All of us have made mistakes. I have made plenty. You have too. The key is to learn from your mistakes and only make them once.
What are the biggest mistakes I’ve made?
1. Using the same strategy and expecting different results.
Albert Einstein said it well, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results.” I’ve fallen more than once for the temptation to try the same strategy one more time and pay closer attention to certain details. I’d like to say I’ve made this mistake for the last time. Trust me … resist the temptation! See also, “Start With the End in Mind” and “Top 10 Reasons to Try a Failed Strategy One More Time.”
2. Ignoring the elephant in the room.
The presence of certain ingredients and the absence of others should never be ignored. Turning a blind eye to the fact that your senior pastor isn’t on board with essential aspects of your strategy is almost always a fatal mistake. Ignoring the fact that other existing commitments will diffuse the impact of a church-wide campaign is foolish. Don’t make this mistake! Never ignore the elephant in the room. See also, “5 Blatantly Obvious Truths About Starting New Groups.”
3. Rationalizing or minimizing the correlation of design and results.
If you only get one tattoo, it should be Andy Stanley’s one-liner: “Your ministry is perfectly designed to produce the results you are currently experiencing.” Rationalizing or minimizing the correlation of design and results is Exhibit A in the case against many of us. Believe me when I tell you this, there is a direct correlation between the design of your ministry and the results of your ministry. Can’t find enough volunteers for your weekend children’s program? It is not a fluke or coincidence. Didn’t get the connecting event sign-up you were hoping for? Blame the design. See also, “7 Signs You Have a Bad Design for Your Ministry.”
4. Assuming one meeting or one conversation would be sufficient.
Bottom line, when I’ve been planning something, I’ve thought a lot about it. A lot. Most of the time I’ve been thinking about it for weeks and sometimes months. When I share it with my senior pastor or our elder team, it is usually the first time they’ve heard it. That is never enough. I like this quote (possibly apocryphal) attributed to President Richard Nixon: “You know, when I’m tired of hearing it, I know my staff has gotten it. When my staff is tired of hearing it, I know the press corp has gotten it. And when the press corp is tired of hearing it, I know the nation has gotten it.” The moral of the story? One meeting or one conversation is never enough. Over-communicating is the key. This is one of the reasons I re-read Patrick Lencioni’s Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive every year.
5. Procrastinating conversations and decisions.
Some conversations and some decisions cannot be put off until tomorrow (or next week) without consequence. Life is better when conversations happen and decisions are made in a timely manner. “Can we have this conversation next week at the meeting?” “Can we put this decision off until after the teaching team retreat?” “Can I call you when I’m back in town?” Truthfully? No. The latest we can have the conversation or make the decision is Friday. And it would be better if we could meet today and again on Friday in order to make the best decision.
