Managing Time and Worry

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Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself…”

This is easy for Matthew to say, he didn’t have a shareholders meeting at the end of the month or wasn’t behind in meeting his goals for the quarter. Matthew didn’t have to manage his calendar, keep his inbox clear and answer his cell phone when it rang. All of these things that are designed to make us more productive, can at times, slow us down. We are too busy worrying about today that we seldom worry about tomorrow. Time management techniques are vitally important for today’s leader to be successful. A recent study has shown that it takes the average worker 25 minutes to recover from an interruption caused by e-mail. Think of the number of e-mails that you get during the work day that you stopped working to address immediately, how much time does that add up to? If you save just 10 minutes every hour of your day, you will add 80 minutes of productivity back to your work day; that kind of productivity gets noticed. Invest time in learning good techniques to manage your time like preparing for the next workday and limiting interruptions; you’ll be surprised how good you’ll feel about your work.

Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord…” God is at work in your life. He is executing a plan right now! We have all been bombarded with so much self help information and pressure to take care of “Number 1” that we don’t let God in to do His work in our lives. We have to remember that it’s God’s plan and His timeline. We shouldn’t be so worried about tomorrow that we forget what is important. What are you focusing your life and energies on? Living a Godly life is what our Father wants from us, the rest will come in time. So, don’t worry about tomorrow; let God do that, he can handle it. Give praise to God for each day and be patient – His plan for you will be revealed on His timeline. In the mean time, take care of today because tomorrow is taking care of it’s self.

Mr Stipp goes to Washington

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I returned last night from a few days in Washington DC at the National League of Cities Annual Conference. City Leaders (I can’t believe that title includes me) from around the country come together to discuss issues facing cities and towns and to take advantage of being in DC to “lobby” our Congressmen. I have been appointed to the National Public Safety and Crime Prevention Advocacy Committee of the NLC. We attended a half-day municipal leadership training session that was awesome. I really gained a lot of perspective about being on a national committee.

Our committee meeting really showed me that we are lucky in our community not to have the types of problems that others do. I also learned that we have taken being politically correct to an incredibly crazy level. I heard a director from the Bureau of Justice Administration talk about needing to help “those that have a conflict with the criminal justice system”. WHAT! I thought that they were actually criminals or accused persons. Having a conflict sounds like a disagreement. Then I remembered that we can’t call Dry-Erase boards “white boards” any more or Easel Pads “flip-charts” or Chalk boards “black boards” but that its OKAY to call white tank top undershirts “wife beaters” but not okay to call them “deago tees”. I digress…

My trip to DC ended in a meeting with Senators John McCain and John Kyl. The few of us from Arizona that were there had about an hour with them in an Q and A session after getting our pictures taken and shaking their hands. I must admit that it was a great experience and that they were pretty straight forward in answering our questions. While they still don’t feel like much will get done in these next few months, they weren’t pointing fingers either.

My next trip is to Ft. McAllister in Oklahoma for an Army exercise, that should make for some interesting reading after I return.

Being Clear

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Providing direction to our team members is one of the most difficult aspects of being a leader. We’d like to believe that people would see a need, understand what has to be done to meet that need and then execute it without us ever having to say anything to them about it. Now that would be utopia! We have to provide clear direction to our team so that they can function within set boundaries and provide them enough freedom to make decisions within those boundaries without the need to “checking in” with us. Weekly team meetings can help bring everyone together and are a great place to review the boundaries. Each team member should share what they are working on and what they need help with so that other team members can assist them if necessary. Knowing that your team members need help can also provide you with insight as you look to distribute new workloads while you find ways to help those that are struggling. If you have several team members struggling, the problem may be in the way you distribute work or in how you give direction. Take a few minutes to find out the answers before you start pushing your team harder, the trouble spot could be you.

Psalm 19:8 – “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”

The direction and commands we have received from the Lord our God are pretty clear, yet we try to interpret them to meet our own needs. Many people argue that the Bible can be vague and has room for interpretation. This, of course, is the work of the devil in our minds. We were conceived in sin and carry that burden with us from birth. We are assured that salvation is found in the Life of Christ through the grace of God our Father. There is an old expression that we are born twice but only die once. We are physically born on earth and then again born into the life of Christ through baptism but we will only die once from life on earth to enjoy eternal life with Christ and God our Father. The bible has provided us with these truths, over and over in radiant words and images – giving light to our eyes. We are able to see eternal life through that light. Following the commands may be difficult and we will fail at keeping them – original sin is to blame for that. Despite those failings, God has given us His grace and we can be assured of eternal life through Christ – that is crystal clear!

When things seem bad

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Leadership is easy when times are good but can you continue to lead with the same passion when times get tough? It is easy to forget where the good comes from when we are successful. When times are difficult, we all have a habit of ducking down and hoping that we’re not next; it’s every man for him self. Don’t lose your bearings when things get harder, continue to seek the Lord. Maintain your attitude and Christ-like perspective, people will appreciate and respect you for it. Rely on God to keep you grounded; He’s the one in control, not you. You will be tested when things get tough, how you treat others, your level of honesty and caring and if you stay committed to serving others, you will lack no good thing. Don’t change your character because the times change. True leadership is shown in the most stressful times. When things start to look bad, you’ll have to step up your communication with the people you lead. They will be unsure and afraid, it’s your job to keep them focused and informed of what is happening. Do not hide the facts or conditions; people will surprise you with their willingness to work toward a common goal when they are part of finding the solutions.

Psalm 34:10 – “Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing”

Do you seek the Lord in times of trouble? Keep the Lord as your focus and continue to seek to understand His word as you develop your relationship with God. This will help you continue to seek the Lord. Seek Him in everything you do. Start your work day with a simple prayer “Lord, please guide my decisions and actions today so that I may bring glory to you and to care for those in which I am entrusted”. Keeping God as the priority in your life will bring good things to you. The old expression “when one door closes another will open” describes this Psalm perfectly. Just as you see things being bad, God will show you the good in the situation. If you are seeking the Lord in the good and the bad times, you will start to see the good things all around you. The thing to remember, and the hardest part, is that change in your life will be on His timeline and not yours. Remain patient and focused on the Lord, he will reveal His plans – have faith no matter how bad things seem to appear.

Managing Change

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The other day I was told that my article about managing change was going to be featured on the International Association of Fire Chiefs website as an example of the type of information available on the subscription service that I write for. The staff at the IAFC told me that they have been receiving a number of comments about this specific article and the the Director had even said something about it. The funny thing about managing change is that we’ve been talking about it since the early 90’s; funny how history repeats itself. Here is the link, I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.iafc.org/Operations/content.cfm?ItemNumber=5783

It’s my day!

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The Beatle’s said it best “Today is your birthday”. I turned 12 today, which to many of you explains a lot. I have always tried to celebrate Feb. 29th with something special since it comes around only every four years. I looked back at the last three birthdays and found that they were just like the rest. Maybe getting older has something to do with it but hey, I’m still having birthdays and that is always a good thing. I did a little research today about my day after I read in the newspaper this morning that you have a 1 in 2 million chance of having a birthday today (they are never wrong!). It’s actually closer to 1:1500.

The leap year’s extra day is necessary because of our Solar System. One Earth year does not take an exact number of whole days, it takes 365.2422 days, plus or minus. It wasn’t until Julius Caesar came to power that changes were made. People observed a 355-day calendar – with an extra 22-day month every two years. This was not an solution to the celestial problem since feast days began sliding into different seasons. So Caesar ordered his astronomer, Sosigenes, to simplify things. Sosigenes opted for the 365-day year with an extra day every four years to scoop up the extra hours. This is how the 29th day in February was born. It was then fine-tuned by Pope Gregory XIII. Check this out:

Every fourth year is a leap year, as a rule of thumb. But that’s not the end of the story. A year that is divisible by 100, but not by 400, is not. So 2000 was a leap year, as was 1600. But 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not leap years. “It seems a bit arbitrary,” says Ian Stewart, emeritus professor of mathematics at Warwick University. But there’s a good reason behind it. “The year is 365 days and a quarter long – but not exactly. If it was exactly, then you could say it was every four years. But it is very slightly less.” The answer arrived at by Pope Gregory XIII and his astronomers when they introduced the Gregorian calendar in 1582, was to lose three leap days every 400 years. The math has hung together ever since. It will need to be rethought in about 10,000 years’ time, Stewart warns. But by then mankind might have come up with a new system.

Why is February 29, not February 31, a leap year day? All the other months have 30 or 31 days, but February suffered because of the ego of Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus. Under Julius Caesar, February had 30 days, but when Caesar Augustus was emperor he was upset that his month – August – had only 29 days.  Compare this to the month named after his predecessor Julius – July –, which had had 31. “He pinched a couple of days for August to make it the same as July. And it was poor old February that lost out,” says Prof Stewart.

So today, I find myself working from my office at home – alone; until I opened my e-mail to find birthday wishes from friends and family I have all over the country. Some people that you might only hear from once or twice a year but I realized that I wasn’t alone. I am thankful to be alive today and thought of by so many people. What better gift to get on your birthday than to know that you are being thought of? Thanks for making this a great day!

As far as it depends on you

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One of the things that a new supervisor is tempted to do is to seek revenge from someone who was once a peer. “Wait until he works for me, I’ll show him” or “I can’t wait until I’m the boss, I’ll show these people”. These are dangerous thoughts and beliefs that will lead to certain failure for new supervisors. When we promote into leadership, we must put aside these desires to seek revenge. An important responsibility that all supervisors have is to create peaceful work places. Some supervisors might consider this “hand holding” and will say “they’re all adults, why do I need to be the one to hold them together?” Your job as the leader is to show people the way to act toward each other and to demonstrate what is expected in the workplace. Peaceful, isn’t saying no confrontation or no discipline. Sometimes, in order to achieve peace you must have a little confrontation. Peace in the workplace opens creativity, which allows people to feel free to experiment with ideas, and then become willing to collaborate and share ideas. Peace makes supervising and leading much easier.

Romans 12:18 – “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

The bible teaches us to live in peace with one another, love your neighbor as yourself. Living this way allows us to reflect God’s love toward us by loving each other. How better can Christians show love than by living in peace? This is the message of this verse; “as far as it depends on you”. It all depends on you; how you react to a situation or how you create a situation. We are taught to “stick up for ourselves” and not be bullied. We’re not taught to avoid conflict simply to live at peace. Conflict can be good and healthy for relationships. We should try to find common ground, work out the differences and keep our focus on the issue not the person we have a conflict with. Have the difficult conversation. Starting by making it safe for everyone, stay focused on the issue and how it makes you feel rather than what you think the other person is saying. This is not a time for assumptions. When we deal with one another in an open manner, we can reach mutual understanding much quicker. By living in harmony, we live by God’s word and show others that as God so loved the world, so can we.

The Heart’s Reflection

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There is a saying “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” What is in your heart will reflect on your leadership style. If you are caring for your people, deflecting stress from all angles, sincerely working with them so they can: achieve more, learn more and, reach their goals then your heart is in the right place. Do you say “I want to develop my team so that they can take my place” but are then too busy to spend time with them in one on one career coaching? What are people seeing on your heart? If you’re old enough to remember “Leave it to Beaver”, we all rolled our eyes when Eddie Haskell would say “That sure is nice dress Mrs. Cleaver” when we knew he was up to no good. No one ever thought of Eddie as a kind young man that would never cause trouble. We saw what was on his heart. In leadership positions, we must strive to have our words and actions match. It will take more time to recruit, train and develop new employees than it will to coach them and help them be successful. You will also have a more engaged and satisfied workforce which will make your job much easier.

Proverbs 27:19 – “As water reflects our face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.”

This verse is about our hearts as Christians. What is on your heart? Do you attend church weekly and sing the songs but go out on Monday and terrorize your workplace by showing no compassion for others or “steal time” by putting in less than a full day so that you can get what is coming to you? God knows what is your heart! Putting God in His rightful place on your heart may take time and it won’t be easy, but God is understanding and has compassion as you work toward it. For many of us, putting God first is a hard transition since we, as humans, tend to be so self-centered. Introduce God into your conversations at home, it may feel uncomfortable at first but that will go away. Daily devotional reading will help you understand the depth of God’s grace and love for you. As God comes into your heart, that will be reflected outward in how you lead others. You’ll be more understanding, have compassion and show forgiveness. What does your reflection look like today?

Creative Writing

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Every month I attend the West Valley Writers Workshop. It is a great group of people that support one another as they focus on getting published. I have really enjoyed my time there, I’ve met some great people and have learned a lot about writing. Every month we’re given a prompt to write 500 words on. I’ve attached my response to this month’s prompt – “I suddenly saw her in a new light”. I took a prompt from a couple of months ago and built on it, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

I swung my feet out of the car, stood up, and found myself plunging down a hole. Everything went black – no shadows or stars. I now knew the definition of pitch black. I tried to refocus but the sensation that I was rapidly falling took over all of my senses. My pulse was pounding and I could hear my heartbeat echoing in my head. What happened? I began falling a little slower, as if in slow motion, when I was suddenly brought back to reality. A kick to the gut took the wind right out of me. I focused less on the pain in my head as I tried to catch my breath. I had a hard time trying to get air through the burlap bag over my head.

Burlap has a sent all of its own – a unique musty smell. If it carried potatoes, it smelled dirty, this one had carried a bird of some kind. I was in the back of a van listening to the road as we bounced and weaved through the congested streets of Washington DC. I had done this very snatch and grab a hundred times in my career and now I found myself on the receiving end of one. I got lazy and allowed myself to be distracted by Julia, an incredible woman that I met nine months ago. Her long brown hair and dark, almost grey eyes were mesmerizing. She wore Musk perfume better than any woman I’d ever met. I let my guard down and she played me perfectly.

We drove for about an hour before coming to a stop and I heard a chain-link fence roll open. The van lurched forward and the gate closed as the van parked. My captors grabbed my cuffed arms and dragged me out of the van. I was saving my energy to fight back when the time was right; my training started to surge through my veins, telling my entire body how to respond without a single thought. If I was going to survive, it was all that I had.  They put me in a metal chair and secured my arms and legs with plastic ties to the chair. I heard the familiar sound of high heels walk across the concrete floor; it was Julia! I missed this part of her personality; she was so gentle with me – until now.

Her incredible shape stood before me as the burlap bag was pulled off my head by some hired muscle; I spit a small feather off my lips as I adjusted to the light. Julia stared deeply into my eyes not saying a word as she pulled a knife from the holster strapped to her tight thigh and leaned in close. The sweet smell of Musk interrupted my focus until blood sprayed across the side of my head. She had just slit the throat of the hired muscle standing at my side. I suddenly saw her in a completely new light – who was this woman?