It is Not a Decision Until…
Leadership, according to a book title by the late and beloved Wendell Winkler is “the crisis of our time.” In response to that mindset, there is a whole industry rising up, and if you tried to read all the books or listen to all the podcasts being produced about leadership today you would never finish.
In the midst of that information, though, the major principles are typically quite basic. It is one of those that I want to think about in this post.
That is: what constitutes a decision?
The easy answer to that question is, “We decided to do something.” And you may think that’s the end of the post.
But read that again. What is the “something” you decided to do?
Here’s the thing: real leadership understands that it is not a decision until three things are known.
#1: It’s Not a Decision Until It is Known What is the Next Step
For example, if a congregation is considering hiring a new staff member, that is going to be a multiple-step process. “We need a youth minister” is not a decision! What is the next step that needs to be made in order to bring about the desired result? Will you openly announce that the congregation is looking? Will you write up a job description? Will you form a search committee?
Sometimes, the decision is one step. It isn’t a major deal (maybe buying a small piece of equipment for the office), and the decision is simply to make that purchase. Still, that needs to be stated clearly.
But especially if this is a multi-step process, no real decision has been made until the next step is clearly defined and communicated.
#2: It’s Not a Decision Until It is Known Who Will Make that Next Step
“We” is not usually a good “person” to put in charge! Someone needs to be assigned the task of making certain the next step is completed.
For a congregation’s eldership, it may be one of the elders, or they may ask a deacon, a minister, a Bible school teacher, or someone else to take care of the work. But that person must be told exactly what the next step is. In other words, what is the expectation?
Just saying that “someone” needs to do something leads to one of two extremes. Either one person just keeps taking on more and more responsibility because they cannot stand to see something fall apart, or “someone” morphs into “no one” and the next step is never done.
If there is no “who,” then a decision is not done.
#3: It is Not a Decision Until It is Known When the Next Step is to be Completed
Obviously, there will be exceptions to this, because there are some projects or concepts that cannot be nailed down to a calendar. Still, there should be some clear idea that this is not meant to go on and on forever!
If a piece of equipment is to be ordered and a person is in charge of making that order, then they should be told when the funds will be available and that they can then make that purchase within a certain number of days (say, 30) of that time.
If it is a larger project, people need to understand that it is already going to take awhile to get all the steps done. So, they should know that their report (or purchase, or whatever) needs to be done by “this date.” That way, the process can keep moving forward.
Conclusion
Now, look at the difference. Too many leaders–elders, parents, bosses–make some declaration that basically says (or sounds like), “We decided to do something.”
Contrast that with a true decision: “We have decided to hire a new youth minister. These 8 people will serve on our search committee and their first task is to present the elders with a proposed job description no later than January 10.”
Which do you think is more effective? Which will people gravitate toward? Which will move forward?
To use brother Winkler’s book title, which would help lessen–or even end–“the crises of our time?”
You decide!
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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
