It is fascinating how top-level football (soccer) players kick the ball with absolute precision into the goal, even in the heat of a match with several defenders trying steal it. Of course, this is because professional athletes don’t show up to play unprepared. They kick with precision because they have practiced the plays hundreds, if not thousands, of times.
THE GOALSETTING PROCESS
Like top athletes, great leaders don’t just show up to lead without “rehearsing the plays” and setting goals. Some of the best leaders even take the goalsetting process one step further — taking time away from their activities to find a private place for an annual goalsetting retreat.
One of the most influential leaders of our time, Michael Hyatt, states:
You cannot become the best version of yourself without
some process of setting and achieving big goals.
It is not enough to simply set goals. We must develop a process to achieve our goals, and taking an annual retreat is one of the most important steps to this process.
FIVE REASONS TO PLAN YOUR RETREAT
Soon, I will have my own annual retreat in preparation for next year. Here are five reasons I suggest you have one, too:
It is a Great Idea — I think we can all honestly say we could use a couple quiet days to reflect and plan ahead.
Silence is Golden — I don't know about you, but my life is loud. We are surrounded by noise, sometimes so loud we can hardly hear ourselves think. A couple days of silence allow us focus and prioritize.
God will Speak — How do I know? God is more interested in speaking to you than for you to speak to yourself. When you quiet down and listen, God will speak.
All Great Leaders Retreat — Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, takes a whole week to think, read, and innovate new ideas. Fortune Magazine considers goalsetting retreats as one of the 20 most significant business decisions of all time.
You Will be Renewed — I always come out of these retreats inspired and excited about continuing to serve God and my fellow leaders around the world. With a goalsetting retreat, the same can be true for you.
TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Most of my personal goalsetting retreats have been in January, but recently, I have begun to carve some time before the end of the year for my time alone with God for setting goals. Now is the perfect time for you to do the same. During the rest of the month, we will be re-publishing two more posts on the subject of Goalsetting from last year. I hope they can motivate you to take time alone to set your goals for next year as soon as possible.
I can assure you from experience, God will bless this time of reflection and speak to you clearly, molding you into a more effective leader for the Kingdom.
Data and information are essential for knowing how effective your organization or ministry is, but knowing the right data to measure is the most important key to your success.