Why & How to Keep Your Eye on the Big Picture

Picture this. It is Saturday afternoon as you are sit in the crowd watching the clown with the big red shoes, the oversize pants with gold-colored pattern of diamond shapes held up by suspenders with neon flashing lights attached, orange hair that flips up on the ends, a big red smiley face painted on his lips surrounded by a bold black outline, a bright purple shirt covered in orange circles, and yes, of course, the big red, round nose!  Just the site of him is entertainment with his exaggerated duck-like waddle walk.  But then, to everyone’s amazement, he starts to juggle with his white-gloved hands.  First it’s three balls.  Then it is five bowling pins. The crowd is now on their feet with eyes and mouths wide open in wonderment over him juggling a basketball, a bowling pin, a sword, a dinner plate, and a watermelon all at the same time!  Now that, folks, is entertainment!  We pay big money to see that kind of stuff, right?

Now picture this. It is now Monday morning. You show up in your office on Monday morning.  You are feeling mighty fine in your business-casual outfit, your polished shoes, and your new haircut.  You are feeling refreshed after a relaxing weekend at the circus on Saturday. You are ready to take the proverbial bull by the horns and have a great week.  Then it happens . . . The phone rings with a congregant calling to complain about something that happened on Sunday. An employee calls in sick. The toilet is backed up in the ladies restroom.  Another congregant drops by without an appointment to chat.  A text from your family is received. And, your email inbox is full! If at that moment, the reality mirror were placed in front of you for reflection, you would suddenly melt out of your business casual outfit into a spitting image of the “entertainer” you so enjoyed Saturday.  You are suddenly juggling five different things at once! Your eyes are as wide open as soft balls as you try to keep them all in the air. You even adopt the duck-waddle to keep up!  

Believe me, if you haven’t had the nerve to peek into your “reality mirror,” take my word for it.  Multi-tasking is NOT a pretty sight!  And no, as a ministry leader, you don’t get compensated for that kind of entertainment.

Church leaders, can I have your attention, please?  Stop it!  Just stop the madness!  Contrary to popular belief, it is not technically possible to multi-task. Our mind is binary and switches from one task to another. When multi-tasking, neither task is done efficiently or effectively or probably even accurately.  

Step back from the events, problems, priorities, pressing issues, and projects and ask yourself this question:  What can I do and only I do right now to move forward into God’s preferred future for the church?  Look at the big picture/ball. This will determine which item from your “To Do List”  becomes a priority. Unless it aligns with the big picture and you are the last stop on the delegation train, get rid of it (delete or delegate).  

Constantly reprioritize as new things make it to your list and In Box. Do what you do best and delegate the rest. Set aside a block of concentrated work time each day (90 minutes is recommended) to work on your highest priority items without interruption or distraction during the time you experience your highest. If you invest daily in this 90-minute block, your productivity will triple or quadruple! Imagine what strides you’d make if you were to implement more of these suggestions!

Nobody wants to be led by a juggler!  Therefore, make sure you keep your eye on the “BIG” (single) ball (big picture) of your organization – those highest priority tasks that will move your church forward like nothing else!