Winston Churchill
Contributors deliver results. And results are what make a person indispensable. So what “results” can make people valuable, and what results contribute to making a person trustworthy? Paul quotes Jesus, in Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive”, another word for contribute, is to give.
Some people are takers, and some people are givers. People who are givers are those who invest in others, they give of their finances, their time and resources to discipleship, charities, ministries, and NGO’s. They give of themselves to their societies and their places of work. They understand the fundamental truths of “The more you give, the more you receive”, and “You reap what you sow”, however their reason for giving is not to receive. They also understand that as godly principles, giving is good for a nation and for its people. God created people with gifts and talents whereby they can produce products and services needed by others. This is what contributes to healthy economies and honest governance.
Takers on the other hand have “self” at the core of their lives. These are the people who see corruption as a means to personal gain without much concern as to how it effects society. When Jesus told us to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you”, he was talking about living working and treating others in a way consistent with His word and teachings. Living in a way that is selfish has only caused pain and struggles for others wherever that happens, all over the world.
Some of the happiest and most joyful people in the world are givers.
There are many people who want to make a difference but have never put their vision into action. If you ever want to accomplish anything, you must actually do something.
We all want to do something and achieve excellent results. Sometimes though, our fear of not being perfect can prevent us from ever getting started. David Horsager writes this, ” As I work on this book project, I think of all the research I have not shared. There are compelling stories coming out every day that are pertinent to this topic. At some point, good enough and done, is better than perfect and not done”.
Entrepreneurs, people wanting to start an organization or a ministry may have a problem here if they get caught in the perfection trap, that is the fear of not being perfect. The reason many of these plans fail is that implementation (taking action) of the idea never happens. As David says, two hundred great ideas are worth less than one good idea carried to completion. This is not to say or encourage doing poor quality work, we should always strive to do great work as unto the Lord, but know when to move it to completion. It is important that any new work or new idea being put into action will likely be a learning experience as well. It is only natural to make adjustments and improvements as the plan develops. But most importantly, don’t let fear of imperfection be a roadblock.
Sometimes we can all get busy and have many things that we need to do. It can be overwhelming at times so I would like to give some helpful ideas that help us all be more effective every day.
1. Put it on paper. Without too much detail, write or type your schedule for the next day. Documenting your activities will help keep you on track for the day. You can have a long-term list as well as having a daily list of things you want to accomplish.
2. Number each item in order of importance from 1 to 7 as an example with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. As you complete each task, you can renumber your list and as new tasks develop you can rearrange the list. The list can be carried forward each day as items are accomplished. This can help in planning ahead and some less urgent items not being forgotten.
3. In addition to a general list, you can have a daily list of tasks you want to accomplish each day. Begin by numbering a list from 1 to 5. Number 1 will be the most important thing you want to accomplish today. Then for numbers 2 through 5, any other items you might want to do that day in the order of importance.
These practices are called Difference Making Actions or DMA’s. Here are some helpful insights to start if you choose to try this.
Start with the Obvious: Phone calls, emails, and paperwork can usually be done from your desk and so it can be efficient to organize those activities as much as possible to be done in the same time allotment.
Set a time limit: Give yourself a designated time limit, thirty minutes, for example to finish a group of tasks. This will help you remain focused on getting through them without the temptation of distractions or procrastinating.
Stay in your seat: When you start working on a task or group of tasks, decide that you will finish everything in it before you get up to do something else. This will help you concentrate and finish faster.
Have a “meeting” day: If possible, a great way to get through all of your meetings is to group them together. Having meetings back-to-back means it’s easier to stay in the correct mind-set. You will also have a good reason to keep each meeting focused and to the point.
Contributors not only deliver results personally, but they also inspire productivity from their teams or employees. Contributors know how to prioritize in order to get the most important things done first. They don’t just talk about it, they do it. They don’t waste time, but they don’t neglect relationships or activities that build morale either. Some people who are highly productive value “productivity” over “people”. Those who have the Trust Edge, find the right balance between people and projects. They get results but not at the expense of relationships. They are givers. Nobody wants to contribute to a leader who asks for results but doesn’t deliver any him or herself. Be a daily contributor; your example is the best way to inspire a culture of contribution.