photo of woman looking upwards
Photo by Jonathan Andrew on Pexels.com

Have you ever had a great idea die in the Status Quo culture?

This scenario has probably happened to you. It could have happened at home, or at work, God forbid even at your church. You come up with this idea that has come down right from the very mountain where all great ideas come.

You may even go so far as to think this one may have been inspired by God himself. You are excited, you are pumped, you can’t wait to tell the proper people who of course will agree with you right away that this idea has the very fingerprint of God on it, so you run to the next meeting all prepared.

You have flowcharts and timelines. You have already gathered a faithful few volunteers. You have a start date, you looked at the organization’s budget, and there is seed money already allocated for just such a project and then it happens.  You run face-first full steam into the Status Quo wall. Ouch!

You get hit with a myriad of questions and reasons why that idea won’t work. Questions like, “How is that going to work here, we have never tried that before?” Or the classic stall move, “This is a magnificent idea, but since Jim ( just a convenient name, it could be whoever missed the last meeting) is out of town let’s table this until the next meeting.”

Maybe you get the dreaded diversion where you are sent on the board-by-board approval goose chase until the idea dies in committee. I have seen this practice kills not only good ideas but also kills a new potential leader’s spirit. So how do you get a new idea implemented?

 

This blog post will give you a few practical ideas.

For the last ten years, I have been a certified ministry coach. When people get to the point of trying to implement change in their organization, here are some questions I have them work through. These are adapted from Coaching 101: Discover the Power of Coaching by Robert Logan. I pray you will find this helpful.

 

How will you free up time and energy to focus on the changes you need to make your congregation more missional?

To take on some new project in your already over-taxed life, you have to let something go. So, the question you need to answer first is what are you willing to let go of to make sure this new idea gets your time and energy?

Who are the key people who can work with you to facilitate the changes that need to be made?

No man or woman is an island. So, who are the key individuals who can provide the skills you lack to make the changes necessary to accomplish this new venture? For example, if you are the ideal person, but not great with details who do you know who is good with details and can provide that critical element needed to implement your idea?

 

Who are the key influencers who need to embrace the vision or/be included in the discussion/planning process?

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

In every organization, there are those people who wield powerful influence. You need to invest time getting buy-in from those individuals who can either help your idea take off or kill it.

 

What permissions need to be secured and from whom?

Who needs to sign off on the idea? That could be trustees, Board of Directors, or the organizational leader, but whoever it is secure their approval.

 

Who are the people/groups affected by the proposed changes?

Regardless of the size or scope of the change, it affects the lives and functions of some individual or group. Take the time to figure out what groups or persons will be affected by the proposed change and give them a heads up on what changes are coming. Gather their input and suggestions on the most effective way to make that change as smooth as possible.

This will also allow you to see if there is a better way to implement those changes.

 

What can you do to help people embrace the change? How will you strengthen relationships during the change process?

These two questions address emotional intelligence. How through this change, will you protect the valuable asset of people? Relationships will be strained in any transition so how will you address and protect people’s hurt feelings during this process?

How you manage these critical relationships will determine if the changes are ones that help the organization adapt to needed improvements or to just lead the idea person to find a new challenge in a different location.

This change process may seem like a lot to go through just for an idea, but then I would push back, how important is the idea of becoming a reality to you? If you honestly think this idea needs wings and a chance to fly, then take the necessary steps to see it through.

And after much prayer and planning, if you still feel it needs to be implemented, then no matter what don’t give up…don’t ever give up. Too many great ideas have died because the idea person gave up.

If it is from God, be ready for the strong opposition because that idea will threaten Satan’s stronghold. Keep fighting, keep praying, and see what God does. We need those dreamers in our organization, in our families, and life. Keep the dreams coming.