| Ten years ago, a few of us launched a church trying to solve a problem —> Many people are more familiar with what the Church is AGAINST rather than what the Church is FOR.
Imagine my surprise how that simple statement would inspire churches around the world to rally around the same problem in their communities.
As David Salyers often told me when I worked with him at Chick-fil-A, “A problem well defined is half solved.”
The challenge for many organizations is they’ve forgotten the original problem which led to their start-up.
This is why we must be ruthless in protecting against insideritis, which is seeing the organization from our point of view instead of those we are trying to serve. Over time, the natural tendency of any organization, especially those that have experienced massive success, is self-preservation. We protect the ground we gained instead of seeking new ground; we defend the past instead of exploring new ways to solve the initial problem.
If the goal is to stay in business, you won’t. Not in today’s world with multiple choices and opportunities for customers to pursue.
Instead, the goal should be to solve a problem for customers. As we solve their particular problem, they see we are truly FOR them. And when customers see this, they return the favor.
The reason many organizations stall out is because complexity and other opportunities, which seemed good at the time, win out.
In “Know What You’re FOR”, I encourage leaders to take a vision inventory. This simply means asking the team two questions:
What problem are we trying to solve?
What do you think we want to be known FOR?
This week, take a moment to do a vision inventory. Be curious, not defensive.
After all, the problem isn’t a problem. It actually is the answer.
FOR You,
Jeff Henderson
PS. After being sold-out on Amazon, the FOR book is back in stock. You can purchase it here: |
