Taking a step back: the personal audit

Taking a step back: the personal audit

Periodically I find it necessary to take a step back and reflect on my life, my goals, and the direction I’m heading. Over the summer can be a great time to do that. Get away to the woods, the mountains, the ocean, the lakes… wherever is peaceful enough for you to...
There is always enough time to do God’s will

There is always enough time to do God’s will

By guest blogger Marcy Bradford  I have a friend who refuses to go to The Cheesecake Factory. It’s the menu. The pages and pages of choices overwhelm her to the point of distraction and agitation. While I love The Cheesecake Factory, I get it. The menu is massive and...
Creating a planning rhythm

Creating a planning rhythm

For optimal effectiveness in accomplishing your goals, set aside time for a regular planning rhythm. Yes, it takes time, but in the long-run it saves you time by maximizing your results. It’s counter-intuitive, but the more you have to do the more necessary it...
The danger of a split focus

The danger of a split focus

Do you have a split focus? As my friend Neil Cole says, “First things first. One thing at a time. Always one more thing.” That middle concept of “one thing at a time” can be one of the most difficult for us. We live in an age of multi-tasking and constant...
Pruning comes first

Pruning comes first

Before you can begin delegating new tasks and developing new leaders, pruning must come first. The primary question of pruning is: What are you going to stop doing? If you don’t prune, you don’t have the bandwidth to develop others because you’re still carrying loads...
Annual time budget

Annual time budget

The questions have been asked before: What are the big rocks? The core contributions we’re supposed to be making? How do we allocate significant blocks of time to do those? The higher you are in leadership, the more important it is to look at your whole year. Most of...