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Learn Faster. Lead Further. Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Projects That Propel Organizations Forward

RETREAT ROADMAP Kingdom Impact: A Plan That Includes You

Executive Guide: Projects That Propel Organizations Forward

Project Portfolios Profile: How To Get More Projects Done More Quickly

The Payoff Of Seven-Year Projects 15 Endnotes 19 Next Level Leader: Originals - Agents Of Change 20 Bonus: Seven-Year Projects In The Bible

Additional Resources

CEO Tools

Kingdom Impact Notes

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Kingdom Impact: A Plan That Includes You

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 1:7-12

God has a plan. It is a good plan, and He is passionate about fulfilling it. He is working daily to complete His plan, including as many people in it as possible. In Ephesians 1, the apostle Paul references the plan that God has purposed and is working diligently to complete. Namely, to work “out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.” In other words, God is primarily concerned about those things that fit into His plan to bring Jesus into the recognition of the world that He is Savior and Lord. God’s ultimate plan is revealed in verse 9, when Paul writes that fulfillment of the plan is “to bring unity to all things in heaven and earth under Christ.”

Note a few important aspects of the plan that God has created: IT HAS BEEN PUT TOGETHER WITH “WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING” (V. 8). God used wisdom to develop the plan and understanding to implement it. It is not haphazard or loosely put together. God’s plans are thoughtful and carefully crafted to bring about His purpose and His ultimate solutions.

Kingdom Impact: A Plan That Includes You GOD’S PLAN HAS TIMES AND PLACES THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO ITS COMPLETION (V. 10). God’s knowledge and wisdom led Him to know the best times to move the world forward to complete His ultimate plan. God has perfect timing, and the Kingdom leader can always trust the timing of God. GOD’S PLAN HAS A PURPOSE (V. 10). A plan with a purpose is a pathway to posterity. A plan without a purpose is a pull toward a pit of perplexity. The CEO must not be content to only develop a plan, but must focus on the purpose behind the plan.

Experience Question: What does it mean to you as a follower of Christ to know that God has a bigger plan that He is working to complete?

“

The only

way you’re going to

reach places you’ve never gone is if you trust God’s

GOD’S PLAN INCLUDES YOU (V. 11). Verse 11 is powerful; Paul includes the reader—namely, the believer—in the plan. Paul states that “in Him (Christ) we were also chosen.” The believer and Christian leader is included in the plan that God Himself has created and is continuing to work to bring to completion. God has purposed each believer with gifts and abilities, ones to be used at the right time for the ultimate purpose of helping Him complete His plan of bringing all things into the recognition that Christ is worthy of praise. The Christian CEO must trust God’s plan and work with diligence to follow the plan to ensure a well-done completion. Germany Kent, author of The Hope Handbook for Christians, challenges the Christian leader to trust in the plan of God when she writes: “The only way you’re going to reach places you’ve never gone is if you trust God’s direction to do things you’ve never done.”1 <<< CEO Experience © All Rights Reserved 2019 >>>

direction to do things you’ve never done. GERMANY KENT

”

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Projects That Propel Organizations Forward

BIBLICAL BUSINESS PRINCIPLE: BE QUICK TO FIND YOUR “YES” OR “NO”

Leaders like to say, “Yes,” but too many leaders say, “Yes” too often to too many things, which ultimately can sabotage their success. Jesus was a leader who never led while He was out of breath. He demonstrated decisive leadership. He knew the people He was supposed to be with, the projects He was supposed to be working on, and the places where He was to be, at the right time. Jesus possessed clarity on the most critical things, which enabled him to say, “No” to the things that would not help Him to complete His mission and purpose.

“AND DO NOT SWEAR BY YOUR HEAD, FOR YOU CANNOT MAKE EVEN ONE HAIR WHITE OR BLACK. ALL YOU NEED TO SAY IS SIMPLY ‘YES’ OR ‘NO’; ANYTHING BEYOND THIS COMES FROM THE EVIL ONE.” Matthew 5:36-37 Be decisive. Make decisions based on values. Know your “no’s.” Say, “Yes” to that which helps you fulfill your dreams. Live up to your word. Make your signature mean something. Your commitments matter, so don’t overcommit.

Steward leaders must be decisive leaders. When leaders get stuck between their “no’s” and their “yes’s,” they create confusion in direction, which can create complacency among their disciples or followers. Jesus himself states that He would rather his followers be hot or cold rather than lukewarm: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16). Clarity and passion are two prerequisites for a successful leader, and a successful company. No company or organization was ever built on half-hearted attempts at greatness. God calls full-time followers who are passionate about honoring Him in their life and business.

Projects That Propel Organizations Forward Great decisiveness is a key to influential leadership. People cannot follow leaders who do not know where they are going, or why they are headed in that direction. Jesus gives a secret to leaders in Matthew 5:36-37, when He states: “And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” The power to say, “Yes” or “No” quickly means that you know where you are going and what you are trying to accomplish. Make your words mean something. Develop and build trust relationships by conveying to others that they can count on you and your commitments. Many leaders lose their influence with others because they commit to aspirational “yes’s.” Leaders must know their “no’s” and be quick to say, “Yes” or “No.”

How Decisive Are You? Rate your decisiveness on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being highly indecisive and 10 being very decisive. 2

Your No’s because

your No’s

Win Activity

“

Know

make all the difference.

”

Project Portfolios Profile: How To Get More Projects Done More Quickly

You can’t walk two pathways at the same time. Fatigue is a word that could be used to describe most leaders and most companies. In today’s economy, less is not more, more and more is more. Most people are doing too much, and when they do too much, most of the things that are being done are not all that important. The Bible gives great encouragement and benefit in the biblical business principle of being quick to get to “yes” or “no.” <<< CEO Experience © All Rights Reserved 2019 >>>

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Projects That Propel Organizations Forward SEVEN-YEAR PROJECTS Too many companies are too short-sighted, working far too hard on the “here and now” and never turning their attention to the “yet to be” or “what could come.” Great companies and great leaders have a vision of tomorrow that makes the todays better. One example: King Solomon executing the vision of his father David in building the First Temple. The Temple was the significant project of Solomon’s reign. While not a quick and easy project, it was an essential project for his success. In 1 Kings 6:37-38, the Bible records that it took Solomon seven years to build the foundation and to fulfill the basics tenets of the temple: “The foundation of the temple of the Lord was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv. In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent seven years building it.” History shows that Solomon continued to improve and work on the temple for another 13 years. In all, Solomon and his team dedicated 20 important years of his reign to the completion of this one building. The defining project of Solomon’s rule as king, the completion of the Temple would be essential to him hearing the words, “Well done” from both his followers and the One that he followed. Solomon dedicated his time and his resources to complete an essential seven-year project.

Experience Question: Are the projects you are working on too small? How could you identify the need for a bigger or more significant project in your business?

This seven-year model has been proven over and over again in the business world. A few examples would be the Wright brothers, Christopher Latham Sholes, and Steve Jobs. The Wright brothers started their journey for flight in Dayton, Ohio in 1896. The brothers imagined that they could use materials from their bicycle shop to create a plane that could fly. Seven years later, in 1902, they traveled to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and flew the first powered flight, which lasted just 12 seconds. Before they left, they had flown more than 700 powered flights with their glider.9

Projects That Propel Organizations Forward Christopher Latham Sholes is the American inventor credited with creating the typewriter.10 Sholes had a vision for a writing machine, working extensively on the typewriter from 1868 to 1873. In 1873, he sold the patent rights to the Remington Arms company for $12,000. They continued the work and renamed the machine the Remington Typewriter. It eventually became the top-selling typewriter of all time and helped to usher in the age of industrialism.11 Steve Jobs began a seven-year project in 1978 with the creation of the Apple Lisa Project. His vision was to build a personal desktop computer that everyone could use. The Macintosh, as it is known today, is a series of personal computers that consists of the MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air, and the Mac. However, this phenomenally successful series was only developed because of the seven years of failure that Jobs and the Apple team experienced through the Lisa Project.12 There are many examples of leaders and organizations who spent considerable time and effort on prolonged projects, which paid a substantial return on the investment. Although long-term projects are not easy to manage, they do provide large payoffs to the organization.

The Payoff Of Seven-Year Projects

Although seven-year projects are challenging to commit to for leaders and organizations, they should be considered by every leader. Prolonged projects can provide powerful payoffs. When a company can select the right project in which to invest time, resources, and manpower, the payoff is that the investment will propel the company to become a leader in the field—the kind that becomes a differentiator in the marketplace. Companies that commit to prolonged projects can realize several key benefits even if the project is a failure.

“

Prolonged projects

can provide powerful payoffs.

”

Next Level Leader

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Next Level Leader: Originals – Agents Of Change

It’s a familiar adage: “The only constant in life is change.”1 Even if you argue that life has more “constants,” most of us can agree that life is ever-changing and that in modern times the pace of change is ever-increasing. As Next Level leaders, you understand not only the inevitability of change, but are often asked to promote it. Leaders are more effective when they are looking for new ideas which they can develop in order to help enhance their company and the people served through it. To be a successful agent of change, you need to think like an “Original.” In his book, Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World,2 organizational psychologist and professor Adam Grant outlines several traits of these change agents, including their innate curiosity and how they deal with risk. ORIGINALS QUESTION DEFAULTS: An Original’s favorite question is: “Why?” It is such curiosity that fuels ideas. The Original will always be asking, “Why?” when it comes to processes the company employs, the decisions the company makes, or the products and services the company provides. For instance, photography in the 1940s required photos to be developed using a darkroom and processing lab—it was the accepted standard. However, one sunny afternoon Edwin Land was vacationing with his family and took some photos of his daughter, Jennifer. Unaware of the standard, she asked, “Why do we have to wait for the picture?” Years later, Land recalled in a speech his thinking at the time: “Why not design a picture that can be developed right away?” That question led to Land’s five-year quest to bring to market the Polaroid Instant Camera, which changed the world of photography.3

Win Activity Consider the routines at work or the accepted standards within your company or industry. Think of three “Why’s?” that are worthy of investigating at a deeper level. #1 #2 #3

Bonus: Seven-Year Projects In The Bible

1. THE SABBATH YEAR/THE YEAR OF JUBILEE Leviticus 25:1-7: The Lord said to Moses at Mount Sinai, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord.’ Note: The year of Jubilee was a specific design by God in which He gave to His people as a way of rest, remembering their need for Him, and a way of order for society. This was to be a year-long celebration where God had an opportunity to restore the land, retire debt, and freedom to slaves.

2. THE YEAR FOR CANCELING DEBTS Deuteronomy 15:1-6: At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. Note: Debt cancellation was a part of the Year of Jubilee. In God’s design for community, He wanted both the debtor and the one who held the debt to be released from the burden of debt. So, He established a seven-year window in which all debt should be forgiven; His promise to those who forgave the debt was a blessing beyond measure.

3. FREEING SERVANTS Deuteronomy 15:12-15: If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free. And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today. Note: A release from slavery was an integral part of the Year of Jubilee. God’s plan was never for any person to be stuck in slavery for a lifetime. In God’s design, those who gave themselves to slavery were to be released every seven years. In fact, slaves were not only to be released, but they were to be blessed as they began their new life.

Bonus: Seven-Year Projects In The Bible 4. JACOB WORKS FOR THE RIGHT TO MARRY RACHEL Genesis 29: 16-20: Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.” Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. Note: Jacob worked two seven-year projects to earn the right to marry Rachel. This story in Genesis is a foreshadowing of the seven years of slavery that is reflected in the Year of Jubilee. Jacob determined the time and the Bible states that because of his passion to win Rachel the years “seemed like only a few days.”

5. THE SEVEN YEARS OF PLENTY TO PREPARE FOR THE FAMINE Genesis 41:25-32: Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. Note: A powerful business example of the seven-year principle is found in the profit and loss scenario of Joseph during the years of prosperity and famine. Joseph had seven years to prepare for the seven years of drought. In Joseph’s business, he had a seven-year vision for cash flow and business sustainability.

6. THE YEAR OF PUNISHMENT FOR KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR Daniel 4:23-25: “Your Majesty saw a holy one, a messenger, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump, bound with iron and bronze, in the grass of the field, while its roots remain in the ground. Let him be drenched with the dew of heaven; let him live with the wild animals, until seven times pass by for him.’ Note: In another powerful example of God’s sovereignty, Daniel interprets a dream of King Nebuchadnezzar and pronounces a punishment that will come upon the King. God will humble the king and the king will act like an animal for seven years until God restores his mind and restores him back to his place as king.

7. THE SEVENTY “SEVENS” OF THE PROPHECY OF DANIEL Daniel 9:20-27: While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill—while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed.” Note: Many biblical scholars believe that each week represented in the prophecy represents a seven-year period. They believe that from the time that the second Temple was built to the time Jesus came to earth and was crucified fit into these seven-year blocks, which represented the seventy sevens. The seventy sevens is a reference to the period of time until the year of the world’s end. This prophecy seems to imply that God is working His plan in seven-year increments.

Additional Resources Articles Adam Steele, “Our Agency’s Epic 200% Productivity Secret: [Trello & Scrum], The Magistrate, June 2, 2015, https://magistrateinc.com/how-scrum-trello-doubled-our-marketing-agencys-productivity/. Andrew Littlefield. “The Beginner’s Guide To Scrum And Agile Project Management,” Trello, September 2, 2016, https://blog.trello.com/beginners-guide-scrum-and-agile-project-management.

Handbook Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland, The Scrum GuideTM, July 2016, https://scrumguides.org/docs/scrumguide/v2016/2016-Scrum-Guide-US.pdf#zoom=100.

Videos The Magistrate, “How Scrum & Trello Doubled Our Marketing Agency’s Productivity,” June 24, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PTh9w3Mj_U. Jim Collins, “Genius of the AND,” Jim Collins, 2017, https://www.jimcollins.com/media_topics/media.html#*Genius. Ari Wallach, “3 ways to plan for the (very) long term,” Ted Talks, May 5, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjkrKA1cVdU. Adam Grant, “The surprising habits of original thinkers,” Ted Talks, April 26, 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxbCHn6gE3U.

Books Jeff Sutherland, Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time (New York: Crown Business, 2014)

Jerry Manas, Napoleon on Project Management: Timeless Lessons in Planning, Execution, and Leadership (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006)

Adam Grant, Originals: How Non-Conformists Move The World (New York: Penguin Books, 2016)

CEO Tools

ceoexperience.com

Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Accountability and Application Action Steps:

Learn Faster. Lead Further. #1 How well do you and your team currently manage projects? What could you do that would enhance your project management ability?

#2 How big is your vision? Can you imagine a project that would take seven years to complete and what would that project look like?

Do you know your “yes’s” and “no’s?” What happens to #3 you and your leadership when you say “yes” too quickly and too often?

What is the most important project that you are currently working on and what do you need to have in place in order #4 to ensure that the project will be a success?

Progress Made on the Most Critical Projects:

“

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

”

EPHESIANS 2:10 34

Executive Guide For Christian CEOs

Business Update YEARLY VISION

Learn Faster. Lead Further.

GOAL 1 -

MONTHLY DASHBOARD

Steps taken this month to complete the goal:

ACTION PLAN:

Define what actions need to be taken in the next 30 days to keep the business moving forward.

1. GOAL 2 -

Steps taken this month to complete the goal:

3. GOAL 3 -

Steps taken this month to complete the goal:

Ken Gosnell 240.396.7671 â€˘ kengosnell@ceoexperience.com

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CXP CEO Retreat Guide - Projects That Propel Organizations Forward