LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"A gathering begins at the moment of invitation. It doesn't begin when people walk in the room." Priya Parker

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month, I'm going to dive into a few quotes from Priya Parker, the author of the book, The Art of Gathering. I've been talking about this book for the past few months, and I thought I'd choose a couple of her quotes on the importance of gathering together just to encourage you to explore the book more deeply.

To read past quotes & thoughts.... CLICK HERE.

I'm repeating this quote today because last week I ended up chasing the word ENGAGEMENT and ASSUMPTIONS. Today I want to come back to this word ANTICIPATION.

When Parkers says, "A gathering begins at the moment of invitation..." my immediate response has been this:

• I want people to have the logistics needed for the gathering: time, place, what to wear, what we'll eat, the schedule and most importantly, what time we'll be done.

• I want people to know what will happen during the time: who's speaking, what topics we'll cover, what to expect

I do this because I want to make it really EASY for people to attend my gathering. Again to my comments last week, "I'm assuming they are really busy and are just doing me a favor by attending." (which is a wrong assumption) Read last weeks post HERE.

If a gathering truly begins at the point of invitation, then I need to not focus solely on logistic, but I need to drive PURPOSE. I've talked about this and I can't tell you why I keep forgetting this.

Logistics can be read and scheduled. Purpose has to be felt.

Parker explores this in her book:

• Anticipation signals PURPOSE - This isn't "just another meeting"

• Anticipation begins shaping CONNECTION & VULNERABILITY before people meet.

• Anticipation creates PSYCHOLOGICAL OWNERSHIP - participants start investing their imagination and attention early.

This is powerful!

Can you think of a meeting, a gathering, an event you participated in that used ANTICIPATION beforehand to prepare you for what was to come?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"A gathering begins at the moment of invitation. It doesn't begin when people walk in the room." Priya Parker

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month, I'm going to dive into a few quotes from Priya Parker, the author of the book, The Art of Gathering. I've been talking about this book for the past few months, and I thought I'd choose a couple of her quotes on the importance of gathering together just to encourage you to explore the book more deeply.

To read past quotes & thoughts.... CLICK HERE.

I love this thought from Parker on gatherings. It's the word ANTICIPATION.

Anticipation is simply looking forward to a future event or the feeling of excited expectation for something that is expected to happen. The other word used there is EXPECTATION. Expectation is the state of looking forward or anticipating.

The quote simply reminds us that there is incredible POWER in using anticipation and expectation to help people get ready for a gathering. It doesn't start when people show up, but much earlier!

I have missed this so many times. I assume that a meeting or an event just takes place during the timeframe I've put on my calendar. I know that I am thinking about it and preparing for it ahead of time, but I don't want to assume that others are thinking that way.

In my head, here's what I'm assuming you're thinking about prior to my meeting or gathering:

• I'm assuming you're really busy, and you're not thinking about it at all.

• I'm assuming you're regretting confirming and that you aren't looking forward to getting together.

• I'm assuming you've got better things to do with your time.

• I'm assuming that you're going to attend for the "bare minimum" because you want to get home early.

• I'm assuming you're just doing me a favor by attending.

All of these assumptions might be correct or they might be completely wrong, but the reality is that they have the potential to radically affect how I plan, prepare and anticipate the gathering we're going to have.

Why do we ASSUME people aren't excited about the thing we're working on? Why do we ASSUME people are just being nice in attending, and that they don't really want to.

We need to STOP.

While there might be truth in some of this, we need to help people to engage in a deeper way, and we do that by bringing purpose, energy and creativity into every gathering we host or lead, from a small staff meeting to a large event.

There will be people who aren't able to engage, but we need to plan for those that are willing, who want to anticipate what's coming and who really care about what we're focused on!

Do you think about this when planning a gathering? Do you try to determine everyones motivation or lack of engagement? How does this affect you?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"To gather is to risk. You're asking people to trust you, to come together for something that might change them." Priya Parker*

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This month, I'm going to dive into a few quotes from Priya Parker, the author of the book, The Art of Gathering. I've been talking about this book for the past few months, and I thought I'd choose a couple of her quotes on the importance of gathering together just to encourage you to explore the book more deeply.

To read past quotes & thoughts.... CLICK HERE.

This quote has been adapted by a number of things Priya Parker said, but it's been attributed to her. The line, "To gather is to risk" is 100% Parker. She raises the bar for every gathering and reminds us that bringing people together is a privilege and that we are asking people to trust us enough to come.

Years ago, I was invited to travel to Cuba to see what was happening in the church and to be available to do some teaching and training. I took with me a young guy from my youth group, and then 2 youth workers from Ecuador. We took off, by invitation, to meet with leaders and young people in Eastern Cuba. Santi, Ivet and Danny came with me because they trusted me. The truth though, is that this was a big step. I was taking people someplace I had never been before, and that challenged my sense of responsibility and it pushed my leadership. I had to in turn trust Francisco, our friend and partner in Santiago de Cuba, and he assured me that all would be fine.

Off we went.

I wish I could share the many stories that came out of this first-time trip to Cuba. We were challenged when our visas were cancelled, I was not allowed to teach and train with a cancelled visa, so Santiago and Ivet had to carry the load. We had some travel problems, some money problems, some food issues, and we were all living on the edge for a week of our lives.

However...

We were changed forever. Changed by the generosity and hospitality of everyone we met. Changed by the young people following Jesus through some really difficult circumstances, and we were changed as we contemplated how God might use us in Cuba and outside of Cuba investing in the lives of leaders.

27 years ago, we took a risk to pursue a really unique gathering, and as the quote points out, each of us were radically changed.

This led to many other trips to Cuba for us and a long-lasting partnership with leaders there who continue to serve with generosity in difficult circumstances, who reflect hospitality to everyone they come across and who relentlessly pursue Jesus, their hope and their life.

I had no idea that this little adventure to the island would mark me in ways that I am still discovering.

Don't underestimate the power of gathering people together, inviting them to trust you and taking a risk to enter into an opportunity for growth and impact.

Think of a time you stepped out and took a risk to engage in something unfamiliar or unknown? How did that impact you?