A Strategy for a Lifetime of Effective Leadership

Many leaders confuse activities and accomplishments with effectiveness. It is possible to live a life full of activity that does not achieve God's purposes for our lives. It is possible to do much but accomplish little. Using the analogy of the woodcutters: it is possible to chop down many trees and feel that much has been achieved, but to have worked all day in the wrong forest. A day full of activity, but a day that lacked effectiveness. We do not need to work harder to live effective lives, we need to invest our energy in the right areas. Using the analogy of the woodcutter, if he spends a few minutes clarifying which forest he should work in, he could increase his effectiveness dramatically. In the same way, those few minutes spent sharpening his axe at regular intervals could double his effectiveness.

Leaders often feel that they do not have enough time to invest consistently in personal development. There are many pressures and demands that they face each day and they struggle to find the time to invest in the areas that they see are vitally important to them. In reality, the problem is often not a lack of time, but a wrong set of priorities. Often there are 'urgent' or 'attractive' areas that shout for our attention, which may not necessarily be the most important areas for our focus. Imagine that we were packing a bag in order to go on an expedition to the North Pole. If we started by packing the less important items (like a CD player and our 30 favourite CD's), we may find that we do not have room for the essential items (like warm clothing and walking boots). What we need to do is to begin by packing the essential items, and then we can see how much room we have for the items of secondary importance. The same principle needs to be used in planning our time.

When Jesus was asked to name the most important commandment, he replied:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30)

In doing so, he highlighted four key areas through which our love for God should be expressed. These are the heart (the spiritual area), soul (the relational or emotional area), the mind (the mental area) and strength (the physical area). As we invest in private disciplines in these four areas, we are increasing and expressing our love for God. These areas lie at the heart of who we are, and it is essential that we invest time and energy in developing all four areas of our lives.

We cannot afford to wait until we have time to invest in our spiritual lives. We cannot afford to see what time is left to invest in our mental, relational and physical lives. We need to prioritise investment in these areas as essential items on our weekly agenda. The private disciplines that we have looked at in the previous four studies need to be areas in which we invest on a weekly basis. This means that we need to plan the time for the four areas before we plan anything else. As we invest regular time in these private disciplines, we will see a deeper expression of love for God and a greater effectiveness in our public lives. As the disciplines become established as a part of our lifestyle, we will sharpen our character and expand our leadership capacity. Though the amount of time invested each week may be small, these deposits will add up and we will see significant changes in our lives over a year.

Once we have planned the time for the essential items, the private disciplines in the four areas of our lives, we will be able to use the rest of our schedule for the other requests and demands that are presented to us. By remaining 'sharp' in the four essential areas of our personal development, we will be able to deal more effectively with the other demands that come our way.

Jesus ensured that he took time alone with the Father in prayer as a regular part of his schedule. Through this time with his Father he gained the inner strength and direction that he needed in order to fulfil the Father's will.

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"

Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else - to the nearby villages - so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."" (Mark 1:35-38)

Through taking time with the Father, Jesus knew how to deal with the request that Simon Peter was bringing to him on behalf of the people that needed healing. Instead of staying there to heal the sick, Jesus knew that he needed to go to the nearby villages in order to preach there. In the same way, as we invest time in the four essential areas of private disciplines, we will gain the wisdom and direction that we need to deal with the requests and demands that are brought to us. If we fail to invest time in our private disciplines, we can easily become side-tracked and start to expend our energy in the wrong areas, chopping down trees in the wrong forest.

In practical terms, what can we do to build these private disciplines as an essential part of our lifestyle? The remainder of the study looks at a strategy that will help to plan and prepare so that we invest our energies in the right areas. The key to the strategy is weekly planning.