Effective and Efficient

E Squared

Effective - accomplishing a purpose, producing the desired result

Efficient - producing the desired result without waste

Synonyms - productive, capable

Antonyms - fruitless, useless, wasteful, unproductive

One of my favorite pieces of jewelry is a simple charm bracelet given to me by some of the members of my staff at Home National Bank. The charm is what makes it special - and the people who gave it to me. Engraved on the charm is this little emblem E^2.

During my tenure at HNB in the credit department this was our motto. With every task, we asked the question is this effective and efficient? Are our processes designed to accomplish the desired results in the best possible manner? Often in my professional world this question means are we striking the right balance between cost and results or are we properly balancing risk and return.

Recently, I was reading in 2 Peter and discovered this question is scriptural! And better yet there is a formula for living effective, efficient lives! Formulas appeal to the analyst in me!

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ”(2 Peter 1:3 - 9)

Did you catch the formula? Faith + goodness + knowledge + self-control + perseverance + godliness + kindness + love = Effective & Efficient Living!

In a drawer in my desk I keep a few cards and notes from former bosses and employees expressing appreciation for a job well done, which I equate to effective, efficient work. Occasionally, I read them for encouragement when a task or situation has me frustrated and remember all that was necessary to achieve whatever it was I was working on at that time.

My heart longs to be willing to do all that is necessary to hear Jesus express, job well done. I want my entire life, not just my professional life to be E². This formula provides insight into how we do that and my heart tells me the formula is applicable to all areas of our lives.

In analysis it is important to understand each element in a formula to accurately interpret the result. In measuring the effectiveness & efficiency of a process, each step must be considered. Over the next several weeks I plan to analyze the 2 Peter formula by studying each element. I’ll let you know what I find each week and I would love to hear from any and all how you measure effectiveness and efficiency in your life.

When reviewing a work flow process or analyzing a loan request, the first step is have a clear picture of the desired result or purpose. Maybe that’s a good place to start our analysis, what is the desired result of his divine power, glory and goodness in our lives? Ponder that with me this week.

　

Thanks for listening

See you next Sunday,

Ronda