Saturday, July 28, 2007

Lessons for Leaders

It’s easy to become so work focused, so fixed on accomplishing our agenda, that we forget about others, or even forget about God.

DeitrickBonhoeffer wrote:
“We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. We must not assume that our schedule is our own to manage, but allow it to be arranged by God.”

Think about that a minute. Are you so busy, you don’t even allow God to interrupt you? What a mistake it is to become so engrossed in tasks, or strategies, or time efficiency that we miss the opportunities God brings before us.

I’ve adopted this philosophy that in management our job IS interruptions. As leaders, we need to be available for people who need direction, encouragement or friendship. And we can learn a lot from our team members who come up with great ideas.

And let’s not put God out of the picture. A friend in ministry talked about one of the great events in his ministry leadership when God interrupted their agenda and revolutionized their direction.

There are times, as the Psalmist says, that we’re to stop striving and know the HE is God.

Friday, July 27, 2007

iPhone

I have a friend who just bought a cell phone. Now there’s nothing headline making about buying a cell phone. Oh, but this was no ordinary cell phone. It was a “smart phone”. This phone can do a lot more than let you talk to friends while you’re on the go. It can play music, surf the web, receive and send email, store contact information, keep your calendar, take pictures, make coffee.

Well, no. It can’t make coffee, but it’s a wonder of modern technology. But not quite wonderful enough. There’s a new phone: the iPhone, which allows you to watch movies, watch TV, has a huge touch screen, and make coffee. Well, no. It still can’t make coffee.

My friend has agonized over his cell phone decision about as much as we used to ponder and debate the purchase of a house or a car. There are so many options. The technology of the latest device is obsolete as soon as you’re driving home from the store…AND your stuck with this lemon of a device for the two years of the contract. Two years is an eternity in the technology business!

I’ve long been a fan of gadgets. But it’s just not fun anymore. It’s agonizing to try to decide between the plethora of device options and vendors. It’s heart-breaking to show off your new Blackberry, only to be upstaged by the cool factor of an iPhone.

Then there’s the cost of these hi-tech devices. A cell phone can easily cost more than I paid for my first car. And the monthly service plans more than my mortgage payment on my first house!

Then, the thrill of anticipation, the ecstasy of purchase is followed by the stark letdown of the reality of owning, learning and serving the new gadget. The downloading of necessary software. The memorization of the owners manual, now the thickness of a Dicken’s novel is enough to overwhelm the meek and challenge the strong. Plan to take a week off of work to learn the new technology.

Then comes the change in lifestyle which the new device demands of us. In the midst of a meeting, come a creative ringtone causing the person to leave the room. Or in the middle of a nice conversation over coffee comes a vibration signaling a text message requiring instant response. Or the constant access to the web draws individuals away from “being with the one you’re with” to a fascinating voyage into the rhelms of the Internet. Another friend just subscribed (for an extra $40 a month) to a service that notifies you through the device on your belt whenever you get a new email. Unfortunately, I get 180 emails a day. So in 18 waking hours, that’s an email jolt every 6 minutes. (Unless I keep my device on next to my bed all night.)

The device that guarantees constant access and communication with the world pulls us away from spouse, colleagues, grandkids, and…well, human beings.

So the very technology that’s designed to make our lives more fulfilling, more connected, more organized is just one more step into technological claustrophobia. Emails started out being a great time saver and a great way to keep in touch. Now almost everything is spam, forwarded, CC’d, reply all cyber-clutter.

Some companies have declared one day a week, no email days, encouraging staff to actually get up and talk to the person.

I’m striving to keep email turned off from Friday night to Monday morning. I have a personal email account for connecting with friends and family on weekends. I creatively use the “ignore” button on my cell phone when I don’t care to be interrupted. And I’ve stubbornly refused to upgrade my ancient, 3 year old cell phone for the coolest and smartest thing on the market.

And I’m desparatelly trying in this technology interrupted world to learn as God says: “Be still…and know that I am God.”