Know where you are and where you want to go
Knowing
where you are and where you want to go helps you make
effective decisions:
Bottom line #2: To know where you are and where you want to go, take 5 steps:
- You’re at the
train station. You need to buy a ticket. How much
should you spend? That depends on where you are and
where you want to go. If you’re in Ikebukro and
want to go to Higashi Kurume, you need a ¥260
ticket; however, if you’re in Higashi Kurume and
want to go to Tokorozawa, you need a ¥170 ticket.
- You’re planting a
church. You
want the church to become independent. What you
focus on? That depends on where you are and where
you want to go. If you have a pastor, sufficient
giving, a facility, but not the requisite 2 elders,
you need to focus on getting 2 elders; however, if
you have a pastor, a facility, 2 elders, but not
the requisite giving, you need to focus on
increasing giving.
- You’re coaching
basketball. It’s half-time. What do you want
to tell your players? That depends on where you are
and where you want to go. If you’re winning 29-8
and you don’t want to run up the score, you need to
tell your players not to press and not to
fastbreak; however, if you’re losing 8-29, you tell
need to tell your players to press and fastbreak.
- You’re leading a school. Your goal is for 90% of your students to score at or above standard on each of your schoolwide learning outcomes. What do you want your teachers to focus on? That depends on where you are and where you want to go. For example, f 90% of your students perform at or above standard on applying a Biblical perspective, while 50% perform at or above standard on using their learning to serve others, you need to focus your teachers on helping students use their learning to serve others.
Bottom line #2: To know where you are and where you want to go, take 5 steps:
- Define what it
takes to achieve the mission—for example, publishing and
networking.
- Transform your
definition of mission achievement into SMART
goals. For
example, change “Publish” to “Publish 10 articles
by June 30.” Or, change “Network” to “Start 5
communities of practice by Sept. 15.”
- Measure the
current achievement of your SMART goals.
If your goal is to
publish 10 articles this year, count how many
articles you’ve already published. If your goal is
to start 5 communities of practice, count how many
communities of practice you’ve already started.
- Consistently
track your progress. Set aside time each week or each
month to track your progress. This takes
discipline, but doing this gives you the
information you need to make effective decisions.
- Regularly ask yourself 5 questions: What are my goals? What’s the current achievement level of each of my goals? Regarding the achievement of my goals, what satisfies/concerns me? Given that I have finite resources, which goals should I prioritize? For each prioritized goal, what key actions can I take? (Even better, get someone to ask you these questions on a weekly or monthly basis. How about getting a coach?)