Tag: planning

Perspective

imageHappy New Year! There’s something about a new year that lends itself to feelings of a fresh start. Dormant projects, unfinished from the past; unmet goals, missed due to lack of execution or insufficient plans; unfulfilled desires; these all seem to have the potential for new life as we enter a new year. What changes?

I think one thing that is different as a new year begins is our perspective: the way we look at our situation. A new year is a milestone and challenges that were large last year look less significant as we pass that new year mark. Last year, I had trouble, but “this year things will be different”.

How can you re-align your perspective to match God’s perspective on your situation-new year or otherwise? My devotional this morning took me to Matthew 6, which reminded me that being anxious about my situation does not help. If I seek God first and His kingdom, all of my other needs would be met; not through my own striving, but through His grace.

Take time as you start this year to get God’s perspective on your business, ministry, relationships, and personal well-being. That should shape your resolutions and planning for the New Year!

Wisdom from the ant and other unlikely sources

I sometimes regard myself as a “wisdom junkie”. I try to pickup principles and insights in all kinds of circumstances and situations. I pray often for God to give me wisdom for the matters which He brings across my plate. So when I come across a Scripture that calls attention to things that are “exceedingly wise”, I take special note. Proverbs 30:24-28 describes four things in this way; here’s a rundown, plus my top takeaway from each.

  1. Ants who gather food in summer – Planning in times of plenty will pay off in times of lack.
  2. Badgers who make their homes in rocks – Choose your base of operations wisely; it will protect you from challenges in the future.
  3. Locusts go out in ranks, with no leader – A crowd of wise people can organize itself around a goal, even without someone being in charge.
  4. Lizard can be caught by the hand, but makes it’s home in king’s palaces – Even if something is a weakness, you can use it to your advantage and engage it as a strength, as the lizard does with his size.
I could delve deeper into each of these principles another time, but if you’re interested, here’s a quick suggestion I wrote for a new way to try planning for a coming season. To learn from the ant, try this exercise with a focus on resources. What resources are you currently enjoying plenty, that you should potentially prepare for a season to come when they may not be available? Money, staff, volunteers, etc. – all could change in the future. How should you plan to be ready if they did?

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?