I once heard a story about a Peace Corps worker in Africa who had a genuine desire to help the famine stricken people of a particular African nation. The plight of these people was terrible and they were dying by the thousands from starvation and pestilence. The Peace Corps worker worked his contacts and procured several thousand pounds of seed corn to help the people grow corn and brought in a tractor to help them cultivate the ground. The people happily received the provisions and the Peace Corps worker went away feeling good about what he had done. A few weeks later he found that the people had eaten the seed corn and stripped the tractor and sold the parts for scrap. The problem here was that people had become dependent upon others to feed them and did not develop a mentality of finding ways to feed themselves.

Wise leaders will look for seed where they can find it and develop a process of planting the seed that produces the most bountiful harvest of leadership wisdom. As a Christian leader there is much seed found in the pages of books and newsletters written by successful people, whether they be business leaders or ministry leaders from groups with whom you may or may not be in complete agreement. The wise leader will examine their offerings and see if what they are teaching contains any biblical truth.

This month's newsletter is such an exercise. Biblical truth is biblical truth no matter where you find it. As you read the article to follow, compare the principles and advice it contains with what you have read in the bible. While I have not couched the article in biblical terms, the truths are universal bible truths. Do not reject the biblical truth because it is phrased in terms different than what you would find in a bible study. Use the article to search the scriptures for yourself. This process is what will help you extract focused leadership methodologies and principles from the Word of God and free you from depending on others.

Dr. Jeff Wade has over 30 years experience in the ministry. His passion is teaching leadership to church leaders to equip them to more effectively do what they have been called to do. He conducts leadership conferences and trains church staffs. He is the author of two books and has produced many leadership tools, available on:

Beware of Busyness
Harnessing Willpower for Purposeful Action

Only about 10 percent of managers work purposefully to complete important tasks, according to a 10-year study of managerial behavior across a variety of industries. The other 90 percent self-sabotage by busily engaging in non-purposeful activities, procrastinating, detaching from their work and needlessly spinning their wheels.

"Busy idleness" affects most people. While we have easy access to knowledge and timesaving resources, we continue to spend most of our time making the inevitable happen, instead of committing energy and focus to the few activities that can really make a difference.

Beyond routine, day-to-day tasks, most managers fail to seize opportunities to achieve something significant. This problem is nothing new. Stanford University Management Professors Jeffrey Pfeffer, PhD, and Robert Sutton, PhD, studied this dynamic for their book, The Knowing-Doing Gap. They asked: "Why do so much education and training, management consulting, and business research.produce so little change in what managers and organizations actually do?...Why [does] knowledge of what needs to be done frequently fail to result in action or behavior consistent with that knowledge?"

Energy and Focus

People who exhibit purposeful action possess two critical traits: energy and focus. Energy is characterized by more than effort; it requires involvement in meaningful activities, fueled by both external and internal resources. Purposeful action is self-generated, engaged and self-driven.

If 90 percent of managers fail to act purposefully in their everyday work, what exactly are they doing? Heike Bruch's and Sumantra Ghoshal's study, conducted over a 10-year period and published in A Bias for Action, identifies four profiles of managerial behavior, as charted in the following grid:

FOCUS:

ENERGY

The Frenzied: Forty percent of managers are distracted by the overwhelming tasks that face them each day. They are highly energetic, but unfocused; they are enthusiastic about their work and identify strongly with their jobs. But "the need for speed" prompts them to be unreflective. They can achieve more if they consciously concentrate their efforts on what really matters.

The Procrastinators: Thirty percent of managers procrastinate on doing their organizations' most important work. They lack both energy and focus, spending their time handling minor details in lieu of what could make a real difference to their organizations.

The Detached: Twenty percent of managers are disengaged or detached from their work. They can be focused, but have no energy. They seem aloof, tense and apathetic.

The Purposeful: Only 10 percent get the job done. They are highly focused, energetic, and come across as reflective and calm amid chaos.

The Purposeful Manager

Willpower is the force behind energy and focus, enabling managers to execute disciplined action. They are committed to achieving results and, no matter what, will not give up. For willpower to flourish, managers must commit to three action steps:

1. Develop a clear mental picture of their intention.
   
   
2. Make a conscious choice to commit to-and pursue-this intention.



3. Develop strategies for protecting this intention against distractions, boredom or frustration.

Leaders who make a serious attempt to foster managerial willpower must establish three critical working conditions:

1. Create space for autonomous action.



2. Build processes for providing professional, social and emotional support.



3. Develop a culture that celebrates the exercise of responsible willpower.

To Jump-Start Your Energy.

1. Define your goal by asking yourself:



1. Do I need a mentor who can help me see the big picture? Do I need to research data or strategies that will allow me to make a thoughtful, informed choice about my goals and objectives?



2. Is my goal well defined and concrete? Do I understand all of the components, including the potential obstacles?



3. Can I personally identify with my goal? Is it worthwhile, given my values and those of the organization?



2. Strengthen your confidence in your ability to achieve your goals by asking yourself:



1. What experience do I have in achieving comparable goals? Can I do it again?



2. Which of my role models can help me understand what it takes to achieve my goal?



3. Who can give me feedback to evaluate my capacities to achieve my goal? What must I learn to ensure success?



4. Can I experiment and rehearse critical tasks while pursing my goals?



3. Overcome negativity and develop positive thoughts and feelings by asking yourself:



1. Which emotions do I harbor-and what triggers them? Should I change my tasks or goals so that work is less stressful? Do I have healthy outlets-hobbies, sports, friends-for these feelings?



2. What about my work creates enthusiasm, fun and excitement for me? What do I love doing? Apart from my work, from what personal well can I regularly draw balance or strength?

To Sharpen Your Focus.

In addition to energy, the second critical element of purposeful action is focus: energy channeled toward a specific outcome. Focused managers can concentrate in spite of the many distractions that interrupt their days.

You can sharpen your focus by taking the following steps:

1. Visualize your intention by asking yourself:



1. What does my intention look like? What simple image can I keep in my mind when I need to remember my intention?



2. How can I accomplish my intention? What specific steps will I need to take to reach it?



2. Make a personal commitment by asking yourself:



1. Does this particular intention feel right? Do I really want it?



2. Does my intention excite me? Is it something for which I can maintain my passion and commitment, even when obstacles arise?



3. Does my intention jibe with my personal values and beliefs? Can I stand behind it with head and heart?

Jeff Wade, DBS
BibleLeader.com