...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)