...got time...?

Where does my time go? Every one of us is given 168 hours a week (thanks P Glen). There are days when the time just seems to disappear (I can't imagine that Facebook, Twitter, Blogger or Stumbleupon.com have anything to do with it). Do you ever just feel too busy to THINK? The act of doing takes over. Does your team "got time" for a retreat? ! I've got to admit, the thought of an all day meeting brings a gag reflex. I've been to many that often focused on a group trying to get me over a 20 ft. wall or catching a falling team member before they slam to the ground. As entertaining as that may be, those teamwork things don't seem to make a dent in the organization's goals.
Last week the Directors at Good Shepherd had an all day retreat...just to think. Though we ate, laughed and learned a bit more about each other, we also prayed (hey, we're a church), revisited our vision, defined gaps, divided responsibilities and collaboratively dug into the 90 day calendar. Does your team or organization "got TIME"?

...dream TIME...It's great just to verbalize how things might be. If we are successful what change would we see. There's a saying that if you reach for the stars you might hit the barn, but if you reach for the barn, you'll probably land in animal fecal material.

...think TIME...Ideas can really build when you group thinking. One person's suggestion can make an average idea excellent and someone else's can make it outstanding. There is real power in rapid, untethered group think. But the group must be willing to make quick points (ever hear make a long story short) and bosses need to listen much more than they speak. They always have the floor anyway and usually their peeps know the real answers because they are closer to the real problems.

...share TIME...It's always nice to know a bit more about the folks you work with...it builds trust. It's also easier to care about people when you know more about them than what they do at work. You might even find you have something in common. I'm always surprised how many people will tell me that they once had a Mustang growing up...then the conversation just grows from there.

...laugh TIME...Take time to have a good laugh. Rumor has it that it's a great medicine. Teams that can laugh together often have a stronger foundation to make it through the tough times. Laughter is especially good to get the creative juices flowing (and to think you thought it was drool).

...plan TIME...I so dislike sessions where you end with no action items or next steps. Shouldn't people's time be valuable enough to remove some obstacles or unfreeze the blockage that's keeping the group from moving forward. Stay focused on being strategic and creating a framework. Let the folk's teams put the detail tactics together, the flesh on the bones. They are the ones that are going to execute, so they're plan always feels best anyway.

...align TIME...This is where synergy can really be nurtured. An aligned team can make 1 + 1 = 3 and avoid the friction and inefficiencies of misalignment. Don't aligned tires get much better mileage? Getting groups to "Think Horizontal" breaks down the silos and moves an organization "from ME to WE".

...prayer TIME...This really helps if you believe in a creator, and doesn't hurt at all if you don't. Working at Good Shepherd makes praying easy, since we do it before all meetings. It's always the number 1 agenda item. I've only been a Christ-follower (for some reason this makes me think of Twitter) since 2005. I didn't have years of struggles at the Golden Arches balancing political correctness at work with wanting to do right by "Almighty & Sons". Oh well, that's an entirely different blog post.

I always seem to run ouy of TIME as it always takes longer than you think. Often you can combine the TIMES (laugh/share) or (plan/align)if you are intentional and prepared. When's the last TIME your team has put itself on the rack for a tune-up? Maybe now's the TIME...?

"I'VE BEEN HURRYING AND WORRYING ALL MY DAYS" ("I've Got Time" - Bob Seger)

...iShack...

Our son Patrick is in his last year at Purdue (Boiler-up!!). As we were coloring Easter eggs this weekend (Pat & I didn't even complain this time) the book "The Shack" came up in discussion. Pat commented that if I liked the book so much, why didn't I blog about it? I didn't have a good reply.

The book "The Shack" by William P. Young has created quite a buzz over the last year. There are hundreds of blogs, articles, discussion groups and Tweets about the book's theological accuracy and tons of noise for & against.

WARNING:...this is not really a review of the book. It's a review of me as I read the book. So here's my "iShack" (patent pending).

Page turner - I couldn't stop reading it, I had to fight to put it down. I'm a big fan of Grafton, Grisham, Clancy and enjoy being drawn into the tempo of a great book. The Shack starts right off with a current day mystery that just sucks you right in. More than a few times I extended my "stop reading" time by just "one more chapter".

Parts written for me - There were many times when I would feel "this is exactly what I wonder". I got the feeling the author intended the book for me. How could Willie know my issues, concerns and suspicions? ...but he did. The Shack started to become my story.

Emotional - OK, I admit that age has made me a bit of a sobber. The thought of Rudy going in for the last play or Marley at the vet's office will often produce a salty discharge from the corner of my eyes. Rarely does a book produce this effect, but The Shack did. I had to stop many times because the tears made me feel like I was reading through a prism. They weren't the typical "tears of sadness" or "tears of joy", they were different. To this day I still can't explain it...tears of understanding?...tears of comfort?...I don't know.

Weekend with the Trinity - I felt like I was spending the weekend with the "Father" (you'll get the humor if you read the book), Son and Holy Spirit. For a brief moment I was camping with 3 fishing buddies next to a secluded lake. There were jokes, pranks, good food and spending quiet time where inner thoughts were shared. I really felt love for the 3 of them.

Lasting Excitement - Have you ever felt sad after reading a really good book? Sad that it was over? Your feelings for the characters have stopped? You can't wait for the author's next book in the series? It was just the opposite with The Shack. The Trinity is alive, right now. I feel more intimate with them. I'm still in awe, but want to spend more time with them. Is it possible that I love them more?

The Shack is in the fiction section of the bookstore. It doesn't claim to be a textbook or 100% biblically accurate. It did increase my desire to dig into the Word. I pray differently, worship differently and feel differently about God. Only He knows what's happened in my heart, but I sense He'd give The Shack a thumbs-up for the impact it had on me.

So, there's my answer Pat!

Only God knows why
Only God....knows....why, why, why oh only God knows why
Kid Rock

...30 day fast...

Can you avoid eating out for 30 days??

These are interesting times! It's safe to say that the world (even my little piece in Naperville) is undergoing serious change. My "safe" financial approach as I took the steps toward retirement really paid off last year. You can call it lucky or blessed, whichever you prefer, but we avoided most of the financial ugliness as much of my portfolio was in CDs and not the stock market.

I've always been a fan of Suze Orman and she has really been on a roll these last few months. She may not be as entertaining as that crazy screamer "mad" guy, but she often brings up good things to consider. On a recent show she suggested that everyone try not to eat out for 30 days. Sue and I were up for a challenge! Heck, it would give me a chance to better control how I fuel this body of mine, so we started right after Pat returned to Purdue after his Winter break. When you are empty nester's it's too easy to just drive-thru.

We did 30 days, did our trip to Ireland, and then did another 30 days just for fun. We learned some interesting things:

Healthy - It is easier to eat healthy at home (daa). You know what you are putting into everything. I probably don't want to know what goes into all of the dishes at restaurants. We even cut a few lbs from our frames.

Shopping - The notion of keeping fresh food in the house requires a bit more planning. It's not as simple as making sure there is plenty of Ramen and Mac & Cheese. Produce goes bad so some vision of upcoming meals sure helps.

Creativity - The food can be made to match my taste. I love pepper and Sue loves Chili oil...done. My mom carries a shaker of garlic salt in her purse allowing for customization on the road. I just don't want to have to carry a pepper mill in my back pocket (I don't even have a wallet back there).

Savings - I can't put an exact number on it, but there are certainly some real savings eating at home. You'll drop $20 to $30 minimum if you go to a place that doesn't have a drive-thru. Consider that half the world lives on less than $2 per day. You can also get some great buys on meat if you take advantage of specials. Though some of the cuts I've purchased have gotten raised brows from Sue as she tries to teach me that big, red and cheap aren't always the best criteria.

Fun - I know fun is in the eye of the beholder..and I'm having a blast Sue might have a slightly different take on the experience.

I've learned to appreciate a good home cooked meal and a good meal at a restaurant. We went to Nick's Cozy Corner (one of our favorites) and really enjoyed it. If you aren't really doing anything over the next 30 days, why not give it a try??