Last week I gave you the first question that will help you grow as a leader which was to ask, “What are my primary responsibilities?” Below is part two in the series on “4 Questions You Should Be Asking Yourself If You Want To Grow As A Leader.”
No one sets out to be an ineffective leader. However, if you don’t have a plan to fulfill your primary responsibilities each week, you are destined to be an ineffective leader.
2. WHAT IS My PLAN FOR ACCOMPLISHING My Primary RESPONSIBILITY THIS WEEK?
I have made this mistake countless times. I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie, so I tend to gravitate toward the “buzz” in my organization. I secretly tell myself that these “crisis” oriented issues in my ministry deserve my attention because they are a “urgent.” So I know that I am easily convinced that urgent matters demand my full attention in any given week because it feels good to be needed (and to help). But when I gravitate toward the tyranny of the urgent, I am not attending to my primary responsibilities. When I am not attending to my primary responsibilities, I am actually failing to lead others in my ministry well.
Good leaders don’t make a living on responding to the urgent. Good leaders set plans based on their primarily responsibilities and follow through. So I have learned the hard way to ask this question every week: “What is my plan for accomplishing my primary leadership responsibilities this week?” Without this question, I am prone to give my best energy to things that are urgent but not critical for fulfilling my primary calling in ministry. Without setting specific plans for my week, I am like a sailor lost at sea without a rudder. Responding to the urgent feels like positive movement, but it’s not because I won’t be leading people in the direction God is calling us to go.
Good leaders don’t make a living on responding to the urgent. – Scott Vermillion Share on X
It is crucial not only to gain clarity on our primary responsibilities in ministry, but also to gain focus by setting a weekly plan for how we are going to fulfill those responsibilities this week.
Asking the question, “What is my plan for accomplishing my primary leadership responsibilities this week?” helps us break down our job responsibilities into actionable steps each week. That way we form our agendas around the things that are most important, and it forces us to spend our best energy on the most important leadership concerns without getting distracted.
God helped the Levite leadership accomplish their responsibilities by giving them a focused plan when the children of Israel left Egypt.
In Numbers chapter 3, God gave the Levites their primary responsibilities, and he divided their duties of into three parts in accordance with Levi’s three sons. The Kohathites were responsible for all of the holy furniture in the tabernacle. The Gershonites were responsible for all of the fabric and cloth of the tabernacle. Finally, the Merarites were responsible for the structural beams of the tabernacle. But God didn’t just hand these leaders their responsibilities and let them figure it out on their own. In chapter 4, God also gave each clan a specific plan of action in order to fulfill their primary responsibilities. God gave a specific plan of action to the Kohathites for how to take care of the holy furniture. God gave a specific plan of action to the Gershonites for how to look after the cloth, and God gave a specific plan of action to the Merarites for how to take care of the beams of the tabernacle’s structure. When we read this section of Numbers today, our ears are prone toward boredom. Yet the step by step plan given to each Levite clan is instructional to God’s leaders today. Without developing a detailed plan for how we are going to fulfill our primary ministry responsibilities each week, we will be ineffective to carry out the good works God has prepared for us to do.
That’s why it is crucial to ask yourself at the beginning of each week, “What is my plan for accomplishing my primary responsibilities this week?”
Below is a practical guide for making plans to fulfill your primary responsibilities this week:
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Review your list of primary responsibilities.
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What did you accomplish last week to help you further your primary responsibilities?
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What are three goals you want to accomplish this week that will help you fulfill your primary responsibilities?
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What steps do you need to take to accomplish each goal?
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Who are the people you need to contact that will help you accomplish your goals?
After you answer these questions, refer back to them at the beginning of each day so you can note your progress and stay grounded in carrying out your plan. After a few weeks of keeping this rhythm, you will no doubt find yourself more energized by the progress you are making in your leadership. Not only will you be more satisfied with your work, but those you lead will be smiling as well.
