Are you dreaming or making a plan?
Martha and I have been going through this excellent team-building training/leadership training over the last year from GiANTWorldwide. It has truly been revolutionary in how we interact with one another and how we interact with our team – all of whom are outsourced. There are so many qualities a good leader should have, but upon self-evaluation, the one I need to work on the most is the “Provisional/Plan/Promise” conversation. It turns out that the words I use could be undermining my leadership at iWork4Him.
If you are a dreamer like me, who is also an entrepreneur, you probably come up with original ideas all the time to keep yourself busy. I read a ton of books for the podcast and run across fresh ideas all the time, so I feel like I am continually filtering out my many ideas to only share the cream of the crop. However, when I dream out loud, sometimes I am inadvertently communicating that I plan to carry these dreams into realities. All I was doing was dreaming, but because I didn’t tell everyone that I was dreaming, they thought I was espousing a new direction or directive. So, Martha has learned to ask me. Is that provisional (dream), a plan (something we potentially will consider), or a promise (truly a direction we will take.)
Over the last three decades, I’ve been guilty of confusing the employees on my teams. I often would test-drive an idea in front of them, seeing how it landed but never clarifying if it was provisional, a plan, or a promise. For instance, there was the time I talked about moving our insurance agency to a new building around the corner. There was another time I talked about planting a church in our old town of Indian Rocks Beach. Then recently, I discussed my desire to buy a whole Christian media conglomerate so we could change the entire direction of Christian talk radio. These were provisional/dreams, but many of our employees thought I was planning or promising that it was our next step.
So, what about you. Do you offer clarifying statements when you share a new idea? Do you let people know whether you are dreaming, planning, or promising an outcome?
As followers of Jesus in the workplace, people rely on us to be Truth. To represent Truth. To communicate always in Truth. When we don’t deliver on what people think is a plan or a promise, some will think you and I are just full of hot air, that our words mean nothing. That could be devastating to their eternal life!
Matthew 5:37 says, “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’”
Provisional. Plan. Promise. Be careful with your words… and if you frustrate people, ask forgiveness and do a better job next time. This is not only one of the qualities of a good leader but also God’s will for his people.
Just being real. Jim
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About the Author, Jim Brangenberg
Jim's Mission: We are called to be examples of Christ to those around us. With that in mind, Jim is passionate about helping Christ followers connect their faith to their work!