Category: Creative Vulcan

Achieve greater effectiveness through Orchestration

I have been to a number of concerts with my wife, ranging from orchestra to single performers. Some shows have been off the charts amazing. In my opinion, the thing that makes shows this impressive is what I call orchestration. To orchestrate, according to dictionary.com, is to arrange or manipulate, especially by means of clever or thorough planning or maneuvering. I believe we can benefit from this idea of orchestration, as thorough planning, for our own events – musical or otherwise – and even in planning meetings.

Learn about the power of orchestration

Orchestration Tips for Impact

For some things, this level of planning is not necessary; if your goal is to achieve impact though, it’s worth it. Orchestration is thinking through the event or activity from beginning to end, and planning for each piece, for each moment, for each step in the process, thinking in such a way that steps blend so well together you create a thing of beauty. Here are a few application points you can take from a real orchestra:

  • It is the responsibility of the conductor to guide the orchestra through a piece from beginning to end and to keep all players in sync. The team leader, or a designee, should be doing the same, guiding the team through execution toward the goal.
  • An orchestra is generally guided by sheet music for the particular piece they are playing. A written plan with notes for every player will go far to help achieve a higher level of execution. Do the words “getting everyone on the same page” sound familiar?
  • Just as there are a variety of instruments in the orchestra, there are a variety of people on your team with a variety of skills and resources. Design your activity such that each player can perform to their best.
  • Practice! Work through things in advance; it will increase every player’s capacity to carry out their role in sync with other players. Also, in my world, many events repeat from one year to the next or multiple times per year. I consider each time I do the event as additional practice for the following year. In my debrief following the event, I take notes on what I can do better. Then I build that into my plan for the future.
As I mentioned above, I believe this kind of effort can go into events, parties, and even meetings. I only have a few times per year to do strategic planning with my larger team. My goal is to have those moments leave an impact that will keep the team energized and focused for the next season. What about you? Are there any areas in your world you could add orchestration to produce a higher-caliber experience?

Tips for Dealing with Confusion

strategies for dealing with confusionI was praying with a young man recently, who admitted that he was dealing with confusion about a number of things going on for himself and his family.

Boy, if I could count the number of times that I’ve been there. It’s the scratch your head kind of confusion that leaves you going in circles. I want to walk the plan the way God intended it, but it still seems like there are multiple choices and I’m unsure which way He wants me to go. Two significant seasons come to mind for me here:

  1. I was in college and really wanted to travel the career path God had for me. One strong marketplace option was on the table, but my heart was really feeling pulled toward ministry. I’m thinking, if I’m feeling pulled toward ministry, of course that must be God. But the other is a definite job offer, while ministry is a complete unknown. Hmmm…
  2. More recently, as I’ve moved into new levels of responsibility in my current organization, I’m finding there are rarely black or white decisions. It’s no longer as simple as: 2+2=4, therefore the wise choice is XYZ. I can’t think the problem toward a solution. It takes praying while making a decision, and then trusting God to guide your steps. Often, the proof that it was the right call may take months or even years to be confirmed.

Confusion Tips

Here’s what I’ve found as my strategy when I get in seasons of confusion like this, where I am lacking clarity:
  1. Recognize that God wants to make His purposes and direction clear in my life. Exodus 13 shares how God led the Israelites via a cloud by day and fire by night; every day they made a choice to move in a direction or stay put, based on His daily leading. I pray that I can follow Him that closely. James 1:5 tells us that God wants to give wisdom, all we have to do is ask. John 10 reminds us that God’s sheep will know His voice. I reflect on these Scriptures and pray over the areas I’m navigating.
  2. Brain dump. Sometimes the confusion is because I’m turning circles in my head. Whether it’s journaling or just downloading the projects and tasks to paper, moving the confusion out of my brain always has a way of generating clarity for me. I don’t try to organize as I write, but as I write, organization happens.
  3. Use peace as my guide. Isaiah 26:3 promises that “[He] will keep in perfect peace all who trust in [Him], all whose thoughts are fixed on [Him].” Once I’ve considered my alternatives, which one gives me a deep seated peace?
  4. Seek counsel. Proverbs 15:22 reminds us that receiving advice will help us succeed.
  5. Make a decision. Trusting God’s voice in my life and the wisdom He has placed inside of me through the Holy Spirit, the time comes to make a decision. Often, making the first decision acts as the first step to get me moving in the right direction.

Links to associated blog posts:

Six thoughts on organizational budgeting

budgeting
Part of my responsibility is helping team members navigate the challenging process of budgeting for their ministry activities. Whether it’s one activity, or a season, or a calendar year, there are a number of things that I’ve found that help lead to successful budgeting.

  1. Start with a vision. This is as simple as drawing a picture in your mind of what the world would be like if your activity, season, or year went the way that you wish that it would.
  2. Write a plan to achieve that vision. Every culinary masterpiece requires a recipe, even if it was never written down. But if it was never written down, it will be hard to repeat. So write the plan down. (This will also be helpful as you bring other people in to work with you).
  3. Research. Possibly not in your organization, but somewhere, the activity or season you’re trying to carry out has likely been done before. Find out where and consider how they did it. Are there any lessons you can use to shape your plan to increase your odds for success? Is there any thing financially specific that they did or didn’t do that you can learn from?
  4. Attach dollar signs to your plan. If you’re serving 100 families, how many supplies will it take? How much will it cost to buy that many? Is requesting donations a possibility? Identify opportunities to save money. Consider these factors and turn your plan into a financial plan that evidences your thought and research.
  5. Think through contingencies. How will you modify your plan if resources are limited? if participation is low? if other challenges come up?
  6. Next, present your financial plan, including the components outlined above, to those to whom it’s appropriate. (Supervisor, finance committee, congregation, etc.) Modify based on their requests and then prepare to execute and evaluate* your plan.
*Evaluation while executing AND after executing your plan will contribute to your research phase when preparing for future activities and seasons.