Have you watched this little video from Simon Sinek?  If not, watch is below & maybe you could pass it on to your staff – you & they will find it inspiring & focussing.

You might also consider using the “golden circle” idea as a little PD exercise (or devotional) with your staff…

As an example, I did the exercise for myself in thinking about what I am doing through Equipping Christian Schools.  Here are my “golden circles” ….

Some reflections re the Golden Circle exercise:

• The process of getting the” why” sorted out before we get deeply into the planning & strategising the processes and “products” of what we do   helps us focus on what is important.  The details, people, products can continue to change but the core purpose remains the same, giving stability and direction.
• On the other hand, if we choose to focus first on the “what” – the details of our programs – we are likely to get “seduced” by the motivation to want our work to be famous, or for people to consider us great, or to gain great material wealth for what we do.  I suspect that if that is what we really want, we may get it, but at what cost? ….. we will probably forfeit the mission we are called to and the precious fruits that God has called us to produce in the lives of others.   (** note added 26th Aug 2014 – we can also fall into the trap of evaluating the value and credibility of what we do by the standards or values of others.  Self condemnation or deprecation can be based on measures that are not the core values of our mission.  For example, I can be tempted to evaluate the success of ECS by its financial success, or how popular it is with the bigger systems of Christian schooling. In doing so, I may miss the point – I need to measure my work only against the core purpose of the “why” circle.)
• We should work with people who believe what we believe about God’s call to us  – in the case of Christian schooling, people who recognize our mission to prepare generations of young people who will be highly and appropriately skilled for their time and devoted to the service of God’s kingdom.  The people we work with will desire above all to invest in our students the capacity and passion to bring the transforming power of God’s grace and wisdom to the communities that they will one day lead and serve.

I pray that God will bless your work as you seek to make the “why” your first priority.

Regards,

Ray Tiller