I’m not done preaching so you will have to endure it for another week. Did you name your management team last week? It’s important to recognize who these people are because you will call on them throughout the management and planning process for valuable input. I’m sure you all recognize the device shown below. I know all you HVAC people recognize it. We all have one in our home. What kind of a device is this? If you answered that it is a controlling device, you are correct. That’s what planning is, a controlling device. The thermostat controls the temperature in
our homes and planning controls the way we live our lives. We decide in advance what temperature we want in our homes and we decide in advance how we want to live our lives (as stewards, servants, slaves of course). However, for proper heating and cooling of our homes we must employ another important device. You see it down and just to the right. If you got my first question right, you surely will know what kind of a device this is. If you say anything but a measuring device you would be wrong. The planning process is a results-oriented process. You need to be thinking always about the results you want. Think first about results. This is probably the most important part of the planning process, deciding on the results you want. The thermometer makes sure and lets us know when our home achieves the goal determined by the thermostat. Same with planning. The planning process will make sure we fulfill our management responsibilities as stewards, servants, slaves. It will bring about the results we decide in advance we desire.
OK you slaves, I can already hear the murmuring out there. How can this possibly be? Well, until you have walked down this path and actually failed, I refuse to accept your murmurs. You have to agree that good management requires sound planning and sound planning must start with a decision about the results you want.
You aren’t going to like one of the really important reasons to plan but it enhances our chances for success. Planning is going to identify our strengths and our weaknesses. Naturally, we want to take advantage of our strengths. I personally don’t have very many if any weaknesses, but you all will want to fix yours, or circumvent, or counteract them or, if you must, and learn to live with them. This is also where teamwork comes into play. Not all of the members of your team will probably have the same set of strengths and weaknesses. Chances are that your team members will complement one another in important ways but perhaps it is even more important to know where they don’t.
Are you starting to get excited about planning? I didn’t think so. Well, let me preach a little more. There are a number of myths associated with planning that you all need to be aware of. I know I am sounding like planning is a pretty marvelous thing and it is but it is not a panacea.
It’s true that planning is a very positive, pro-active, win-win, no-loose process but there’s nothing magic about it, at least not this kind of magic (below). I’m going to argue a little later, that there is a supernatural aspect of planning but we aren’t there yet. I’m probably running out of your patience about now so we will pick up right here next time. I can hardly wait!!!
In the mean time, what’s YOUR thermostat set on? Do you have a vision for your future? What, in your wildest dreams would you like your (and/or your family’s) financial condition to look like 10 years from now, or 20 years from now? Have you ever thought about it? Or how about your spiritual condition? Have you ever thought about setting some goals for the spiritual growth of you and your family? Well, it’s time to do it. I want you to write one complete sentence in the space provided below that describes the financial vision you have for your family. Then do the same thing for the spiritual vision you have for your family. And if you are really brave, personal visions for each member of your family.
Family Financial vision: _____________________________________________________
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Family Spiritual vision: ______________________________________________________
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Individual Personal visions: __________________________________________________
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