Looking Back... Moving Forward

It has been really cold here as it has in many places. The other day Deb was getting one of my heavier coats. She stuck her hand in the pocket and found this surprise.

Yes, it is a very rare find. It was the last playoff game that we attended by the Browns in 1994. Yes, playoffs and Browns rarely go in the same sentence. We would be happy just to win a game. But then I digress. It caused us to remember the game and the details of it. One little factoid - the Browns head coach that year was one Bill Belichik and the defensive coordinator was one Nick Saban (now longtime head coach at Alabama).

On the last day of the year, we love to look back. But then tomorrow, we start to look forward. We make our plans and New Year's resolutions. I have been fond of using something I called Be Goals which I have written about before. It is the concept of setting personal goals of internal change and transformation. But as I look into next year, I also want to be content in just living day to day. I want to approach each day with a fresh set of eyes and expectantly looking forward to just what God is doing that day. I also want to be thankful. How much God has indeed blessed me and how much I take for granted. I am talking about blessings of family, relationships, and most of all faith. God has indeed been good to me all year and I know, no matter what he is a God fully worthy of my trust.

My 2017 BE Goals

Last year, I got a Fitbit for Christmas and I set a goal of being more healthy and lose weight. But I gained 6 pounds. The Fitbit tells me I am exercising but it doesn't help me with my sweet addiction. Part of the problem with task-oriented goals is they address symptoms rather than problems. 

I bring up this concept of BE goals every new year. I first heard the concept of BE goals a number of years ago from Andy Stanley, a well-known pastor and author in Atlanta. BE goals are different as they are internal rather than external. Generally, they don't change from year to year and it is measured in progress rather than arrival. No one can say they nail BE goals every year. So here are my BE goals from last year and they are exactly the same for 2017.

Be Holy
It always starts with the most difficult one. Holiness is something only God can truly be yet we are reminded to be holy as God is holy. A difficult proposition but possible if the Christ is living through me.

Be Prayerful
Prayer is dialogue with the creator God. God has made that possible. God wants me to talk to Him the way a child talks to their father. How precious little time I truly spend in dialogue with God. The Holy Spirit is in me and helps me along in my weakness.

Be Patient
Yikes - this is a challenge for me. The man who tailgates people and loses his temper at every little thing. Patience is basically frustration when you are held back from expectations. It starts with improper expectations.

Be Mindful
Similar to patience, this is a awareness of others and my surroundings. Coming from the man who realizes things on the wall that have been there for years, this is a truly daunting challenge.

Be Supportive
This takes mindful to another level because it is a proactive reaction to being mindful. How can I be supportive of others in my work, community, relationships, etc.

Be Trusting
It is a danger to yourself to always be skeptical of others. I would rather be let down than be constantly skeptical of others. So many times I held off on sending that bad e-mail because I assumed the worst in people.

Be Accountable
Hardest thing for a man to be. We like living in our own cocoon and yet we have to be accountable to others. It is critical for men to have those relationships where we can be transparent and listen to brothers as they see areas of change needed in our lives.

Be a Friend
Deb and I were just talking about how much value we place on friendships as we have grown older. We have such a wonderful core group of friends and it is so important for me just to be a friend. I also want/need to develop new relationships.

Be Diligent
These words ring out in my head as Paul says to Timothy - "be diligent to present yourselves as one approved". It means we have to be proactive. This is one of Coveys 7 Habits.

Be Consistent
Finally, being consistent throughout the year is the path. It is January 1 and by God's grace by January 10, I won't have violated most of these already.

My 2016 Be Goals

It's a new year and everyone always starts by making resolutions. My kids got me a Fitbit for Christmas and I am already addicted to this thing. It tells me in real time how I am tracking to my goals. It is laser built for someone like me who is obsessive about goals. The challenge is making goals sustainable. So many times I set out for example to lose weight and I can't get past the change in myself that has to occur such as forsaking bad stuff to see the change in weight through.

Be Goals are a change in who I am as a child of God. So every January, I have to remind myself of who I can be as a child of God and turn to Him to make the impossible possible. So here they are with only a brief comment on each one.

Be Holy
It always starts with the most difficult one. Holiness is something only God can truly be yet we are reminded to be holy as God is holy. A difficult proposition but possible if the Christ is living through me.

Be Prayerful
Prayer is dialogue with the creator God. God has made that possible. God wants me to talk to Him the way a child talks to their father. How precious little time I truly spend in dialogue with God. The Holy Spirit is in me and helps me along in my weakness.

Be Patient
Yikes - this is a challenge for me. The man who tailgates people and loses his temper at every little thing. Patience is basically frustration when you are held back from expectations. It starts with improper expectations.

Be Mindful
Similar to patience, this is a awareness of others and my surroundings. Coming from the man who realizes things on the wall that have been there for years, this is a truly daunting challenge.

Be Supportive
This takes mindful to another level because it is a proactive reaction to being mindful. How can I be supportive of others in my work, community, relationships, etc.

Be Trusting
It is a danger to yourself to always be skeptical of others. I would rather be let down than be constantly skeptical of others. So many times I held off on sending that bad e-mail because I assumed the worst in people.

Be Accountable
Hardest thing for a man to be. We like living in our own cocoon and yet we have to be accountable to others. It is critical for men to have those relationships where we can be transparent and listen to brothers as they see areas of change needed in our lives.

Be a Friend
Deb and I were just talking about how much value we place on friendships as we have grown older. We have such a wonderful core group of friends and it is so important for me just to be a friend. I also want/need to develop new relationships.

Be Diligent
These words ring out in my head as Paul says to Timothy - "be diligent to present yourselves as one approved". It means we have to be proactive. This is one of Coveys 7 Habits.

Be Consistent
Finally, being consistent throughout the year is the path. It is January 3 and by God's grace by January 10, I won't have violated most of these already.

Note that Be Successful is not on the list. I believe that by God's grace and Him living through me, that these 10 goals. God says to Joshua two additional Be Goals - "Have I not commanded you, be strong and courageous, do not be terrified or be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you may go."

Looking for a BHAG

Jim Collins as far as I know coined the term BHAG which stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal in Good to Great.  He describes it as a huge and daunting goal - like a big mountain to climb.  It is clear and compelling and people get it right away.  A BHAG can serve as a focal point, galvanizing people and creating a team spirit as people move towards a finish line. 

I am living through one potential BHAG in business right now with our new software product due to launch next quarter.  I am part of this years class of Leadership Cleveland and we are framing a big vision to change our city.   Pat Morley has kind of put a different spin on BHAG and called it a Big Holy Audacious Goal.  Someone once defined prayer as "finding out what God is doing and getting in on it".  I kind of feel that way about our church - our pastor Joe Coffey is exceptional at framing a vision and communicating it to the congregation.  In my CLC group, we are in the last session on Reforming Our Communities which is all about making a difference in our region.

I am firmly convinced that people want to be part of something big.  No one wants to go through the motions day in and day out.  People want to know that what they are doing is making a difference.  When I was at Merge, we had regular conference calls with the CEO and in each conference call, he would lead off with how we did financially the previous quarter.  As a public company, he felt that was the most thing.  Nobody rallies behind financial numbers.  They are the measurement of performance, but not the motivator.  People not only want to make a difference, but they want to make an impact.  An impact is something dramatic, something of a higher plane.  If people think that what they are doing is making an impact, they will endure all sorts of opposition.  On the other hand, I have encountered people that are not part of a vision and are going through the motions.  They might be even well off, but they tend to be miserable.  The one year I worked in a "real job" I was miserable.  I have to be part of something I perceive to be great. 

God wants something great.  In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus describes a plentiful harvest with too few workers.  In John 4:35, he talks about the fields that are ripe for harvest.  This is the BHAG that he wants each of us in on.  It is changing our neighborhood, our city, our region, our state, our country, our world.  Kingdom impact is a BHAG.  It is finding out what God is doing and getting in on it.  I am convinced that God is doing something big in my life and in the city of Cleveland.  I don't know specifics, but I want in on it.  Each of us wants just such a mission.

Stretch Goals

I am a chronic planner.  Most of my planning is looking ahead 90 days and then usually out to a year.  But I always picture the long-term perspective in our businesses.  It is kind of like seeing yourself in the car of your choice driving down the freeway.  It is that long-term perspective of the future that helps dictate what happens in the short term.  We are building a new business, Public Insight Corporation that is a potential game changer that looks at public data from an outcome based perspective.  If we didn't have the long term perspective, it would be hard to know what to do in the short-term.  We make short pithy statements that help us determine what we are or aren't.  For example, we say "we are not public policy experts" or "we are not the gatekeeper to the data' to help us stay on the long-term track.  We are also fond of establishing BHAG objectives which stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goals.  These are things that are the broader vision of where we ultimately want to be.  In this case, we visualize Public Insight as being the platform of choice for all state and local public analysis.  Pretty broad goals.

We sometimes establish "stretch" goals which are those goals that require us to really stretch to the limits of our potential.  A stretch goal is your ultimate reach that gets you going towards the BHAG.  I have always admired leaders that could see a longer term vision in their head and then execute towards it.  I don't consider myself a particularly strong visionary - I am more of a tactician, but I do find myself more and more thinking of what the potential might be.  Then as we execute towards the BHAG, we typically find ourselves making little detours along the way.  Entrepreneurship experts call those pivots.  The average successful entrepreneur pivots 1-2 times where as the unsuccessful entrepreneur pivots not at all or more than 2 times.  The message here is that detours happen - it is what you do with them that determine the success of your business.  If you ignore them, you will fail.  If you adjust too much like a bottle in the sea, you will also fail. 

So what is the spiritual message here?  God always has in mind for us a BHAG that always entails a series of stretch goals.  When God looks at you and me, He sees all of what we could be in Christ. He stretches us through trials.  James says to "consider it all joy my brethren when you encounter trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing" (James 1:2-4).  Completeness is God's BHAG, but it will never be without trials and pain.  These are the pivots that we experience in daily life.  Jesus says "to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect".  That is the ultimate stretch BHAG.  I stumble often in my Christian walk.  The journey is often laden with potholes that line my path.  I know these pivots are maturing me, stretching me. 

I have to work out at least 3 times a week.  There are many times I don't feel like working out, but I do anyway.  Of course there are times when I should and I don't but that is another story.  I have never once regretted working out after I was done.  My 53 year old body is stronger and is able to help strengthen me against the natural causes of aging (aging always wins however).  If I was a perpetual couch potato, I would not be able to withstand any physical vigor.  Getting on my bike in the summertime would not be a pleasant experience.  Playing left field on my baseball team would feel like running in quicksand.  I am extremely grateful for God's workouts, but I sometimes hate them when they are happening.  I look back however very thankful for the stretching and maturing they are in my life while preparing me for the BHAG that I hope is around the corner.  Not sure when - took Moses 40 years, but I am going to be faithful in the process.  My prayer is that there is no trial that disqualifies me. 

Be Goals

I first heard about the concept of "Be Goals" from Andy Stanley's Leadership podcast.  Andy Stanley is a pastor of North Point Community Church and he is a gifted pastor, but I get as much out of his leadership podcast as I do his sermons.

We typically set action oriented goals going into the new year such as lose weight, clean house, manage finances, etc.  There is nothing wrong with setting these goals.  However, these goals do not really define who we are.  Be Goals define who we are.  For example,

• Be strong
• Be committed
• Be a man of integrity

For me, being a man of God trumps everything else.  I know that if I am a man of God, I can be a better spouse, CEO, professor, friend, neighbor, etc.  Establishing a strong vertical relationship with God is the prerequisite to establishing strong horizontal relationships. 

So commitment to Be Goals starts with being the man God wants me to be.  I also think the goal of being a man of God also translates to strong actions.  I find I stink at willing myself to action goals.  It takes all of a week for me to break down.  Because my outward condition is driven my inward condition.  So Be Goals strengthen the inner person which provides me the means to strengthen the outer person.