Cause to Pause

In moving a project or initiative forward, you better take a look at the environment you will be working in. When you have been working in a given group or company for a long time, it is easy to develop a closed mind and not take the time to analyze your surroundings. “Familiarity breeds contempt.” my mom used to say.

Local churches can be classified hundreds of ways, but the easiest is either “Departmental” where everyone lives in their own ministries, venturing out only when necessary. This can breed some wonderfully tight ministries with deep relationships. It can also lead to “silos” of information, duplication of resources and other challenges. (This chart assumes all ministries are valued equally. That is another post for another time.) Here, every bit of information has to travel across the silos. Sometimes those gaps can be hard to bridge.

Another class is more “Initiative Driven”. Here, the whole church seems to be running behind a clear, single goal. Generally a vision cast by senior leadership. The advantage is the apparent unity across the organization. The downside is these initiatives can (and often do) change frequently and may not be given time to mature before heading off on the next “adventure”.
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Next time you have something big to accomplish – by “big” I mean anything that involves other people – ask yourself three key questions:

1. What do I want to accomplish?
2. What is the environment I will be working in?
3. What will be required?

Seems simple enough, right? All questions you can answer without giving them a second thought, right? Therein lies the problem. Most projects fail due to a lack of clearly defined goals/expectations or failure to prepare for the inevitable variables. Attention to the three questions above will help eliminate that.
You see, when you answer those questions with little more than a passing thought, you don’t really answer them – and you leave yourself vulnerable.

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If you work with people on any type of combined effort, at some point you are going to need them to do something for you. But the question is do you want them to “go along for the ride” like a condemned man on the “Green Mile”? Do you want them to be so totally on board they are ready to charge the gates of Hell with a water pistol? Or neither?

Compliance comes in when we really don’t care about the long term relationship. Do what I say, when I say it. There is no discussion. There is actually a time and place for this. Police officers for one.
Another effective use is when:

1. You absolutely know you are right
2. You don’t have time to explain how you got to your decision
3. When the dust settles, it will become apparent why you made that decision

Like I said, it is appropriate sometimes. However, since it is the easiest to implement, it is also the most widely overused. I am guilty of it – usually for reason number 2.

Commitment on the other hand is necessary when you know you are going to be working with someone (or at least hope you will) for a long time. The relationship must be nurtured and sustained. When someone is as committed to your goals as you are is when they will stay up late, put their needs aside, etc. You and your goals take precedence in their priority lists. The challenge here is you have to formulate your plan and then “sell” it. Building either on trust and credibility that has been previously gained – or build that trust and credibility from scratch. This takes time and effort. However, the payoff is much greater.

The third option, and I think the best, is Collaboration. This takes the middle ground in time consumption – provided your group can arrive at mutual decisions without drama. It promotes the highest buy-in from all the stakeholders – because they were active participants in the entire process. But it is also the one that de-emphasizes the personal ego the greatest.

So, what about you? If your project is time sensitive and you value the people in your team, are you willing to sacrifice your personal ego? Are you willing (or able) to coach others to do the same? Let me know what you think.