I’ll admit, as a leader it’s quite easy to get caught up with a vision. It’s natural because as leader’s we’re encouraged to look out for opportunities and then take the lead in making things happen. But sometimes we find ourselves alone out front, and wonder what happened to the people we’re leading? Why aren’t they with us?
GOING FISHING – WHO’S IN?
Take a scenario of a group of people going fishing on a lake. Typical leaders get the vision, jump in the boat, and are off to fish. However, the rest of the group may take a different approach. As the leaders look back, they find that half the people are still on the river bank.
Some are still prepping their fishing gear. Some are just starting to launch their boats. Others are on the water but are heading in the opposite direction. Some are going in circles and still others haven’t yet even decided if they feel like fishing after all. That’s when you realize that only leading from the front doesn’t always help facilitate the transition.
John Maxwell in his book “Winning With People” admits that patience is not one his strengths. He says: “When I was younger I constantly cast vision for the people in my organization and then left them behind – not a good thing for a leader.”
In 2011 we experienced many exciting changes at Mars Hill Baptist Church. Regardless of how exciting the vision of the building was, we know now that in the process, we left some people behind. There were parts of the process where as leaders we simply dropped the ball.
Mars Hill Baptist Church – Before
Here’s FIRST humbling lesson learned:
BUILDINGS HOUSE MEMORIES – DON’T ERASE THEIR SIGNIFICANCE
Mars Hill has been part of the community for more than 35 years. Families have celebrated many memorable weddings. Parents have introduced their children to the church and sat Sunday after Sunday in the pews together. Others have said goodbye to loved ones and those last few words in that place were significant.
Mars Hill Baptist Church – After
Today, this happens in a place that looks totally different. Walking through the front door no longer triggers those memories. Memories hold significance and give people a sense of belonging. When everything looks so different it’s easy to understand how the memories won’t seem quite as real and people feel left out. As leaders we dropped the ball because we didn’t take the time to understand the significance of these memories, and that for some, made the transition more difficult.
