What questions are you asking?
One of the things that gets organizations into trouble is when they get tripped up on logistical questions before they ask the purposeful ones. When you begin with logistics, without getting centered on the things that really matter first, it's easy to make bad decisions. Think subprime mortgages, for example. Putting logistics before purpose, on the other hand, can lead to no decision at all. Without a clear sense of purpose and the passion that generates, the logistical issues often just discourage and overwhelm.
An example of an organization that may have put logistical questions ahead of purposeful ones is the Pennsylvania church that had a 15-year old arrested this week for skateboarding in their parking lot. (Thanks to Susan Hogan for the link to this story.)
We don't know the back story about what's going on Pennsylvania. But we do know that skateboarders are a common "problem" for churches. In fact, we use this exact scenario in our workshop on Seven Renewable Practices(TM) for Faith-Based Groups. In the segment on "Asking Purposeful Questions" practice #1) we give participants "the skateboarder scenario" and ask them to make a list of questions they want to have answered before they decide what to do about it. The first list they come up with always includes questions about liability insurance, whether the skateboarders are being respectful to their members, and what the neighbors think. Seriously, they're worried about what the neighbors will think.
For church people, wouldn't you think the first question would be what does God think?
A question like that would be a purposeful question. Other examples of purposeful questions for church leaders in this situation would include:
- What is God doing in this situation?
- What is God trying to teach us?
- What could we do in this situation that would make God smile?
One differently-abled workshop participant who uses a walker to get around said, "I'm a liability every time I'm on church property – but nobody is chasing me away." Apparently, his church believes God brought him to them. And asking the purposeful questions first (and in the case of religious organizations that means the "God" questions) makes all the difference in how they respond.
And that's the point.
What questions are you asking in your work together? Logistical questions like how much is this going to cost? do we have enough insurance to do this? who has the expertise to pull it off? etc. are important. But they are only helpful if you've asked the purposeful questions first. Purposeful questions get at deep issues like:
If you're not starting with questions that help you connect to your shared purpose, you're starting in the wrong place.
If you don't have a shared purpose, you need one.
Also, FOR A LIMITED TIME, you can get a copy of our new book 19 (or more) Ideas for Asking Purposeful Questions at the reduced price of just $5. (This is a designer-defect sale – the font is readable but too small – we'll be reprinting the whole Renewable Practices series and selling each book for the full price of $10. If you have good eyes or a good pair of glasses, you don't want to miss this special offer!). Visit the online ARE Bookstore today!
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