Our team hosted the recent Leadercast 2016 event. Andy Stanley was again, for many solid reasons, the first speaker of the day. His focus was the leadership challenge of clarity or, far too often, the lack of clarity with which we operate.
Andy suggested something that resonated for me …
Clarity is the most important leadership quality – more than attributes like vision, or integrity, or goals and plans.
Although that may sound strange, I encourage you to think about it.
- Before you can “see” your vision, you need to be clear on what’s most important.
- Before you can operate with integrity, you need to be clear on what character attributes are most important.
- Before you can communicate effectively, having clarity on what you are needing to communicate is crucial. (If you are looking to improve your communication clarity join us on June 28 – 29 and learn to be a Maverick Communicator.)
Without clarity we are quite compromised in our leadership. We struggle to…
- Know and experience who we are in Christ.
- Remain “right-side up” when all around us feels like it is upside down.
- Operate with a sense of purpose, values, and long-term goals for our lives at work and at home.
- Identify and ensure that our priorities are focused and delivered week in and week out.
- Lead people, culture, finances, sales and marketing, and improve the processes.
- Maintain focus on ensuring our businesses add value to people’s lives, are shaped by kingdom love, and are engaged in the Great Commission.
We have discovered a practice that has become like “oxygen” for us. This practice has dramatically impacted our energy, our focus, our attention to what is most important. It has dramatically improved our clarity!!
This practice provides a tremendous opportunity to reflect on what has happened and, with increased clarity, make decisions going forward that are aligned with what is most important. That practice is the…
“Maverick ¼ ly”!!
We now practice a “Stop” every ¼ of our year.
We “pull away” for a weekend. The agenda is quite straightforward.
- Enjoy a time to breathe, “chill” and recalibrate.
- A time of solitude for reflection in the Word and prayer; each person “listening” and sensing what God may be asking of them and of us as a team. This time of solitude is where we choose to…
“Be still and know that God is God.” Psalm 46:10 NIV
And remind ourselves that we are not!!
- Share what was heard, and “listen” for themes that may apply to us.
- Reflect on what has gone well and what has challenged us over the last 90 days in the area of:
- Self care
- Oneness with Christ, with our spouses and with one another.
- Alignment of priorities at work and at home
- Business results for the last 90 days in alignment with our annual goals.
- Next steps for the business.
- What will be our goals for the next 90 days?
- When will we each have our action plans laid out so that we are doing what we said we would do?
Most of us run hard and rarely take enough time to “breathe” – to create the needed clarity in the midst of uncertainty.
How about you? How’s your sense of clarity in the midst of uncertainty? Are you ready for some “oxygen”?
A Maverick Application:
- Decide to “pull away” – and call a pause in your schedule. It doesn’t have to be a full weekend – just a day or ½ day.
- When will that be?
- Leverage the agenda mentioned above as a guide.
- Prior to your “pause”, read John 13 – 17. What clarity did Jesus bring to His disciples in the midst of what they would be feeling as very, very uncertain times?
- What clarity do you need as you live in the midst of uncertainty?
