...Or "We've Got A Plan"
"Living Out LeaderTreks" - A series on the core values and leadership principles of LeaderTreks. I'll share how they are lived out in the company and in my own life. To start from the beginning click here
Navigating Obstacles
At LeaderTreks we say there are problems and then there are obstacles.
Obstacles not thought about before hand become problems in the moment. We ask our teams to think about the problems that might arise as they plan, thus turning possible problems into obstacles.
On our higher level trips the students are solely in charge of the VBS (we as staff are there to help, but we do not move the team or make decisions). Often an obstacle the students realize the need to navigate is the RAIN.
My team in the Dominican Republic last week had to navigate rain. However, unlike VBS in the States, the students didn't mind getting rained on (the older kids played Kickball through a torrential downpour), but it made it a little difficult to share the message and sing songs under the tin roofed building.
Problems
- something unexpected, a road block, something that goes wrong in the moment
Obstacles
- something expected, something foreseen that causes you to create a "Plan B"
Obstacles not thought about before hand become problems in the moment. We ask our teams to think about the problems that might arise as they plan, thus turning possible problems into obstacles.
On our higher level trips the students are solely in charge of the VBS (we as staff are there to help, but we do not move the team or make decisions). Often an obstacle the students realize the need to navigate is the RAIN.
My team in the Dominican Republic last week had to navigate rain. However, unlike VBS in the States, the students didn't mind getting rained on (the older kids played Kickball through a torrential downpour), but it made it a little difficult to share the message and sing songs under the tin roofed building.
One of my favorite ways to use this Leadership Principle comes at the very end of a trip . We live among a pretty rigid schedule when we are on trips, moving from
Breakfast to 45 minutes of time with God,
work site to VBS,
Dinner and a long team meeting
at the end of the day.
It's so easy to return home from these trips and just relax and not continue some structure, or allow the "busy" structure of life at home over run important things (like time with God).
So I ask students (and myself),
what do you want to continue when you return home...
and what obstacles are in your way?For me, I love my time with God on trips - 45 undisturbed minutes - but my comfortable bed is an obstacle at home. How do I navigate this obstacle?
I wake up with enough time to leave the house early and come to the office to spend time with God there.
Is there something your trying to plan?
What obstacles might you encounter that you should create "Plan B"?
What obstacles might you encounter that you should create "Plan B"?
(like students do when they plan a VBS)
Or do you need to change your "Plan A"?
(like I have with my dates with God when I'm not on trips)
Begin to Navigate the Obstacles in your Life Today!
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