet Are you planning yet for a better year? Now is a great time to start evaluating the year and planning for a better new year. I don’t know about…
I was honored this week when Jesse Phillips with CatalystSpace blog called me a “seasoned leaderâ€. I feel I still have more to learn than I have learned, but it did cause me to reflect on some of the experiences I have had and people that have influenced me in my leadership ability.
For years, I resisted a call to ministry, partly because of this advice. The simple fact was that I could do some things besides ministry. I had some success in business. In fact, at one point I was extremely successful in my field. In my own strength, I found I could do many things.
