3. Policies stall attempts at excellence
The parameters of a policy often produce an atmosphere of mediocrity. Everything is clear. Planned. Written. Solved. No need for improvement here until someone finds another way to mess up, of course, then we need to add another policy.
4. Policies curtail the pursuit of progress
The weight of meeting the demands of policies can take valuable energy from pursuing things, which have the opportunity of producing greater progress.
And my suggestions?
In Lieu of a Church Policy for Everything, I suggest
1. Handle individual problems individually
Ask yourself if the church policy is needed for everyone or just a few people. Is it needed for everyone to keep us organized, effective or legal? When the answer is it’s only for a few people, rather than create a new policy to control an issue, deal directly with the individuals who need more control. For example, in the case of the chair policy I mentioned above, rather than write a policy – go get the chairs! (They are likely in the garage.)
2. Treat people differently
If a team has more than one person, then there will be more than one type of person on the team. Do you follow me? Policies tend to treat everyone the same, which ignores individuality and personality differences. Some people may need to be in the office to get things done, for example. They may need help disciplining their time. Others may work best when the schedule and work environment is more flexible. Put me in a coffee shop and my productivity grows.
3. Lead as much (or more) than manage
Management is more about implementing policies and seeing they are adhered to completely. And, we need good management. I’m a huge advocate for good management. Leadership, however, sets a vision and guides people towards it. Less policies are needed in that process.
