Self-leadership 5 - Typical patterns and my support team

A typical week would generally look like this for me:

- Monday: day off
- Tuesday: King’s day. I get up at 7am, have breakfast, pray or read for half an hour and walk to the office. I meet with Phil Varley for half an hour, then lead the staff prayer meeting and may have a follow-up meeting. Increasingly I am not involved in any further meetings and can get onto planning and preparation. In the afternoon I meet people. Tuesday evening could be at home or I might have a meeting connected with my local leadership responsibility.
- Wednesday and Thursday are primarily spent in Newfrontiers’ activities.
- Friday: preparation. I finish at 1pm now on Fridays as we have three meetings on Sundays.
- Saturday: I keep free as much as possible
- Sunday: three meetings – 9.30, 11.30 and 5.30 – and I attend all of them.

Monthly pattern:
I like to look at my diary from a monthly point of view as I find that the weeks tend to run into one another! It’s important to see what’s coming up before and after a week otherwise your diary can lose shape quickly.

Annual pattern:
Apart from my yearly planning in the summer break, I also review my planning in my study weeks in January and April/May.

I recognise that I’m only able to live like this because I have the support of a fantastic team! Firstly, my PA, Carol is full-time and works just for me. Then the Eldership Team – particularly Phil Varley, our Executive Pastor, who leads the team in my absence. And I also have help with the blogs from a writer.

I have lots of support - essential for all Lead Elders! I would heartily endorse the words of John Maxwell – ‘Those closest to the leader determine the success of the leader.’ (from ‘Developing the Leader within You’)