Formula For Change…part 4

The remaining elements for our formula are V and F. V is the actual casting of the Vision and F is the defined First Step. Pastor Joe is really good at preaching and connecting with people, so he is still trying to convince his board that now is the time to cast the Vision to the church. If you were on the church board - would you agree?

Imagine for a moment that you are in a city planning meeting and the speaker begins to address the issue of youth crime in your community. You have noticed over the past several months that the reports of crime have been getting closer to the neighborhood where you live. Your family is getting nervous about going out at night and you just had a neighbor get robbed. All of this plays in your head as the speaker spells out the depth of the problem and talks about other communities that have faced this exact issue. At this point you are engaged on both an emotional and intellectual level.

He proceeds to talk about how much better things are in a community that is very similar to yours - and says that the solution came when people in the community “got tired of living in fear and did something about it”. He goes on to describe what life is like for those families now and how great it would be have the same experience. The meeting ends.

He has just cast a compelling Vision for the future. Are you excited or frustrated?

Probably both. Excited to know that things can be different, but frustrated at not knowing exactly what to do. The other issue is that everyone is left to come up with their own idea of what ” got tired of living in fear and did something about it” means. Some may think community watch, some may think armed security guards, or a hundred other options. One thing is certain - there is no focused effort to follow.

Pastor Joe and the board need to lay out a series of steps that must take place in order for the church to launch the new service. From that series, they must select ONE very specific First Step that he will ask the church to take.

It must be clear and must involve action. Going home and “thinking and praying” about it do not qualify. Giving a financial gift, being a part of a focus group or study group, coming to a special information meeting all qualify because they involve action. People will think and pray about whether or not to take the step - so it accomplishes both.

So now that the F is defined, Pastor Joe can develop a Vision casting message that ends with a clear, specific, actionable First Step for the church.

The possibility that a new service will start at First Church is very high if the Formula for Change is taken seriously and in order.

Here it is; C iff (D)(V)(F) > S

Stated: Change will occur if and only if D times V times F is greater than S.

D = Dissatisfaction with identified issue

V = Vision of how that issue could be

F = First Step toward that Vision

S = Status Quo

Enjoy the changes!

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Formula for Change …part 3 (revisited!)

I have had a few questions about the “easy” reference in Part 3 of this series. The issue relates to being able to increase the D or dissatisfaction. This ability is based in awareness, not manipulation. One of the most basic principles in advertising and marketing is simply asking questions about a person’s desire to have something “better”. For example, wouldn’t it be nice to have a really nice chair to sit in while you are reading this? Or maybe you would love a new laptop - which one would you choose? A few minutes ago you were probably very content with your chair, but now you may be finding things you would like to change about it. If so, i have just raised your level of Dissatisfaction. A good leader does this to motivate people to entertain the idea of change. This can be a very powerful motivator.

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We’re back!

We are back online - with a few minor bugs here and there - Special thanks to Marcus Neto and BlueFish Design Studios for the help on this move.

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Formula for Change-part 3

Next up…working the left side of the equation!

Once again, we are looking at First Church and the desire of the staff to start an additional Sunday morning worship experience in addition to the current schedule. Obviously, this will impact many people.

Now that we have covered our “S”, (remember PEARL), we are looking at the left side of the formula for change:

C iff (D)(V)(F) > S

Pastor Joe at First Church is very excited about getting things moving on the schedule adjustments. imagine that he calls you in to advise him on the best step to take next. What are you going to tell him?

You probably will tell him to go for casting the “V” Vision. Wrong.

Most people pick casting the Vision because it is the most natural for a Pastor to do. It relies heavily on their gifts and calling to stand up before the congregation and paint a “word picture” of the future. There is a time and a place for that, but it is not now.

So, what is the right choice….well, it is actually Dissatisfaction. Really!

Dissatisfaction is tied to the PEARL on the right side of the equation. If you think about it, how dissatisfied you are with a situation is part of the reality that impacts whether or not you will make a change. If you are mildly D, then the V and F must be really compelling. If you are extremely D, then V and F do not have to be so compelling.

For Pastor Joe, if it turns out that the congregation is very unhappy with the current schedule and would like a different worship style offered, then the vision (V) that he is casting does not need to be phenomenally persuasive. On the other hand, if the congregation is pretty content with the current arrangement (which they are) then he must make a key decision: Do I increase V and F, or do I increase D. That’s right- he needs to decide if he should increase the congregations’ Dissatisfaction with the current schedule. In this case, the answer is YES!

The visions that we find most compelling offer an answer to an area of personal dissatisfaction. It is very easy for a good leader to increase the D in an organization or individual. In doing so, they pave the way for successful change.

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