On Tuesday we talked about the practice of slowing and seeing where God is at work in your life—maybe with the fruitseller, your neighbors, or the Kingdom work that you are doing.

This space, these articles, swing between tending your soul and building skills because life demands both. When your job is “God” it is easy to slip into a utilitarian stance. The good news is that God is constantly on the lookout for you.

As image bearers, you are also able to grow in so-called “life skills.” In the drip drip drip of these articles, these skills can sink deeper into you; today our focus shifts to Skill Building Thursday.

Last week we talked about the need for you, your family, your team, and your organization to have smarts and health. I am using The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni as a guide. He said that four signs of health are a cohesive leadership team, creating clarity, over communicating clarity, and reinforcing clarity.

So it would seem clarity is key.

Which makes sense, but can also be maddening on the field. If anything, life on the field is know for a lack of consistency. Just last week a friend texted how sad she is because the international school she teaches at had already asked for letters of commitment for next year. In part, due to poor leadership, many of her colleagues are not going to return next year.

Thus, she already knows in October that many of the people she is doing life with will not a part of her life next academic year. It’s enough to make you say, “Forget it!” and watch Netflix.

Even amongst the temporary life you live, you can still create clarity. Lencioni also calls creating clarity “achieving alignment.” On a small scale is can look like team members coming to a team meeting on time. I am part of a group that has committed to meet one night a week for a year. After the first meeting in September where we reviewed this commitment, one member has not returned. Every Wednesday she emails me that she is busy.

She may be, but I can see on a practical level this is about clarity.

I share this to say . . . this being part of a family, team, job, or calling can be a work in process. Lencioni offers six questions to help a group ascertain the level of clarity that helps with the group alignment.

The questions are:

1. Why do we exist?
2. How do we behave?
3. What do we do?
4. How will we succeed?
5. What is most important, right now?
6. What must we do?

As I look at the six questions and consider that my group is in month two of meeting, I’m wondering about question five: What is most important, right now?

What is most important for this group is that I call Jessica (not her real name) and talk. I’m wondering if this group is the best fit for her or if a different type of group our church offers would be better for her. Moving someone to a different team/group might not be an option. But as you work through these six questions, you will become clearer what you need to move towards health.

If you are near the beginning of something take time to work through these six questions. They help people feel safe and secure, knowing what to expect. But clarity isn’t just for the beginning of a group (or project), clarity is also for the middle because it reminds and inspires people why they are a part of the group.

Which question is the most important for your situation?

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Photo by David Travis on Unsplash