LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS MAY/JUNE 2005

In this edition some thoughts from me on the importance of getting the basics right, "Ten way to take control of the clock" by Carolyn Campbell and an article about sexuality and faith by Brian Orme called "Tagline Truths".

Back to the Basics

Our world is more technologically sophisticated than ever. We have more leadership resources available to us than ever before in human history. The internet is a giant global library that has opened up to us a wealth of resources. We live in an era in which leadership has been eulogised and management is often derided. However, the danger is that all our slick tools can cause us to ignore the basics. Have we shared our vision with those with whom we work in a way that enables it to become their vision too? Are we making sure that our staff/volunteers know where the vestry/board is at in its thinking and planning? Have we effectively equipped and resourced those we work with to help achieve the vision? Do we affirm and encourage them on a regular basis? Do we give them specific feedback on their performance? Telling them that they're doing a good job may make us feel good but it isn't enough. Do we hold people accountable when they have done poorly and provide them with constructive feedback that will help them to do better? Do we ever ask them how they're doing; how they really are? Do we create an atmosphere in which people are able to honestly express how they feel? Are we genuinely interested in those we work with? Unless we get the basics right it doesn't matter how visionary our leadership is.

MANAGEMENT RESOURCES

Time on Your Side

Ten ways to take control of the clock

Carolyn Campbell

In the business of ministry, minutes carry multiple demands; you can easily think of 20 tasks to fill each hour. Because time is a limited resource, it requires astute delegation. Managing your day is thus as crucial as budgeting money. If you use time successfully, you'll be able to oversee your congregation, help others in your community, and expand your ministry to reach the goals you've set for yourself and the church.

Ways to Take Control

The following suggestions will help you take command of the time you have to spend today:

1. Organize your space. Since 1981, Bob Frare has managed his sales training company, Partner Selling Group, from a 10-by-10-foot office in his Albany, New York, home. "My office is the smallest, most highly organised space possible," Frare says. "I believe strongly in touching papers only once. I focus on one paper on my desk at a time. When I'm finished, it goes into a file or a large wastebasket beside me." Frare's favourite organisational tool is a cubby-hole system with separate slots for stationery, envelopes, client letters, invoices, and receipts. "I used to spin around to look for my stationery and jump up three times for the envelope and stamps when I wrote a letter," Frare says. "Now everything is right in front of me. When invoices come in, I don't mess with them individually. They go in the slot for bills until my part-time bookkeeper comes in." Likewise, keeping your office clutter-free can help you save time with each task that you do, freeing up space for more important things.

2. Make a list of things to do. Many people leave Post-it notes and piles of papers on their desks to remind them of what they must do during the day, says Jeffrey J. Mayer, a time-management expert and author of seven books on business and time management. He suggests keeping a list instead. "You can keep adding new items to the list. When you finish something, you can scratch it off," Mayer says. He also suggests prioritising the list. After deciding what is most important, you "just do it," he says.

3. Do the most important tasks in prime time. In his book Time Management For Dummies (I.G. Books Worldwide), Mayer defines prime time as the period during the day when your energy and concentration are highest. "During this time, it's possible for you to get twice as much done in half the time with half the effort," Mayer says. He suggests that you make the most of your prime time. "Give yourself two uninterrupted hours daily," he says. "Leave your answering machine on, turn off your beeper, and don't read your e-mail. Do something really important." If a project requires an hour to complete, make an appointment with yourself during your prime time and block that time out on your calendar.

4. Maximize efforts by multitasking. Azriela Jaffe, author of Honey, I Want to Start My Own Business: A Planning Guide for Couples (Harper Business), is an expert at making every minute count. A business coach and speaker in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Jaffe believes that a cordless phone is a must for those who want to make the most of their time. "Whenever I'm doing something that doesn't require my total attention, I find something to do alongside it," Jaffe says. "I'm always on my portable phone." Jaffe plans her day early each morning, determining what tasks she wants done by the end of the day and which she can combine with others. "If two of my tasks are talking with a colleague and printing documents--or reading mail and downloading an e-mail message--I do those during the same half hour rather than spending half an hour on each," she says.

5. Make the most of down time. Instead of chafing while someone puts you on hold or is late showing up for an appointment, make the most of the down time. Sort through the mail or skim monthly publications. Include those tasks on your to-do list, allowing blocks of five, 10, or 30 minutes in which to complete them.

6. Minimize interruptions. Telephone calls and e-mail messages can eat away prime work hours if you allow them to interrupt you. So arrange a specific time to handle them. When returning phone calls, keep in mind what Karen L. Snyder, owner of The Project Pleasers, a home-based marketing and public relations firm in Pipersville, Pennsylvania, says: "You have greater success in reaching people right before lunch and at the end of the day." Likewise, tap into e-mail at a certain time each day or every other day. "Keeping up with e-mail can drive you crazy. Schedule a set time of day to check it," Snyder says. "Otherwise, you waste time signing on and off your computer during peak work hours when you could be getting your real work done."

7. Delegate, delegate. Busy pastors or church administrators often take on too much in trying to run a church. Like others in business, they ought to assign more tasks to others, says Janet Zaretsky, owner of JRAM Consulting, a business coaching firm in Austin, Texas. "Remember, you can't do everything, and not every task requires your particular talents," she says. To help them delegate, Zaretsky advises administrators to take a notebook along with them for a week. "Any time you find yourself doing something that someone else could do, jot it down," she says. "At the end of the week, review the tasks that you list repeatedly. If you can, cut one or more tasks out of your schedule by assigning them to someone else. You'll find that the tasks you're letting go of are those you merely tolerate."

8. Use time-saving equipment. "If you're overseeing a church, plan to purchase equipment that will save you time, reduce telephone tag, and allow you to multitask," says Randy Spotswood, owner of Stage Four Productions, a Web-site design company in Columbia, Missouri. Mandatory equipment includes an answering machine, a cellular phone, a fax machine, and a computer with Internet capabilities. All of these items allow a pastor to make contacts and transactions faster and to continue to receive calls and contacts when away from the office.

9. Keep office hours sacred. The greatest temptation of setting your own schedule is allowing yourself to be distracted by non-work tasks. "Don't let your boundaries blur so that work time is invaded by household responsibilities," Spotswood says. "Before I consider any kind of appointment not related to work, I try to schedule it for evenings." Don't just fill time with busy work, either. Write a mission statement. When you start a task, measure it against the goals of that mission statement. If that work is not moving the ministry toward those goals, consider replacing it with a more important task.

10. Give yourself a break. Taking a break relieves you of the monotony of working over several hours. "Resist the temptation to work constantly, and remember that rest is important, too," Spotswood says. "Taking a break lets you see your work with fresh eyes and helps you recharge your mental batteries so you are once again up to the task ahead."

Carolyn Campbell has written two books as well as more than 300 articles for magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal, Writer's Digest, and Guideposts.

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Tagline Truths

By Brian Orme

One of the most impacting issues in our day is the subject of sexuality. In a culture that thrives on sensuality, the Church can't afford to stay silent about sexuality-even though it's a messy subject matter to unravel. We may even get in a little trouble for discussing it, but the consequences are even greater if we fail to enter the conversation.

When Jessica Alba (Dark Angel, Sin City, Honey) was asked if she was, or had been, a born-again Christian, her response was, "I used to be. When I was a kid." She went on in the interview to talk about the reason she shunned Christianity: "Because a lot of people gave me grief for being a woman-and made me feel ashamed for having a body because it tempted men." She ended the conversation by saying, "It was a tough time in my life." It was sad to hear-Jessica Alba released the faith of her childhood because she felt guilty about the body God gave her.

The same type of rhetoric was used by Jessica Simpson's father, a former Baptist pastor. He said it was hard to talk to Christian music labels about signing Jessica because they thought she was too full-figured, a problem they didn't want to have to deal with in the Christian marketplace.

Maybe we should question the way we as members of the Church view the body. How do we deal with these issues in the Church? Do we ignore the body? Do we make people feel guilty for the way God made them? Or can we somehow learn to deal with these issues regarding the body in a way that is freeing but still appropriate and modest? I think it's a needed conversation, if for no other reason than to clarify some misconceptions.

There's no doubt that we live in a cultural clash when it comes to sex. The world says, "Embrace your body-exploit it," and the Church says, "Hide your body, let's not talk about it." There has to be some middle ground-a more biblical approach. In many ways, the Church has ignored the issues surrounding sexuality because of the uncomfortable nature of the dialogue. When this happens, people come to their own conclusions, and their own conclusions are often stated as Jessica Alba basically said, "The Church doesn't like my body." There's only one problem: Our bodies are God's artistry-His creation. God wants us to use our bodies for His glory; after all, we are made in His image.

Let me be honest, I don't know what it's like to be told that my body is a sinful temptation to the opposite sex-but I do know that it's a real issue in our churches. I'm not saying that we need to replace our Sunday school classes with sex-ed classes, but I do think that it's a bold gesture to discuss issues of sexuality upfront, as an opportunity to clear up all the misconceptions and stereotypes that people have about how God views our bodies. We've come a long way from the "church-lady" mentality where everything was because of-hmmm ... I don't know, could it be-Satan (sorry, couldn't resist). But there is still progress to be made. If we are intentional about our conversations regarding sexuality within our churches, we will head in a healing direction. A direction that just may release us from misplaced guilt and shame-freeing us to live in the beauty and grace of a life and body given to God. I think part of the problem is that it's too tempting to stop the conversation before it becomes productive. We need to be open to potentially messy conversations that lead to restoration-conversations of truth.

These issues are nothing new-the Apostle Paul dealt with them in the church at Corinth, as well. The tag line for Sin City, "No one is without sin," would be just as appropriate for the culture at Corinth-a culture filled with sensuality and misunderstandings regarding the body. Paul dealt with these misconceptions directly-not shying away from them or covering them up. I think the Church today needs to adopt Paul's mentality and release our penchant for Christian etiquette-exchanging it for a true-to-life dialogue about sexuality. The more we move in this direction, the less, I believe, we will have to come back and tell others like Jessica Alba that the body isn't sinful, it's beautiful-don't feel guilty or ashamed about it and don't release your faith because of what others say or think ... even other born-again Christians. Instead, learn to use your body for God's glory.

In dealing with these somewhat uncomfortable conversations, we are making room for God to work in people's lives-providing an open and trusting place to deal with this relevant issue in a biblical way. And the biblical way has never been to sweep tough subjects under the rug and ignore them, but to engage them fully with the truth in love-because it's true, no one is without sin.

Brian Orme is a writer, pastor, husband/father and armchair theologian in West Milton, Ohio. You can read more of his writings at http://www.brianorme.com.

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