駕馭行程表和那些無情的要求──TAMING AGENDAS AND THEIR UNRELENTING DEMANDS
商業和專業領域的傳統主流之一是行程表。它不僅僅是記錄著約會、工作事項和日常活動的行事曆和時間管理手冊。它還帶出高層管理人員要關注的議題,是他或她必須回應的要求,以及對每一項的重視程度。
在許多領導人的心目中,擁有一個繁忙的行程表是地位的象徵,是他們自身重要性的反映。有一次,我試圖聯繫一位知名的演講者,為我所參與的組織安排一次演講,一位助理告訴我,他的日程表在未來五年內都被排滿了! 到那時,我覺得世界可能都翻過來一遍了。
例如,需要等待好幾個月,才能在某個醫生的日程表上得到預約的情況,並不罕見。這通常代表著他是著名和有能力的專家。然而,我有時會想,一個塞滿的、沒有彈性的時間表,是否真是通往成功的最佳路徑呢?
想到這裡,讓我思考到一個令人驚奇的行程表,也許是有史以來最顯著的行程表-就是耶穌基督在世時的行程表。作為一個領導者,他每天都面臨著巨大的要求和挑戰,從黎明到天黑。人們從很遠的地方趕來,聆聽他激勵的話語、他的教導,並尋求個人或家庭的幫助。
閱讀聖經中耶穌的故事,明顯可以看出,他空閒的時間很少。靜靜地吃一頓飯,休息片刻,或者進行個人思考的時間,都感覺是很奢侈的。為了保有他個人靈修的時刻,並花時間單獨向他的天父祈禱,耶穌會利用清晨的時光。
他顯然睡得很少。在一場猛烈的暴風雨中,當他和他的門徒所乘的船,不受控制地搖晃時,深深的睡意籠罩了他,這表明他被疲勞所影響。然而,當我們觀察,耶穌如何與他每天遇到的人互動時,我們看到他並沒有被日常行程的要求所奴役。以某種方式,耶穌總是能為那些向他提出迫切需求的人,挪出時間。
他如何管理他的行程表,尤其他的優先順序,在他復活後的日子裏格外明顯,這在新約路加福音第24章中有所敘述。當耶穌被釘死在十字架後的第三天,耶穌從死裡復活的消息就傳了開來,當然有很多人都想知道,接下來會發生什麽。希律王、羅馬總督本丟彼拉多、宗教領袖、他的門徒、他的母親馬利亞和抹大拉的馬利亞,都是對這獨特、不可思議的事件特別好奇的人。毫無疑問,他們都渴望看到他。
但耶穌有其他的規劃。在歷史上最重要的一天,他在正午的烈日下,走在通往以馬忤斯的路上,走了大約11公里,將近6英里,花了兩個多小時和兩位不知名字的門徒在一起,讓他們了解所發生事情的進展。我相信,這兩個無名的人象徵著你和我。
在我們自己痛苦的生存道路上,當我們認為自己沒有更多的價值、我們的夢想似乎已經破滅、我們的期望落空時,但祂向我們保證,我們在宇宙主宰的行程表中,仍然處於最優先的地位。
如果你感到被排除在企業行程表之外,被邊緣化、被遺忘,請記住耶穌的這個應許。「…我就常與你們同在,直到世界的末了。」(馬太福音28章20節)在基督的行程表中永遠有你的位子。
©版權所有 為賽爾吉澳·佛提斯。他是一位策略管理顧問,專長是企業領導。他也是巴西聖保羅市CBMC的會員,他協助複審週一嗎哪和將其翻譯成葡萄牙文已經有20多年的時間。
備註:如果你有聖經,想閱讀更多相關的內容,請參考以下的經文:
箴言15章23節
15:23 口善應對,自覺喜樂;話合其時,何等美好。
箴言22章11章
22:11 喜愛清心的人因他嘴上的恩言,王必與他為友。
傳道書3章1-8節
3:1 凡事都有定期,天下萬務都有定時。
3:2 生有時,死有時;栽種有時,拔出所栽種的也有時;
3:3 殺戮有時,醫治有時;拆毀有時,建造有時;
3:4 哭有時,笑有時;哀慟有時,跳舞有時;
3:5 拋擲石頭有時,堆聚石頭有時;懷抱有時,不懷抱有時;
3:6 尋找有時,失落有時;保守有時,捨棄有時;
3:7 撕裂有時,縫補有時;靜默有時,言語有時;
3:8 喜愛有時,恨惡有時;爭戰有時,和好有時。
以弗所書5章16節
5:16 要愛惜光陰,因為現今的世代邪惡。
歌羅西書4章5節
4:5 你們要愛惜光陰,用智慧與外人交往。
提多書3章14節
3:14 並且我們的人要學習正經事業( 或作:要學習行善),預備所需用的,免得不結果子。
反省與問題討論
- 你的個人行程表、行事曆、日曆和主要目標,在一個典型的工作日中,多大程度上決定了你的行為呢?
- 你是否知道有些人的行程安排非常繁忙,以至於他們沒有時間與員工,甚至朋友進行行程以外或不預期的互動?你認為要如何才能避免這種情況,或者說,這甚至應該是值得考慮的問題呢?請解釋你的答案。
- 有人說,「如果你想完成一件事,就找一個忙碌的人來做。」你能看出這種觀點有什麽問題或瑕疵嗎?
- 如果有的話,我們可以從耶穌基督如何處理他的日常行程和時間表中學到什麽?你覺得他的例子,對二十一世紀的職場有意義嗎?請解釋你的答案。
TAMING AGENDAS AND THEIR UNRELENTING DEMANDS
By Sergio Fortes
One of the traditional mainstays of the business and professional world is the agenda. It is not just the calendars and time management books where appointments, tasks, and daily activities are recorded. It also refers to the top executive’s primary areas of emphasis, the demands he or she must respond to, and the importance attached to each one.
In the minds of many leaders, having a busy schedule is a sign of status, a reflection of their own importance. I once tried to contact a prominent speaker to arrange a talk for an organization I was involved with, and an assistant informed me that his schedule was fully booked for the next five years! The world could turn upside-down by then!
It is not uncommon, for example, to have to wait months to get an appointment on a physician’s schedule. This is typically an indication of famous and competent professionals. However, I sometimes wonder whether a crammed, inflexible schedule is the best path to success.
Thinking about this brings to my mind an amazing agenda, perhaps the most significant agenda of all time – that of Jesus Christ during His time on Earth. As a leader, He was faced with great demands and challenges every day, from dawn until dark. People came from many miles away to hear His words of encouragement, His teachings, and seek personal or family help.
Reading Jesus’ story in the Bible, it becomes evident His free time was scarce. Time for a quiet meal, a moment of rest, or for personal reflection must have seemed a luxury. To maintain His time for personal meditation, and to spend time alone praying to His heavenly Father, Jesus used the early morning hours.
He apparently slept very little. The time when a deep sleep overtook Him during a fierce storm, while the boat He and His disciples were in rocked uncontrollably, showed Him overcome by fatigue. Yet, as we observe how Jesus interacted with people He encountered during the course of each day, we see Him not enslaved to the demands of a daily agenda. Somehow, Jesus always found time for people who brought their desperate needs to Him.
How He managed His agenda, especially His priorities, was especially evident in the days following His resurrection, recounted in the 24th chapter of the New Testament gospel of Luke. As news spread that Jesus had risen from the dead, the third day after His crucifixion, there certainly were many people interested in learning what would happen next. King Herod, Roman governor Pontius Pilate, religious leaders, His disciples, His mother, Mary, and Mary Magdalene were among those with special curiosity about this unique, incredible event. Without question, they all were eager to see Him.
But Jesus had other plans. On the most momentous day in history, He went on the road to Emmaus, in the heat of the noonday sun, and walked for about 11 kilometers – nearly six miles – spending more than two hours with two unnamed disciples to bring them up to date on what had happened. These two anonymous men, I believe, symbolize you and me.
On our own painful road of existence, when we think we have no more value, our dreams seem over and our expectations frustrated, this assures us that the Lord of the universe still makes us top priority status on His agenda.
If you are feeling excluded from the corporate agenda, marginalized, and forgotten, remember this promise from Jesus: “…I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). There will always be room for you in Christ’s agenda.
Sergio Fortes is a consultant on corporate strategic business, a coach and mentor. As a member of CBMC in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, he has coordinated the translation of Monday Manna into Portuguese for more than 20 years. He is committed to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ – to make disciples.
Reflection/Discussion Questions
- How much does your personal agenda – your daily schedule, calendar, and primary goals – dictate how you conduct yourself during a typical workday?
- Have you known of people whose agendas were so crowded that they had no time for unscheduled or spontaneous interactions with employees, or even friends? How do you think that could be avoided – or should it even be a concern? Explain your answer.
- It has been said, “If you want something to be done, find a busy person to do it.” Can you see any problems or flaws with that kind of perspective?
- What can we learn from how Jesus Christ handled His daily agendas and schedules, if anything? Do you find His example relevant for the 21st century marketplace? Why or why not?
NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 15:23, 22:11; Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Ephesians 5:16, Colossians 4:5; Titus 3:14
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