It was refreshing and energizing to see many of you, our clients and ministry partners, at Dunham+Company’s annual Summit in Scottsdale, AZ in early January. Learning together, connecting, and collaborating with peers is a terrific way to begin the adventure of a new year. It brings us all comfort to know that we are not laboring in our respective noble quests alone, and that others face similar challenges and opportunities as we launch boldly into the ministry landscape before us.
With so many options to do good and impact lives in 2019, it can be overwhelming to consider all the ways we can advance our mission.
As I look at the priorities for Dunham+Company in 2019, I challenge you to join me in the process of determining what is going to move the needle most at your organization.
My friend and trusted counsel, Martin West, asks an incredibly important and refining question when faced with a multitude of worthy ways to invest an organization’s time and resources, “What are the two or three things that, if we focused on now, would move us most rapidly towards accomplishing the goals we’ve set forth for 2019?”
This question presumes that you have set clear goals for your ministry in 2019. If that is not the case yet, this needs to occupy the number one position on your priority list.
If you have indeed set tangible and measurable goals for this year, then now is the perfect time to work with your team to prioritize your efforts around the activities that will move your organization most rapidly towards those objectives – and then to stay after those priorities until the job is complete.
It sounds simple, right? It is not. It requires a clear vision and agreement about what is needed and possible. It requires collaboration, cooperation, and commitment. I assure you though, this investment of energy in the planning and focusing on prioritized goals will be the key to your success.
While it is tempting to outline a complex set of tasks aimed at the achievement of dozens of “good goals,” that as leaders makes us feel like we’ve leveraged every opportunity and faithfully (and simultaneously) worked toward each possible worthy objective, it is just not practical or wise.
More often than not, those who have refined their thinking towards a few key objectives end up making the most progress in the long run.
Energy focused is much more powerful than energy diffused… for both you and your team.
As you continue your good work here towards the end of 2019, my encouragement is to ensure that you have a rock solid grasp of your few key goals for the year and that you work with your team right away to outline tangible steps in order to make the most progress possible towards them now. Who knows, perhaps that focused energy will allow you to accomplish your goals more rapidly? And when that hill has been conquered, you can confidently take the next!
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