I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we reconcile two seemingly opposite realities in ministry.
1. Big Hairy Audacious Goals The term was popularized by Jim Collins & Jerry Porras in their book Built To Last. In a nutshell, it means defining a crazy big goal! You can see some examples that various companies have made here.
From a ministry perspective, most leaders want something big to happen in their ministry. We don’t want maintenance, we want change…big change. Transformed lives primarily, but also numerical growth in our ministries, equipping of families, etc. We want to define and pursue something significant. In fact, we want to do what Hans Finzel (President/CEO of WorldVenture & author of The Top 10 Mistakes Leaders Make) says:
Attempt something so big, that unless God intervenes, it is bound to fail.
It sounds good, doesn’t it? In fact, if you’re like me, you’ve experienced times when you get incredibly excited about everything you’re thinking about – your brain just won’t stop! Your thoughts are BIG. You can’t wait to tell everyone what God has laid on your heart. You’re convinced God’s going to change the world through you and your ministry. I love that feeling, and I believe God does lay great things on our hearts that He wants to accomplish.
But there is another side of the coin.
2. Reality I usually get my big ideas when I’m driving. I’m pumped, and with the music blasting I pull in and get ready to start working on my Big Hairy Audacious Goals.
And right about the time I get to the office door, reality begins to set in. There’s 4 messages on my voicemail – people who need my attention. There’s the weekly program that needs attending to. There’s time limits – my family likes me to come home occasionally. There’s __________<fill in the blank>__________ demanding my time and attention.
And there are bigger realities. The culture of the church or organization that I serve in, and even the region where I serve. Budgets. The history of the people and decisions made in the past. The leadership styles of the people I serve with and under. My own strengths…and weaknesses.
These and many other factors aren’t always compatible with my Big Hairy Audacious Goal.
So what do I do?
I learned some time ago that I need to live and lead with what I call Audacious Realism.
Audacious Realism = pursuing God-sized goals within the realities of everyday ministry.
I don’t ever want to be guilty of thinking small…ever! But unless I deal with reality, I will not lead because no one will be following me.
So I lead with Audacious Realism. As a leader I define (with my core group of leaders and in alignment with the overall vision of those who lead me) Big Hairy Audacious Goals and I set a course to accomplish them within the context of the reality I find myself and my organization in.
Here’s some steps that I take to do this:
- Think outside the box (sorry…I know it’s an over-used phrase but it’s the best I could do!) to define your Big Hairy Audacious Goals. I love this part of the process because there should be no limits to your thinking. Everything can be put on the table. Brainstorm and dream with your team and come up with something just ridiculous for your ministry to accomplish. ( Of course, I’m assuming this is being done within the context of a healthy walk with God represented by being in the Word and having those conversations with Him called prayer!).
- Make an unyielding commitment to being flexible in pursuing your goal I like this phrase because it holds two essential principles in pursuing goals:
- There must be a tenacious commitment – without it, it’s just a great idea or dream, not a goal;
- There must be flexibility because rarely is a goal achieved through rigid adherence to the original chosen course of action.
- Understand the realities that you face Max Dupree said in his book Leadership Is An Art that, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.” He is right. These realities could be any number of issues, but some common ones include resource limitations – time, talent & treasure. Others might include the culture of your organization or region. There might be well-established traditions that must be overcome to implement the change required to accomplish your goal. It could be that in order to establish a new course, old programs or institutions need to be done away with – the opposition to this could be significant. Or it could be any one of a hundred other realities. The point is, don’t just plunge in to pursuing the goal without understanding these realities.
- Create a strategy to accomplish your Big Hairy Audacious Goal within the context of your reality Essentially, this means finding ways to address the Reality while pursuing the Audacious goal. This is yourAudacious Realism.
When I live in the world of Audacious Realism, I don’t lean too far in any direction. I don’t give away the responsibilities that are mine within the reality that I live in, nor do I give up what I believe to be God-given dreams, nor give in to the weight of my present circumstances (although there are times when any of these might be the best course of action…but that’s another post). I pursue God-sized goals within the realities of everyday ministry, and eventually see that audacious goal become my reality. And that, my friend, is quite a sweet place to be.
