Every turn of the calendar to a new year, I try to spend some time sorting through a file of notes I’ve made, articles I’ve read that I wanted to come back to and blog posts that I felt were important enough to print and drop in for later review.
This year I found a couple blog posts that came from one of my favorite authors, Seth Godin (no surprise to those of you who are long term readers of Church Insider).
Both are about decisions. The first is Seth’s musings about the tension inherent with decision making. The second discusses the decisions made in environments with constraints that require thoughtfulness in terms of time and resources.
Enjoy!
Staring at decisions
Soap is 85 cents a bar or two for a dollar. Which should you buy?
It depends. It depends on how much space you have, whether you like this brand, how full your cart is and whether or not you’re sure if the person who sent you to the market wants you to buy two.
It’s easy to focus on these sorts of low-value decisions.
There are organizations that spend far more time discussing a new logo than analyzing where to place the new office. One is filled with emotion and no economic importance, the other is fuzzy, complicated and incredibly expensive.
Perhaps you’ve seen someone spend emotion and focus figuring out a tip to the penny, but impulsively use credit card debt to go on a fancy vacation.
Marketers have pushed us to spend as little time as possible thinking about things like long-term debt, the implications of going to a famous college or the lifetime emissions of buying a certain kind of car or house. But we end up spending countless cycles on the trivial choices that make us feel like we have control over the world around us.
We may believe that if one takes care of the little things, the big ones won’t matter. Or the opposite.
It turns out that staring at an uncomfortable big decision might pay for a thousand of the little ones.
“What’s next?”
The way we think about our priorities makes a huge difference.
Leaders of every stripe make one thing more than any other: decisions.
In any environment with constraints (which is, actually, any environment), the decisions about time and resources–about what to do next–change everything.
How do we decide what’s next? Is it based on urgency, proximity or values? First in/first out is not a strategy, it’s an excuse. Even worse is the one about the squeaky wheels.
As you enter into a new year, I hope that Seth’s thoughts might stir your thoughts about decision-making in 2024.
Also, one of the most important things you can do to boost your decision making prowess is to “not go Lone Ranger.” Following are some opportunities to connect with a coach or a cohort.
Pastor Smart Succession
I’m partnering with Dave in bringing the Pastor Smart Succession process to come alongside you and your church as you enter the succession zone. We walk with you each step of the way as you shape a “framed fit” for your future.
If you are beginning to think about what’s next, I’d love to connect and learn more and share more about how we can help. You can schedule a call here.
Leadwell Senior Pastor Finishing Well Cohort.
Also, if you are looking for a community of peers to navigate church, leadership and life with, consider applying for my Leadwell Senior Pastor Finishing Well Cohort. The 2024 Group Form launches April 23-25, 2024 (only 2 spots left)
We also have these cohorts launching in a few months:
Executive Pastors (April 9-11)
Mentors, Jenni Catron and Glen Brechner
Only 2 spots left
Younger Senior Pastors (April 16-18)
Mentor, Mark Batterson
Only 2 spots left
Cohorts are by invitation only. If you are interested, contact me ASAP either via email at greg@ligongroup.com or by scheduling a call here.