Focus

By Dr. David Bates

I recently read an article I thought was fascinating both in wisdom and simplicity regarding priorities. The article was about Warren Buffet and his “Rule of 25”.  The “Rule of 25” exercise has a person list out the top 25 goals they believe is important for them to do. After listing these 25 items, the next step is to identify the 5 goals that are the most important.  Once these 5 are identified, cross out the other 20.  They are distractions.

I worked as a bank examiner for the US Treasury Department for the last 28 years and during my time there we had several presidential appointed heads of our agency.  What I noticed in most of them, is they all had a strategically determined set of agenda items they focused on.  Each appointed agency head had a five year term before leaving the agency for another prestigious position.  Given their limited term, the size of the agency (approximately 4,000 employees), and the impact on the nation’s financial infrastructure (we oversaw more than 65% of U.S. commercial assets), focus on right messaging and efficiency in executing strategic objectives was critical.

What I observed in effective leaders of our agency, and within the banks I examined was impactful leaders had an ability to focus on the most critical elements of their organization. The leader’s focus helped everyone on the team understood the primary mission, channeled their energy to achieve the primary organization goals, and day to day tasks became a contributor to achieving higher strategic objectives rather than a meaningless task.

Our CEO (Jesus) gave the over-riding organizational goals for his disciples in the Great Commission.  “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”  In this mission statement, Jesus boiled down for us “our top goals”. 

1. You go – that means you, that means me, that means every disciple of Jesus.  We all have somewhere, someone, something to go to.
2. Teach all nations – we are to instruct those we are familiar with and those we have yet to encounter whether that’s in our nation or outside.  Clearly God is interested in having sons and daughter from all ethnicities – His house wouldn’t be complete without them.
3. Baptize them in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost – you carry an anointing that represents the kingdom of Heaven.  You are a holy priesthood, a royal ambassador and the King has granted you authority to invite and extend that anointing to others. All who are made part of this family are baptized with the holy fire of the spirit and washed by the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of those who receive Him.
4. Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you – we have a message given from the lips of the one who holds all power and authority in heaven and earth.  His message is one of life because what He spoke was spirit and life.  Feed on those words and breathe them out to wherever He sends you. 

The church has not completed the great commission yet…which is why we are still here.  God’s kingdom is great and greatly to be expanded.  If we focus on the mission statement we’ll fulfill our CEO’s vision and results will come.