Her friends on the team felt hurt by the decision. The farewell party, despite the fancy cake, was visibly strained.
Meanwhile, I was reading Good to Great (HarperBusiness, 2001), in which Jim Collins explains the traits of leaders who transform good organizations into great ones. "We expected that good-to-great leaders would begin by setting a new vision and strategy," he writes. "We found instead that they first got the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seat - and then they figured out where to drive it."
Makes eminent sense: If you get the right people, in the right seats, then you and they will be able to figure out where to take the organization. Once you've heard, "First, get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off the bus," it seems self-evident.
Before we dutifully apply this principle as Christian leaders, however, we'd be wise to consider a few things.
In an employment situation (a business or church staff), you can "get the wrong people off the bus" for reasons of competence. But in a voluntary association such as the church, you can remove people only for reasons of character (as Paul asked the Corinthians to do with a person who slept with his father's wife and was unrepentant, even boastful, about it).
Thus, 98 percent of the time, pastors don't have the freedom to disembark misfit passengers. Instead, the issue is more how to get people in the right seats. What do you do with the worship leader who is a talented guitarist but resentful when you offer direction? The longstanding volunteer who falls behind on the books and sometimes messes them up? The faithful man of prayer who alienates people with his hardline views on politics? It's tempting to say, "I'm here to minister more than administer" and avoid the confrontation.
Still, as a leader you are implicitly charged with ensuring the long-term health of the organization. Therefore, you must choose the church's needs over the needs of any individual in it. And to place the church's needs first, you must sometimes ask people to change seats - remove them from a ministry.
Meanwhile, as a pastor, you know the worth of a human soul. You don't want to inflict pain, so you recoil at the idea of removing an entrenched but ineffective worker. Even reframing your action as "I'm really helping this person find his or her right place," confronting a problem worker can be (as one leader put it) "throw-up time.
Then you add in the fear - often legitimate - that by removing someone from a ministry, he and his family and friends will create conflict in the church. It just doesn't seem worth the hassle.
Still, the faithful leader must choose the long-term health of the ministry over the short-term need of any person in it.
The sign you're a leader is that you get the right people in the right seats. The sign you're a Christian leader is that when you do, you sometimes want to throw up.
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Comments
I've had to do this before. To the same person. Time and time again. Even in tag-team format. Good cop/bad cop style. Guess who got to play the bad cop?
It really sucks to play the Ghost of Christmas Future and hold someone accountable, to hold up the mirror and tell them that what they are doing is wrong, to say "you can't do this anymore".
You must step down. Now. You will not like me after I say this. It isn't you. It is this. Example. It isn't you. We love you and we care about you. This person cares about you, this person cares about you. It is this. Example. Repeat ad naseum.
You will want to be sick afterwards. It will pass. It can be a very lonely place. Make sure you have a good foundation and good friends. And make sure you can take as well as you can dish. Sometimes you find that you get to put back those taken out of their seats.
Posted by: Sara | February 19, 2008 7:01 PM
I believe this to be a bit more profound than a first glance would guess. I pray that those in my church will come to understand this same thing as we have gone around and around this--the Pastor and sometimes other leaders avoiding doing what's best and right to avoid the "fallout". Meanwhile, the constant frustration and lack of ability to find direction and get things done remains.....
How could one go about presenting such a topic in a favorable light and for the ultimate good of the ministry and the church?
Now that is the question....how do we get understanding and results if those leading aren't willing to risk it?
Thanks for this article!
Posted by: L Granato | February 21, 2008 11:39 AM
One thing the world has to do is Human Resource Management in regard to retrenchments. Maybe it would be good for ministers to do some serious study and preparation in this field and some personal psychological testing to even understand themselves before attempting to work with others. In these areas the children of this world are wiser than the children of light. Before attempting to remove the speck out of others eyes we best deal with out own beam. Then we might find the mind of Christ on these necessary things.
Posted by: Pastor Errol Buckle | February 24, 2008 5:20 AM
I am currently reading Good to Great and find this to be a great additional application of what I'm reading. It's hard to get the right people on the bus in the corporate world--but even more so in a church environment. It also makes me think about personal applications--do I have the right people on the bus in my own life, those who would encourage, correct, and keep me accountable or just those who validate my decisions, attitudes, and plans w/o any check or guidance. Thanks for pushing me to apply what I'm learning!
Posted by: Molly | March 3, 2008 1:32 PM
very interesting
Posted by: jiimiona | August 13, 2008 8:22 AM