You know the saying, "If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time." While goals and expectations are excellent ways to motivate and measure growth and transformation, unmet goals and expectations have the potential to drag anyone down. Check out 3 ways to process what we might deem as failure from Shawn Lovejoy at Courage to Lead. It is possible to refocus and grow from unmet expectations.
As we wind down 2018, I pray that God is blessing every corner of your life...but what if you don't feel that way right now? What should you do when things have not met your expectations over the last year? Well, first of all, there's no time or place for a pity party.
No one ever got better by playing the role of the victim.
It's time to take action. It's time for reflection and then action. We can do this. God has got this. Just a few simple actions steps can grow our faith and get things moving in a positive direction again. Today I am giving you three simple steps you can take when things have not met your expectations in your life or in the ministry or organization you lead!
...don't dwell on your losses. Dwell on your lessons learned...
Here are 3 Steps to Take When Things Haven't Met Your Expectations
1. Retreat and Take Stock
Jim Collins, in his best selling book "Good To Great," says that the first thing a good organization has to do to become a great organization, is to “Confront the brutal facts.” This is true on an individual and an organizational level. I don’t think the facts all have to be brutal, but I do think that when life is not meeting our expectations, it’s crucial that we take responsibility. We are not helpless. We are not a FAILURE. We actually fail our way to success!
Don’t dwell on your LOSSES. Dwell on your LESSONS LEARNED.
We can grow. We can change. The truth is we can always get better. We have more power than we often gives ourselves credit for. We need to look inward and ask ourselves: “What is going well right now? What is not going well? What am i doing wrong? What false beliefs or failing behaviors are present in my life or on our team that need to change? In your organization, retreat with your leadership team and ask these questions(in this prescribed order):
- What is RIGHT?
- What is WRONG?
- What is MISSING?
- What is CONFUSING?
Create an action plan and hold each other accountable for new actions steps that can improve everything and everyone around you.
2. Reorganize Your Time
The most precious commodity is your TIME. If you are the leader, the most important system in your organization is your CALENDAR. What is your “FAB FIVE?” What are the five most important things you should be focusing on right now? What are the five habits in your life that could provide the greatest “ROI” (Return on Investment)?
Restructure your time so that you are LEADING the Team and not just MANAGING the team.
Reorganize how you and/or your team spends your time. Rework the meeting schedule. What one thing, if you focsed on it could make the biggest difference? Throw a everything at one thing for the next thirty days. Watch things get better!
...Restructure your time so that you are LEADING the team and not just MANAGING the team...
3. Restructure Your Team
You don’t just need a Team. You need a GREAT team. You need to surround yourself with people smarter than you. You need people who can solve problems, build teams and equip others. You need to get the right people in the right seats for the right season in the organization.
Every organization is perfectly structured for the results it’s getting now...so structure now for the next level.
You probably have too many people reporting to you. You can perhaps manage that many people, but you probably can’t develop that many people. Create some organizational levels within your structure.
Every team member deserves the privilege of being properly placed within the scope of their gifts and talents.
PROMOTE your “Eagles” (those that have a higher elevation capacity), and REPOSITION your “Emu’s” (those that are past their prime effectiveness). Balance grace and truth. Have courageous conversations. Make courageous decisions. It requires courage to lead!
Life not meeting your expectations? Don’t play the role of the victim. Get to work! Retreat and Review. Reorganize your life. Restructure your team. Before you know it, things begin to shape differently, and soon we have scaled the next wall and broken through the next barrier. Momentum has returned!
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Find the original article "When Things Haven't Met Your Expectations" at Courage to Lead.
