Outcomes are the result of inputs.
Good outcomes flow from good inputs. We’ve all heard it before: “Garbage in, garbage out.” In my own experience, I’ve seen the best outcomes when I stopped thinking (and worrying) so much about them, and I instead focused more on the front end work (the inputs). When good outcomes are not present in my life, my work, and my small group, it’s almost always because I’ve not been putting adequate effort into the inputs.
Outcomes are God’s business.
It’s up to the farmer to plant, water, and harvest. Yet the actual fruit being harvested was made and grown by God, not by the farmer. The same, I believe, is true for those of us in leadership. We plant, water, and harvest (inputs), but the fruit is produced by the miraculous work of God.
Maybe we should focus more on inputs and trust God for the outcomes.
It’s human nature to want to control things, but the reality is that we are not in control. We are all taking a ride on a giant dirt clod hurling through space at thousands of miles per hour. WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL! Once we grasp this liberating truth, we are free to focus on inputs.
Input more development into the people you lead.
Input more hope into people who are hurting.
Input more passion into your work.
Input more Jesus into yourself.
Input more time into your spiritual growth.
Input more preparation into your sermons.
Input more excellence into your projects.
Input more time into your practice.
I guess what I’m saying, if I’m saying anything at all, is that if we focus on the inputs, the outcomes will improve.