In my last post, I discussed the dangers of over-managing our time as leaders.  You really should go back and read that post HERE before going any further in this one!  Now that you have done that, here are the 5 steps I promised you in that post.

Step #1 – Determine Your Why

Unless you start with this first step, you will not accomplish the balance you seek.  If it is not clear to you why you are preparing for and allowing these “interruptions”, then you will not do what is necessary to make it happen.  You will continue to struggle and react in ways that keep you from the eternal impact God desires from you.

For me, I see my job description as “multiply silhouettes”.  I believe God has put me here to point others toward Him whenever I can and to teach others how to do the same – multiplying the impact!  When I look up to see someone sticking their head in my office, I must choose how I view them.  Seeing them as an interruption will result in a predictably negative reaction.  Seeing them as another opportunity to point someone to God will allow me to respond in a way that makes that possible.

Step #2 – Change Your Expectations

If you think about it, ALL frustration comes from missed expectations.  You expected to be on time to a meeting, but traffic is worse than normal.  You expected your steak to taste great, but it is overdone.  You expected a nice quiet evening at home, but the neighbor’s dog gets spooked…and barks relentlessly for an hour!

No matter the situation, we get frustrated (and react accordingly) when our expectations are missed.  If you expect to work in your office for any number of hours without interruption, you are setting yourself up for frustration and the predictable reaction.  If, on the other hand, you change how you view interruptions and begin to expect (or even WELCOME) them, then you will eliminate the typical frustration.  You will begin to respond to these “interruptions” as part of your plan for the day!

Step #3 – Build In Margin

None of the advice I give will do you any good if your schedule remains jam packed!  If you do not have any margin in your schedule, there will not be any time for interruptions.  Even if you initially change your attitude toward them, it will eventually deteriorate back to current state.

To avoid this, you must begin building margin into your schedule.  There are many tricks to doing so, but the bottom line is that you must have time that is not scheduled for anything else.  I build blocks of time into my schedule that I call MBWA (Management By Walking Around).

Sometimes this time is spent intentionally walking around, seeking the very conversations we are discussing here.  Other times, that block is “eaten up” by other work because I accepted an “interruption” earlier in the day.  You can determine your own method for adding margin, but most often it will include saying “no” or “later” to other stuff.  Prioritize and make sure to remain focused on Step #1 above!

Step #4 – Respond Immediately (as possible)

Before you go overboard, I am not recommending that you always stop whatever you are doing for any and every interruption.  That will lead to insanity!  No, you cannot be expected to step away from your work at any time for even the simplest of requests.  There has to be some wisdom applied here.

My suggestion is that you quickly determine the need of the individual that has “interrupted” your work flow.  If critical (to them), then it is likely something you need to stop and discuss. If it is something they want to “run by you,” then ask if you can schedule a time in the next hour or two for that discussion.  Whatever the situation, quickly assess the need and respond accordingly.  Don’t put it off too long and make sure to be available when you said you would be.

Step #5 – Review & Adjust As You Go

Once you begin working on this idea, you will find some methods that work and some that do not.  You will find that there are some times when you are more prepared to be interrupted and other times when any distraction kills your momentum.  The key is to pay attention to what is working and what is not.  Depending on your particular situation, you have to adapt if you are going to remain approachable.

For me, I found that I had to do certain work without any interruption or I would never get it done.  For those times, I often work in another location –  one that is not where anyone would expect to find me!  Other times, I close my blinds and let those outside my office know only to interrupt me in an emergency.  I try to keep these times to a minimum, but without them, I would not get the tough work done.

Summary

The bottom line is this – we are Christian business leaders and we do not have the luxury of working in a vacuum.  We are LEADERS, which means we are to lead people.  We cannot do this without interaction.  We cannot impact others for eternity if we do not spend any time in conversation with them.

Our work is important, to the degree that it helps us accomplish our overall purpose – bringing glory to God.  If we are not focused on this purpose, we are missing the whole point!  Take some time today and see how these 5 steps can help you point others toward God.

Photo by Gearstd / iStock

Clear Crisis

To get an idea of what I am talking about here, let’s take a look at the actions of Peter and John in the book of Acts. In Acts 3, Peter and John are headed to the temple when they are approached by a man that was lame from birth. He asked them to help him so Peter told him, in the name of Jesus, to get up and walk! In an instant, the man was healed and began telling everyone what had happened.

Soon after, in Acts 4, Peter and John are arrested by the temple police. Now keep in mind that this is happening not too long after the crucifixion of Jesus and just a little before the stoning of Stephen. This would not have been a simple slap on the wrist in the minds of Peter and John. There was likely a real chance in their minds that they would be punished severely, and possibly even killed. This was a serious crisis.

How Did They Pray?

As it was, they were threatened against preaching or teaching the name of Jesus any more. They were then released. We don’t know exactly how they felt, but they were human. They likely had some fear in their hearts. They had to wonder what would happen if they ignored the threats of the temple police and continued preaching the name of Jesus. Right?

So, in this mindset and with the fragile atmosphere around them, how did they pray? How did they seek God in this situation? Take a look and see:

And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that Your slaves may speak Your message with complete boldness, while You stretch out Your hand for healing, signs, and wonders to be performed through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.
Acts 4:29

Pray For Boldness?

Imagine you were in a similar situation in your business. Maybe you are feeling afraid of the anti-Christian culture around you. It could be that you are beginning to think all of the recent lawsuits against Christian business owners could negatively impact you and your business soon. It might even be that you are in the middle of a mess right now, one that is threatening your freedom to live out your Christian faith through your business.

Given these circumstances, how would you pray? If you are going through it now, how are you praying? Are you praying for God to give you relief from the threats? Are you asking to be delivered from the mess? Or, are you praying like Peter and John? Are you praying for complete boldness?

Follow Their Example

Whatever your situation, I encourage you to follow the example of Peter and John. The culture we are seeing today is not one that is friendly to the way we want to operate our businesses. It is not a culture that embraces and encourages us to proclaim the name of Jesus.

We are pressured from almost every direction to keep our faith to ourselves. We are led to believe our faith is intolerant and should not ever enter the workplace. If you listen to the current media voices, and believe them, then you are likely to experience fear and anxiety over actively living out your Christian faith in your business.

God Is Faithful!

I get it. At the same time, the Bible is there to encourage us and to give us the examples of God’s faithfulness. He will answer our prayers for boldness just like He answered the prayers of Peter and John and the disciples. In fact, He answered them in the very next verse!

When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness.
Acts 4:31

It is my prayer that we all begin praying for our own situations AND those of our Christian brothers and sisters. Begin praying that we will all have the complete boldness we need in the workplace. Pray that we will all stand strong against the culture that is pressing in on our freedoms. I declare that I believe God will answer these prayers!

Have you been praying for boldness or relief?

How can you pray for boldness today?

When has God been faithful to give you boldness in the past?

Photo by Nomad_Soul/Shutterstock

Why Remember?

If you have spent much time in the Old Testament, you probably remember multiple times when the main character would set up a marker in an effort to remember a major event or lesson. One example is when Joshua and the Israelites set up 12 stones where God had cut off the flow of the Jordan river for them to cross.

Why did God ask them to do this? Here is His explanation:

Each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each of the Israelite tribes, so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ you should tell them, ‘The waters of the Jordan were cut off in front of the ark of the Lord’s covenant…’ Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites.”
Joshua 4:5-7

Examples In Scripture

There are other examples of markers being set up to remember a certain event or covenant. Jacob set up a marker on multiple occasions (Genesis 35:1-15; Genesis 28:10-22). Aaron wore memorial stones on his ephod (Exodus 28:6-12). Joshua later set up a single stone as a witness of the covenant between the God and the Israelites (Joshua 24:25-27).

Often times, we read quickly past these moments in the Bible, thinking there is no real application for us. However, I think we are missing a tremendous lesson when we do this. Just like the Israelites, we have moments in time when God steps in and we want to remember it. We also want to be able to tell our children (and others) the stories later so they can draw faith from our experiences.

What Are We Doing?

What are we doing to make sure we remember? What are we doing to cause others to ask, “What does that ____ (pile of stones) mean?” If there is no marker, what will cause them to ask?

I have been applying this lesson over the years in several ways. In my office, both at work and at home, I have set up a number of “markers” that help me to remember the God moments I have experienced.

Some of them are there to help me remember specific events while others remind me of the vision God has given me at various times. Some are in my prayer “war room” so I remember to pray for certain people or issues. Whatever the case, these markers do not have to be fancy, complex, or even pretty! They just need to do the job.

My Examples

Here are a couple of examples for me:

Crushed Coke can (bronzed) – This sits on my desk at work and reminds me of a time when I thought our company vision should be, “Crush the Competition!” I rushed into adopting this vision before taking the time to pray about it first. We changed our vision statement, but the can remains as a reminder. It generates many questions from visitors to my office!

Hand carved, wooden globe – I purchased this globe in a market in Haiti to remind me of the time my family spent there. I also want to remember the need to look outside of my own small bubble to see all the needs God has shown me in the world.

Picture of silhouettes – This picture hangs over my computer desk at home to remind me of the vision God has given me to add (and now multiply) silhouettes. I keep a version of the same picture on my cell phone’s home screen as well.

You Should Begin!

I encourage you to begin the practice of using reminders of your own to help you remember what God has done in your life and in your business. Make sure the objects themselves do not become the focus of your attention, but instead simply point you back to Him!

I think you will find this practice will help you remain focused on what God has done for you in the past AND what He has promised you for the future.

What are some of the God moments you want to remember!

What is your current method for making sure to remember?

What markers could you create to help you remember?

photo by FreeImages.com/Courtney Icenhour