Weekly Thought – May 10, 2016
Fred’s ability to speak truth clearly and effectively gave him a platform from which he stretched others. His capacity for setting aside his ego and seeing situations objectively provided authenticity.
The BWFLI week at Lindsey Wilson College and Alice Lloyd College provided non-stop opportunities to “stretch and bless the next generation of leaders… to the glory of God.” Here is an example of student feedback: “The Breakfast With Fred Leadership Institute was informative for all parties involved. The older generation passed on their wisdom and expectations while the younger generation expressed their goals for the future.”
Know Thyself
The hardest person on any executive’s team is to supervise himself. He soon recognizes that “my problem is me.”
If many people took the energy and intelligence they spend devising ways to avoid work and applied it toward building a work plan, they would be highly successful. One of the most important executive disciplines is cutting off escapes from effective work. Sadly, there are executives who are strategic about accomplishment avoidance. For example, a great many people study their jobs rather than work them. Most people already now considerably more than they are actually using in the workplace. Education is not the problem – disciplined motivation is.
Another escape for most people is activity. They have not learned “results are the only excuse for activity.” Many people feel at day’s end they are satisfied with their efforts when in fact they have just been busy. They are the chief of their local fire department putting out flames but never constructing buildings. They are on the run but never getting anywhere productive. Too many executives eat, belch, and run – like fire trucks with dirty engines. Little boys make lots of noise playing firemen, but grown executives need to put down their helmets.
In order to accomplish anything, you must have a definite goal. Unless you can write it down, it isn’t definite or specific. My mentor Maxey Jarman taught me that aimless verbal wandering has no power. Only when I put the goal on paper does it take shape. Until it is formed, it may be a direction – but it isn’t a goal. A ship with a lot of steam doesn’t get to port unless it stays on course.
Once the goal has been set, it must be pursued with a burning desire. The desire must be maintained and sustained with discipline.
This week think about: 1) Where am I substituting busy for results-oriented? 2) What steps can I take this week to better manage myself? 3) How can I clarify my goals?
Words of Wisdom: “Little boys make lots of noise playing firemen, but grown executives need to put down their helmets.”
Wisdom from the Word: “To knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness.” (2 Peter 1:6 NET Bible)