Tough Leadership Decisions
Posted on August 7, 2009
Filed Under change, leadership
There is a great story (probably true) about a leadership decision that Mike Slaughter of Ginghamsburg Church made several years ago. The church had been meeting for worship in a gymnatorium kind of space and as the church grew, so did the quality of the worship service. That quality was one of the big draws for people who attended.
As many churches do, Ginghamsburg decided that it was time to build a large “state-of-the-art” worship center. When they were in the meeting to finalize the blueprints, as the story goes, Mike Slaughter took a step back and made a tough call. “We have always said that we will focus on youth and children. This expensive building does nothing for them. We need to abandon this project and put up a youth center instead.” And that is exactly what happened.
Leaders love that story. It is like the making the winning shot as the game ends - dramatic and exciting.
But we also love the stories of leaders who held to a decision in the face of great pressure. In both cases, what we see is a leader who is not afraid to make or stick by a difficult decision under tremendous pressure.
Unfortunately, both of these scenarios can become addictive for leaders because of the adrenaline rush they bring.
That’s where the problems really begin.
When a leader uses this as a regular part of their leadership style, they loose the confidence of those who follow them. Instead of making the leader look strong and smart, it makes them look weak and uninformed.
The reason that Ginghamsburg decision worked was:
1. Mike had a reputation of being clear on what he wanted to see or do.
2. He owned the fact that he had taken them in the wrong direction.
3. He brought the group back to what they had all agreed on before the worship center was even talked about - that they were a church that would focus resources on youth and children.
If he was known for always changing his mind, the leaders of the church would not have taken him seriously at this critical time.
As a leader, honestly ask yourself and answer these questions in writing:
1. Why did I/we make the initial decision? If you don’t know, you better not change it.
2. What has substantially changed since then?
3. How important is this to the overall Mission/Vision? Is this really just personal preference for the thrill of “change”?
4. What will be the effect of not changing this decision? Does it really matter?
5. Is this change important enough to hurt my relationship with those who were involved in the initial decision and the work that has followed? Think long term!
Leaders must have the confidence of those they lead.
Confidence is built by making good decisions over a long period of time, and (on rare occasions) making that “last second, adrenaline pumping, game saving” call.
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