hardly hormal

Tony referenced a great article by Andy Stanley that EVERYONE should read. Oh my goodness, it’s titled Challenge the Process and it is so good I will post some (ok most) of it:

I think there’s something in every leader that yearns to try things in new ways, to test the status quo–to challenge the process. If you’re a leader, you’ve probably had similar experiences all your life. Leaders are constantly evaluating and critiquing the world around them.

When most people are moved by a message, we leaders are busy examining the structure of the presentation. Where the average person enjoys a great conference, we’re fixated on the methods that made it successful. There’s something in every leader that seeks to understand the process at work behind the scenes.

The rest of the world is quite the opposite. In fact, it’s human nature to gravitate toward the familiar. And left to themselves, virtually every person and organization is in a subconscious pursuit of the status quo. Eventually they will find it. And they will work very, very hard to stay there.

In a changing world, familiar is no measure of effectiveness. And the status quo is no benchmark for long-term achievement. That’s why the world needs leaders to venture boldly into the unfamiliar and to embrace the uncomfortable–because the best solutions are often found in unfamiliar, uncomfortable places.

The instinct to challenge the process is a fundamental quality of every leader. When God created leaders, he equipped them with an unsettling urge to unpack, undo and unearth methods. This explains your tendency to question everything around you.

It’s the reason you have such strong opinions–and such a strong desire to share them. God wired you that way. Deep in your heart you may feel that if you were in charge, things would not only be different, they’d also be better. This is not a problem of arrogance or pride. It’s simply the way God wired you. It’s a good thing.

Unfortunately, your zeal for improvement isn’t always appreciated out in the real world. As a matter of fact, your natural bent for leadership sets you up for resistance from virtually all sides–including other leaders.

And unless you understand the nature of these dynamics, the very instincts that qualify you for greatness can also lead you to disqualify yourself and sabotage your opportunities. Effective leadership means learning to challenge the process without challenging the organization. There’s a fine line between the two. But it’s a crucial line.

The first line of resistance the leader faces is the organization itself. As we’ve already mentioned, organizations don’t like new ideas. It’s enough of a challenge just figuring out the old ones. So the last thing an organization wants is someone suggesting that we need to start all over again with a different process. Your supervisors, advisers, elders, deacons and staff all feel pretty much the same way. Since human nature is to seek a place of equilibrium, change is seen as a disruption of progress.

The second line of resistance you face is from other leaders. You might think you’d find an advocate in this group. But, by nature, when you challenge a concept, you challenge the conceiver. You don’t mean it that way, but that can be how it’s often perceived.

Many talented leaders have “led” themselves right out of a job because their desire to challenge the process was misunderstood, or perhaps even threatening, to those in charge. While on the other side of the spectrum, many skilled leaders have resigned themselves to conform to the status quo, squelching and squashing their natural instincts because there’s no obvious opportunity to be who God made them to be.

As leaders, we must keep a sense of diplomacy without shrinking from our scrutinizing nature. When you stop challenging the process, you cease to be a leader and you become a manager.

I have been sitting here for several minutes in awe. I don’t really know what to say. This is such a great article. Thank you Tony for posting this. And thank you Andy Stanley! Thank you! 

I was at the Outreach Convention in San Diego this past November and I started to be convicted about something I was feeling and doing.  My wakeup call started when Pastor Craig Groeschel spoke. He told the story that starts in Mark chapter 2 where four men dug through a roof to get a disabled person to Jesus. Pastor Craig went on to ask “when was the last time you went through a roof to bring someone to Jesus?”

That really hurt me. Honestly it was a hard slap in the face. See, for the few months leading up to that trip, I was apologizing for being so zealous about doing ministry with excellence. I started to become passive, even allowing mistakes to happen just so I could fit in and keep the peace. I was actually starting to feel bad about the passion I have inside me.  It was a new and strange feeling to me because all of my life I have been rewarded for my passion and work ethic.  I was even starting to hate my gifts but now at least I have some understanding.

God did an amazing work in me. I don’t want to believe it was for me to simply step aside and become stagnant. I was the type of guy who would go through the roof and face any challenge to bring Jesus to people. That guy is coming back. I will never again feel bad that I am so passionate about ministry and excellence!

You can buy the entire Challenging the Process message plus 5 other great leadership messages on CD by clicking here or here! I just ordered mine and I cannot wait to hear the whole thing.