Mike Bonem
You’ve probably heard the expression, “The shortest distance from A to B is a straight line.” While this statement is true in geometry, it’s a dangerous principle for leadership.
One of a leader’s primary jobs is to collaborate with others to set their organization’s future direction and to establish priorities and plans accordingly. Those plans almost always look like the straight line from A to B. “We will do this and will achieve that.” We pull out the proverbial yardstick to chart the course.
The reality, however, often looks more like a toddler’s dabbling with a crayon than an architect’s precise drawings. We start down the path from A to B, but we encounter obstacles and have to make adjustments. Our initial activities generate insights that cause us to adjust plans. We need to adjust the timeline because we didn’t provide enough resources.
Imagine that you’re redesigning the way spiritual formation is done in your church. You’re excited about the plans, which include several new offerings that will help people deepen their faith. But then the leader of the class on “understanding the Bible” has a family emergency and has to step away. And you receive feedback that the new spiritual mentoring program is falling short of its goal. You’re confident that the ultimate goal is right for your church, so you revise your plans in light of the new realities and press ahead.
It is not possible for leaders to anticipate all the twists and turns that will occur in going from A to B. The leader’s job is not to create a perfect plan. Rather, leaders demonstrate their mettle in the ways that they adapt when things are not going as planned. Deciding when and how to adjust to surprises is the essence of leadership. And that is not possible if you’re holding tightly to your yardstick or your plans.
