All of this information you’ve received will not serve you as a leader if you do not do something with it. This may be the most critical step. It would be easy just to file this information away and reassure yourself, I’m too busy today but I’ll get to it someday. This could be one of the biggest mistakes you ever make. You’ve just re-buried a valuable treasure and won’t be able to find it again.
So, where do you start to create your development plan? Look at the more popular concerns, those which seem to come up repeatedly. It is quite possible these are the issues which are most likely to be hindering your relationships or your ability as a leader/pastor.
Start by being honest with yourself. You do not need to passively accept or negatively reject the findings, but you should do your best to objectively review them. That might require partnering with a confidante to help validate what you are seeing.
Review the idea of the quadrant of strengths vs development needs that we presented in our earlier post (So, What’s the Plan). Try to categorize your feedback in that manner. Once completed, a good place to start is in the quadrant entitled “confirmed development need”. This is the space where you see an opportunity to improve and that is in agreement with feedback you receive from others.
If you have multiple areas for development in this space it is best to limit your efforts to 1-2 development goals at a time. Choosing more than that can backfire as you will not be focused which can lead to limited or no progress. This will lead to frustration and abandoning any future efforts.
Once you’ve identified an area you’d like to improve in then set up a program that is clear, specific and time based. Use the following questions to guide your efforts:
- What is the behavior I am changing?
- What will I do to make this happen?
- How will I monitor progress?
- When do I believe I can realistically make thjs change by?
Most important, remember this is a process and change, no matter how small we perceive it to be, is difficult. You will invariably have some missteps but that is not a reason to stop your efforts. Learn from your mistakes and move on.
A good way to stay motivated is to engage a trusted partner. Rely on them to give you feedback and also to encourage you if you feel frustrated or discouraged. Some people find it even more motivating to start by thanking those individuals who provided formal feedback. Once you’ve thanked them, notify them of your intentions to change the selected behavior and ask them to inform you if they notice you making progress or, just as importantly, if they see you falling back into old undesirable habits. This public request is often enough to hold you accountable. Again, this is a process so stay engaged.