Goals, Growth and Results

I initially named this “linear growth vs. logarithmic growth” because that’s really the crux of this message, but it’s not as good for SEO. Let me ’splain my thinking:

If a church has a goal of 10% growth in, say, attendance over one year, then it would be logical to expect a 2.5% growth every 3 months (for a total of 10% over a year). That would be linear growth. And it would also probably be unrealistic.

Logarithmic growth, on the other hand, assumes that ramping up will take time, effort and refinement. The growth may be .5% after the first three 3 months, 1.5% at 6 months and a larger ramp-up over the last half of the year. That’s logarithmic growth.

I don’t think it’s a shock to hear that the best results almost always come about after a period of sustained, goal-focused effort. We all want the results (I know I do), but we don’t always want to take the time to really put forth the right kinds of effort to get those results (I struggle with this). A gerbil in a wheel will work, very, very hard and get exactly nowhere.

Maybe it’s different for you, but I’ve found that I focus on that which I enjoy. The key, therefore, is to align my tasks to match up with the objectives (bite-sized and created from the original goal) that allow me do things that I enjoy during the process. For me to get the results, I’ve got to set myself up for success (and it helps if your boss helps you do this, too, by giving clear goals and realistic expectations). Since I’m all about “story”, I’m taking my tasks and doing them in the context of building up towards the over-arching story. Point is, find a way to get those things done, consistently, while filtering them against the goal.

My natural desire to see immediate results. My experiences have shown results come over time. It’s not linear….it’s logarithmic.

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Manage Projects So They Don’t Manage You

I’ll cut right to the chase: nearly every task and activity is a project. Some are simply more involved and take longer to accomplish. Some are reoccurring; others happen once in a blue moon. Yet they all have this in common:

“If you don’t take time to manage your projects, your projects will manage to take your time.”

I’ve not found the “perfect” project management tool, so I use a combination of tools that fit each situation. I have a moleskin that I use to write down tasks and project information in ad-hoc meetings. I also use Evernote on my iPhone when I need to quickly record audio or take a picture to help me with the project details. My one “constant” is the online software, Basecamp, by 37 Signals, which I use at work to help organize, prioritize, share, delegate & track project progress. In the past, I’ve been in companies that used Microsoft’s Project, the mother of all project management tools, but my experience with it revealed to me that you’ll need a certified project manager to make that software really sing.

Admittedly, managing projects means that I have to take the time to enter projects and care about the progress as my own accountability. We’re only as accountable as we want to be, so this requires a certain level of discipline.

When you think about it, learning project management is a must-have skill that will serve you well in church, business and life. In fact, through my years of consulting I’ve made the recommendation for churches to hire certified (or even a degree in Project Management) project managers.

Sunday comes every seven days. What you do between those seven days is a series of projects every week.

I’ve included a few resources that I’ve found helpful in learning about project management. Feel free to share your resources in the comments below.

Project management software:

http://basecamphq.com/

http://www.activecollab.com/

http://www.myintervals.com/

http://www.gtdagenda.com/

http://www.microsoft.com/project

Project management books:

A Manager’s Guide to Project Management

Scrappy Project Management

The One-Page Project Manager

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Personal Coaching Network for Technical Artists

I’ve been consulting for over six years as Anthony Coppedge Consulting and made time for hundreds of phone calls and thousands of emails helping church creative and technical artists. As can be expected, there are logistical limitations on my time and availability and I’ve not had the chance to help many of these churches through an on-going basis. That’s what led me to discussions with several of my clients and friends in ministry about creating a personal coaching network.

I’ve seen how Tony Morgan, Kem Meyer, Tim Stevens and Carlos Whittaker have all done something along these lines. I liked Carlos’ approach to a limited group and low cost of entry with extremely high value, so I’ve created a similar paradigm to his. If fact, after chatting with him, I think this is a solid compliment to the creative coaching he’s doing with the worship arts folks.

Here’s how my personal coaching network works:

• Only 10 people will be in a group in order to keep things focused and intimate.

• The group will be comprised of technical arts people from growing churches across the US. Some are very large (well beyond ‘Mega church’), some small, very rapid growth churches seriously engaging their audiences & communities.

• I will spend up to one hour per week with each person via phone, Skype or Tokbox. During these times I will be providing personal coaching and mentoring for their growth & development. I will provide weekly goals for them to achieve by the following week’s meeting. This coaching will focus on increasing their relational effectiveness with staff and volunteers, developing better leadership & management skills and encouraging a deeper spiritual walk. Additionally, I will use part of this time to provide consulting on technical & organizational issues specific to their situation.

• Every fourth week, we will spend our one hour as a group, bringing all of the individuals together for an online round-table discussion using TokBox or WebEx. This will provide both peer-to-peer networking that provides helpful connections as well as creating a large accountability group for sharing successes, challenges and prayer requests.

• The cost is low, but the commitment is high. At only $200 per month, this is a very strong value. However, I do require that each individual take this seriously, as I’m limiting the group to a maximum of 10 people. Obviously, this forces me to choose carefully who is included. Therefore, missing more than one session removes that person from the group, upon which a new person is added.

• Finally, I will open up a new six-month commitment to a limited number of members from the previous group, based upon their growth, commitment to the group and my own prayerful consideration.

I’m opening up applications as of today, August 31st. The first group already has just over half a dozen people signed up, based on my personal invitation. I’m now extending the offer to apply to you.

The application process is simple: Tell me about yourself. Explain why you want to be a part of a group and how you want to encourage and equip your peers in the group. Let me know how your church is impacting your members, visitors and community. Show me that you’re willing to commit your energy & time to this group of peers.

Simply email me: anthony AT anthonycoppedge DOT com

I look forward to hearing from each of you!

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