You got a great idea. Maybe even divinely inspired. This idea, this vision, excited you. So you decided to run with it. You became convinced that this was the thing that your church needed to do.
With some fanfare, you strode to the platform and made the big announcement: “From now on, we will do X and we will be Y.” You were both eloquent and passionate in what you said.
So what happened next? Possibly nothing at all. Or it might have gotten you in serious hot water.
It may be that you committed the most fundamental mistake of trying to create change in an organization. You functioned as the sage on the stage, not as someone bringing as many people as possible into the process.
What you need most of all is buy-in. Get as many people involved as possible in the process. Leverage the collective I.Q. of the organization by demonstrating that you really believe none of us are as smart as all of us. Hear the ideas of others about how to implement change. This will result in a better plan overall as well as reducing resistance by giving people some control over the changes that will affect them.
In the name of efficiency, many great ideas for change get derailed because a leader concludes that securing buy-in takes too long and is too risky. The truth is that doing it any other way is too risky and the time you may spend looking for another position could have been used in building a coalition.
Make sure that you have a whole lot of one on one conversations before you take the stage. Understand and address the concerns that people will inevitably have before you plunge ahead. It will be time well spent.
Loading tweets...