Timing Is Everything

October 17, 2010

Leadership Principle #10 – Timing Is Everything!

If you are anything like me, you are a hard driving, passionate person who just wants to get stuff done. Often times that hard charging trait has put me in a difficult situation. Goal-oriented, task-driven leaders tend to love people, but would rather accomplish a given task and clean up the problems later. However, it is not always that easy to clean up.

One thing I really admire about Nehemiah is his patience and planning. “I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days, I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.” Neh 2:11-12 Wow! Nehemiah didn’t go in guns-a-blazin, he didn’t have the trumpet blowing and tell everyone he had arrived to be their savior. He didn’t’ even go into Jerusalem announcing that he was sent from God and was the answer to their problems. (Although, he knew God had sent him.) Nehemiah spent three days surveying the damage as discreetly as possible. He went out at night when he was least likely to seen and told no one what he was doing or where he had gone.

Nehemiah, I believe needed to familiarize himself with the situation. He needed time to get a better grasp on the situation. Even though he had an idea of to dire circumstances and had come to Jerusalem to lead them towards hope, he didn’t rush in on his white horse and proclaim the he was the answer.

However, neither did Nehemiah take forever to start the process. He didn’t take months to plan out, and think through the various problems and political ramifications of his actions. He didn’t call together a committee to investigate the best direction to lead. Once he had the facts, he acted.

There are times in our ministries when we have to slow down and do a little investigation before we act. There are also times when our prolonged investigation is a smoke screen to keep from facing the problems head on. You cannot afford to wait for perfect conditions. Goal setting is often a matter of balancing timing against available resources.

Good timing can turn a mediocre plan into something very successful. Likewise; bad timing can destroy your plans all together. No matter where lead, whether in the secular business field or in the Church, timing is everything. Unfortunately, most think timing is just dumb luck. Nothing can be further from the truth. It is a critical success factor and you can learn to use it to your advantage.

So, how can we master the issue of timing? The word T.I.M.E. can help.

Tame you desire to act too quickly. This will be harder for some. Don’t become reactionary to a given situation.

Inspect the situation from as many angles as possible. You don’t have to be so detailed that you leave no stone unturned, but you do need to try and get as much good info as possible.

Meditate on what you have found in order to determine the best direction. Again, this shouldn’t take months. Don’t overdue the thought process.

Engage the opportunity, situation or problem head on. You will never make a prefect decision! You will never have all the details. If you are not careful, opportunities are easily lost while waiting for perfect conditions.

Posted 10/17/2010 in Stephen Gray | 0 Comments - Add Comment