99 to 1 or Chasing Squirrels
The role of priorities in ministry leadership
Yesterday I tweeted a Peter Drucker quote. I read it in Justin Long’s Weekly Roundup but have heard many times before.
If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.
Peter F. Drucker
It is a great quote. It is short, simple, and makes a point that resonates with the reader. It is also the bane of innovators who have a hard time saying “no” to every idea that comes along.
This morning as I was walking and listening to a sermon, the preacher noted that Jesus was not about giving up one thing for another. Jesus was about leaving the 99 for the sake of the 1.
I went to enough seminary to know that this little parable is not about leaving the 99 or being flippant about the 99. Rather, it is the importance of each individual and that the one in trouble is the one that needs the Savior.
It is also about the need for priorities. When I look at the many good ideas that we at Missio Nexus struggle to implement, I am aware that we often have 99 (or more) things we are trying to pull off at the same time. Unless we bring a sense of urgency to one of these items, none of them will get done. This is one reason organizations drift. They collect multiple priorities and eventually these compete for time and resources.
Startups are better at starting up new things because they are focused. They typically are narrowly focused on that one thing. Advice given to larger institutions almost always includes some form of focus, narrowing, cutting, or otherwise limiting what the organization is doing.
Organizations are given to chasing squirrels. The many good things that must be done become priorities. Jesus did not talk about chasing down the 99, but the 1. It is a good reminder for me and just about any team benefits from a leader who provides focus on the 1 thing.
I am writing this to myself. I am the great squirrel chaser. I love new ideas and am easily distracted. Focus, though, is a long haul strategy. It is where I must spend effort if I am to lead appropriately.
Drucker was right. Stop something old to do something new. But Jesus was even more focused. When we think about why the church was so much more mission-focused in the first few centuries, I can’t help but consider the 99 to 1 ratio.