4 steps to changing course

This is a four-part article on effecting change. Please stay with me for a few days as each of the four topics require more time than any of us have at one reading.

We are in process right now of some adjustments at our church. These changes are fun and exciting and necessary. But our steps to these changes must be calculated and deliberate. While we navigate these adjustments, I thought about how many people could benefit from knowing how we are going about them.

So here goes:

#1 Identify the need/problem:

Being a “fixer” is not healthy. People who are on a mission to make the world a perfect place won’t survive in real life. But there is something deep inside every leader that desires to see wrongs righted and problems solved.

A skill we need in order to function and stay emotionally healthy is that of distinguishing between what problems we are to tackle and what problems we are to avoid. If something is wrong – in that – someone is getting hurt or in danger, we just have to step up. But how about if an organization is not as effective as it could/should be?

Let’s learn to think solutions. But before we can find the answer, we have to know the question:
Why are we not making progress?
What is holding us back?
What adjustments can be made that will result in greater effectiveness?

Wrestle through these questions with your team. Put your finger on the problem. Call in an outside consultant, if necessary. But shine a light on the issue. It may be difficult. It may be that one of the team members is the issue to lack of forward movement. It could be tradition. It could be lack of leadership skills. But the source of the problem must be exposed.

It is only then that you can think about a solution. Solving a problem is generally the result of a willingness to do whatever it takes. Be brutally honest about what is killing the fulfillment of your mission. Kill or be killed.

Apply this concept to your situation. What is holding you back from become all that you should be?

Next thought in this series: Set the vision. Join me.