Getting Ready

As I get ready to start writing again, I am struck by the amount of things we accomplished in the hurricane relief effort. We have impacted thousand of individuals over the past many months. It could not have been done with out the help from so many people. Our members have been working hard to take care of those who are still in great need, and to distribute the resources so generously given by people form all over the country. We are now beginning to wrap up the distribution part of our efforts.
In this transition time, we are also looking toward the next hurricane season. Many people have commented about the great warm winter we are having. For those without adequate shelter, that is a blessing. Unfortunately, that also means the Gulf has not cooled off as much as it usually does in these months. Warmer water means bad news when the hurricanes enter the gulf. This is a reality we must keep in mind. Having gone through this last season, we feel better prepared to respond this year. We have put a plan together, and are going to be ready, but in al honesty, I hope we never have to put it in motion.
Again, thanks to all of you who made it possible, it had been a blessing to get to work with you in this great cause.

Questions

Email me with any questions through my website

Pay Attention!

Two weeks into our Katrina efforts the question was asked "how long do you think this will go on?" The discussion was interesting. The question was intended to prompt our thinking to long term help instead of just crisis response. What it prompted was a realization that our society has a very short attention span.

Our attention stays on something as long as nothing distracts us, or until we get bored with the subject. The media, which so often focuses our attention on specific issues, can have tremendous influence on what we see as a need. Katrina was the lead story for many weeks, and Rita's arrival may have even extended that timeline.

One of the ongoing challenges in this effort is the fact that people are beginning to tire of the hurricane news stories. The media depends on sales- so if the customer is ready to move on, then they move on.
That is how they survive in the marketplace, and I understand. What I would like to change is the mindset that news equals need.

There are thousands of people still living the nightmare of destruction. For many of them, there is no end in sight. There are huge numbers of people that "FEMA and friends" have not made contact with. They wait hour by hour for some signs of help to arrive. It doesn't.

Even in our community, where so many have done so much, the number of people offering to help has radically declined. Most are back to life as usual - dealing with the stresses and concerns that existed before the storms.

Let's find ways to remind each other of the ongoing efforts for those in need. Let's encourage donations and workteams to make it into the Gulf Coast. Let's not have people wondering why no one is paying attention anymore.

assistingcommunities.org

Spanish Fort UMC has launched a web site designed to connect those in need with groups and individuals who want to help. We would like to offer this free service as a part of our ongoing relief efforts.

All you need to do is go to www.assistingcommunities.org and click on the “join” button. You will be asked to create a user name and password. Your username needs to be a valid email address in order to complete registration.

We hope that this site will enable many to connect that might not have been able to through conventional means.

From Fast Company

From the Fast Company blog

"The essence of genius is to know what to overlook." -- William James (1842-1910) Doctor, Psychologist, Philosopher
A client of mine uses a powerful tool to help his executive team decide what not to do with their time. He has each member keep a pie chart of where his/her energy is focused. When new projects come along, they discuss how sections and percentages should shift. "You've got to know where your energy should and shouldn't go each day," he explains. "Sometimes it's obvious and sometimes it's not. We've found explicitly talking about it every few months helps. Team members tend to feel more empowered in what they're doing and are more successful as a result."
Consider This:
In any endeavor, you get bombarded with more information than you can handle. If you try to focus on too much you'll scatter your energy - and lose your effectiveness. To succeed, sort out major issues from minor ones. Selectively disengage from some activities so that you can powerfully engage in others.
Try this:
1. Create a pie chart of how you currently spend your time & energy.2. Take note of areas where you might be spending too much energy on minor issues.3. Create a second pie chart to reflect changes you might make to improve efficiency/effectiveness/enjoyment. 4. Like the example above, try sharing the chart with others to get useful feedback on where you should or shouldn't focus your energy.
Question: How do you decide what to overlook?

Balance

As a church, we have made the decision to respond to the hurricanes on three levels.

First, we will respond to specific requests from areas for specific items.
Second, we will assist established groups (Red Cross, salvation Army, etc)
Third, we will adopt one community in Alabama and one in Mississippi.

Our church did not take these commitments lightly. It has meant putting many ongoing and important ministries on hold, and a drastic change in the normal use of our facilities. Our staff has worked long hours at the expense of their areas of responsibility, and they have been away from family for days at a time.

As this all unfolded, we had to make sure we were willing to give what it takes. It has been challenging, stressful, painful and just plain hard. Facilities and people have been pushed to their limits, and there is still more to be done.

Not everyone in our church has the same passion for this effort. Some are ready for things to get back to normal. I understand that desire. Just this morning I struggled with something I felt was important meeting head on with disaster response needs. The two could not coexist.

In the end, I made a compromise, allowing both to happen at a lesser degree than desired.

For those of us who have responsibilities to run ministries and organizations, the need to run those things will eventually clash with the response to the crisis we are in. Our job as leaders is to show the rest of the organization how to do so with intelligence and understanding - not ego and frustration.

Crisis Leadership

The crisis reponse is a very vital time in any disaster. During that time you make many fast decisions and do whatever you can to meet the needs. The tempo and tone are set for the rest of the effort. If you loose momentum at this point, you will not be able to gain it back.

The leader in a crisis is often the one who is willing to make decisions. People are looking around for someone to give them direction. It is often a time that magnifies leadership (or the lack thereof) for those in leadership positions.

Two of the most commmon leadership killers are the fear of making a bad decisons or the need to have all the information.

Fear is a reality for every leader, but how you respond to it makes the difference. Bad decisions are also a reality for every leader, and again, how you respond makes the difference.
Recognizing that both of these are there, but choosing to give it your best attempt will enable you to overcome. If you blow it, admit it and keep going. In a crisis, there is no time to throw a pity party and get embarassed.

The other leadership killer is the need for all the information. While these types are trying to gather info, people are ready to move ahead. Look around and find something for them to do! Get your people out there in any way you can, and have them come back and tell you what they saw, heard, learned and felt. With each returning report, you will have better information for your next action.

During Katrina, there were times that I knew what was happening in areas before any media reports came from there. We were in Waveland and other devastated places days before the media. How did we know to go there? With each person that came back, we had a better idea about where the impact was greatest, and sent supplies.

Responding to Rita

It looks as if those of you in the Houston area will be in the same position that we have following Katrina. We were just missed by the severity, so we had the ability to respond. One significant difference is the amount of federal response that was staged prior to the landfall of Rita. I hope that makes a significant difference to those experiencing the worst of Rita now.

As you get ready to respond, here are a few tips.
1. Know what you can and can't do. You will have people telling you what you should do, and if you listen to them all, you will be doing everything. Look at your resources and make a strategic decision about what you can do best, and think in terms of weeks, not days. If you can set up housing, great. If you can set up mobile feeding stations, great. Maybe it's rescue teams, chainsaw teams or in our case, collecting and distributing supplies. Whatever it is, choose wisely.
2. Get your plan to your leadership. Leaders lead, and if they do not know your plan, they will create on of their own. You can't afford to have an internal struggle over limited resources right now.
3. Announce your plan to your church or community. Let them know that they are not going to see a repeat of the Katrina response, and that people are counting on help.
4. Invite others to join your effort. Find every way possible to let those in your church and community know what you are doing, and ask them to be a part of that effort. Have sign ups for those interested in helping and work the list. Do not use the same people that you always can count on. Disaster response reaches people on a level that may have never had an interest in serving before. You will be amazed at the gifts they will bring.

Remember, this is potentially a long commitment. With the resources stretched so thin with Katrina, Rita's victims will need you.