The Most Important Things

Here’s a link to a blog I read every now and again. It deals with a classic question, for the church, or workplace or wherever. The question is: which is better, attitude or execution? If you go with attitude only, the extreme position is that you have like-minded people with little or no skill. If you go with execution, then the extreme position is to have hired-hands who get the job done but have no true DNA.

This question comes up time and again, it’s can be a major source of contention and strife. When you lean to execution, in your business or non-profit or church, you bump up against people who minor on details that can be endless. You also run the risk of disloyalty and rebellion. The hired-hand comes to a place where they deem that they can do it better and leave, often taking many people with them. If you stick with attitude only a lot of times you run into the problem that they know nothing different. There can be mental barriers to achieving new levels. There can also be a lack of initiative within the attitude only camp. Only being able to respond to orders rather than creating new ideas or taking initiative.

So, what’s best? The blog I referenced above put a very useful and insightful hierarchy together. It looks like this:

1. Attitude
2. Approach
3. Goals
4. Strategy
5. Tactics
6. Execution

This is only an opinion but I think it’s a valid one. Placing an emphasis on attitude first will help the execution-ists remember their “why”. And using a hierarchy of approach, goals, etc helps the attitud-ers focus and advance their “hows”. I have found when people love their job their workflow increases and the result is a better product. (Be it a disciple, a widget or a program)

I have found that talking on the phone is the most useful for two types of people: 1) those who have nothing to do and 2) those who have way too much to do.

The first group calls everybody they have in their phone. Most of the time they get the voicemail and leave wandering, pointless voicemails. On the oft chance that someone happens to answer their phone call, they begin to rant about nothing and everything they have done since they woke up at noon. This usually consists of: breakfasts they had, noises their car is making and voice-mails they left on acquaintances phones. This group is constantly “upgrading” or switching phones and plans. They seemingly have an endless amount of 2 year upgrades and happen to meet the nicest sales guys at the kiosks. Their closet is stacked with hordes of old AC cords, screen protectors and neon flashing antennae. The phone is their utility belt upon which their world hangs! (And, I might add, your voicemail box is full b/c of them.)

The other group, the way-too-much-to-doers, are constantly talking on the phone. This becomes useful to them because, since they are sooo busy, they can “work” from anywhere. In the car, in the grocery store line, ordering meals; they do it all from the convenience of their bluetooth tumor growing in their ear. They keep most of their phone conversations brief and to the point, sparing cordiality and social norms. They constantly preface their conversations with, “hey, I can’t talk long…” or “I am on the other line and need to make this quick…” Then they proceed to fire off random tasks and ideas. They have mastered the phone. They have the supernatural ability to switch between phone calls faster than Clark Kent can change into Superman. Meanwhile the rest of us are trying to figure out if we want to: ignore, hold call and answer, ignore and end call, end call, do an irish jig and answer call, press “1″ to instantly combust phone or “2″ to delete all information in the known world. They love their phone and when they drop it (which happens often due to frequently being on it) it only works better. And new functions get added to it. “Hey I dropped my phone and now I have access to multi-million dollar contacts” or “I just dropped my phone and it got faster”. Their phone is a temp agency constantly awaiting their every beck and call!

There is, also, a third group. This mysterious lot are the ones who have phones because society demands it of them. Their phone is their arch nemesis. Constantly ringing, drowning their productivity. It chimes and all of their muscles tense up. They know they shouldn’t look at it because they must be working, but what if SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT was being texted to them? The people in this group live enslaved to their phone. They want to turn it off but fear that someone might call them to go out or invite them to the latest social justice event. They drop it and it is always irreparably damaged. They go into the stores and never are up for their 2 year upgrade. They pay full price for phones that work half the time. Oh! How they loathe the cell phone. It stares at them all day long. Taunting them, begging them to decrease productivity and make pointless phone calls and texts. And when they do…their boss walks by and catches them! Foiled again! Their phone is kryptonite that has been sewn into the fabric of their life. It constantly weakens them reducing them to mere mortals!

Remember that last group the next time you talk on the phone or leave a voicemail and say a prayer for those whose phone rules over them with an unwielding hand.