I’m due for a haircut. I’m just afraid to go in. It takes twice as long as a haircut should—mostly because the barber loves to talk. But I think that’s part of his training. Last time I went in, he asked me about my work. Actually, every time I’ve gone in, he’s asked me the same three questions: Where did you get your red hair? What would your wife think if I gave you a Mohawk? and What do you do for a living?
I suppose, for a barber, these are three good questions. But let me suggest three others that I’ve learned along the way, which I try to ask myself every day.
Will what I’m doing today matter five years from now?
I learned this question from my high school video production teacher. I’m sure she saw lots of students getting caught up in—and worked up by—things that really didn’t matter that much. I was guilty of the same.
But this isn’t one of those philosophical questions only. It’s not just about asking, is my role or is my job or is my ministry worth doing. It’s a question to ask about the things that swallow up your time in big chunks every day. Is my effort on this particular project going to have made a difference that lasts five years from now? Am I helping to make this organization better, in a way that will be noticed in the future? Is my contribution today timeless?
Sometimes, we make decisions with short-sighted consequences. Yesterday, we were contemplating the addition of another weekend retreat program. It would require significant energy, especially in the first year, but would also lock us in—including most every level of our staff—to working another holiday weekend during an already busy time of year. Is it worth it? we asked.
Ultimately, we made the decision, not only based on the impact on the staff we have today, on our own lives today, and on our families… but based on the opportunity it could present to hundreds and thousands more lives in the years to come. If it really will make a long-term impact, then we can find a way to make it happen. For the kids and families that may attend that retreat, it will matter—both five years from now, and potentially for eternity.
What am I trying to accomplish or achieve?
I have spent way too much time focused on what I am trying to do, rather than what I am trying to achieve. When we start with the process or the procedure, we can too often end up doing the wrong things, and instead of accomplishing our goal, we simply look (and feel) busy.
On big, long-term projects, we know it’s important to start with the end in mind. But let me suggest that it’s just as important to ask this question about the things you do every day. What am I trying to accomplish? Does this get me closer to that?
When I stop during my day to ask this question, I often find that I’m doing a lot of extra things that get me no closer to my goal.
How are the people around me doing?
Great leaders don’t merely evaluate the success of their teams by looking at numbers and metrics. Oh, we sure look at those things. They are helpful because they give us a concrete way to measure our effectiveness in a world that is often very subjective.
But those numbers rarely tell me much about how my team is doing. Last week I packed up my office—isolated in a quiet corner of the basement—and moved upstairs, to a place right in the middle of the two teams I oversee.
Was it so I could keep up on their productivity? Nope. Keep watch of their internet use during March Madness? Nope. I just wanted to be present with them. I wanted to know, when they got off a phone call, were they exasperated? Did they sigh? Was this hard work for them? Is it the right work for them?
Metrics and measures of productivity can give us glimpses into those things, but not nearly the insight that is available by looking someone in the eye or listening to their tone of voice.
These three questions keep my focused on the three most important things in my work: our mission, our vision, and the people that help us live them out every day.
What other questions do you ask yourself to help you stay focused?