Napkin conversations are some of my favorite conversations! What’s a “napkin conversation”? It’s when you’re in a restaurant or coffee shop with someone and what you’re talking about is so compelling that you have to write or draw it on a napkin so you won’t forget.
One of the best “napkin conversations” I ever had was over the death of ideas. Too often, leaders have a message or idea that they just have to get their people to adopt, but for some reason, the people they lead just don’t seem to get it. Sadly, the potentially world-changing idea dies.
As I discussed this with my friend, he drew “The Pyramid of Death” (sounds like a new Indiana Jones movie, I know). Anyway, he said that whenever you want to convey an idea, your highest priority is to take people up the pyramid all the way to the peak. If you fail to take your followers all the way to the top, the idea will die, and you’ll be frustrated. Sadly, your followers will be frustrated, too.
That little paper napkin hit me like a ton of bricks! Many times, as a pastor, I’ve tried to lead people to adopt an idea, message, or cause, but it just didn’t happen. I got frustrated with people, thinking they’re slow, uncommitted, lazy, passionless, or complacent. When all along, the reason they didn’t adopt my ideas is that I didn’t lead them all the way to the top! I pointed them to the top, but didn’t take them there!!
It reminded me of the old saying, “He who thinks he leads while no one follows merely takes a walk.”
I dislike long blog posts so I won’t try to explain the pyramid in detail. Rather, I’ve put together a short slide show that discusses each of the five steps on the pyramid and the kinds of questions to ask along the way. If you’ve ever been frustrated over the death of an idea, then you will definitely want to look over the slide show! This simple diagram can help you understand where you’ve failed in conveying ideas and how you can lead your people to the top the next time around.
Download the slide show here: Pyramid of Death Slide Show.
If you don’t already have it, you can download the slide show viewer here.
