Warning: This post may create stress for those of you who have been living in denial.
The dirty little not-so-secret haunting a lot of nonprofit organizations - including faith-based ones - these days is that, because of the economic downturn, they're quickly moving from life on the financial edge to falling over the cliff.
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Have you ever been part of an organization that was on fire? If you have, then you know first-hand that a fast-growing organization hardly ever sets pie-in-the-sky goals. They’re not even thinking about the future. They don’t have time. Instead, they are working hard to respond to the demands and opportunities that are right in front of them. At some point, they’ll probably have a big meeting, call in a consultant, hire a COO, or do something in order to help them create a strategy to get them from here to there. But “there” isn’t the focus. Their attention and resources are zeroed in on right here and right now.
So how come, when organizations are sputtering and stuck, leaders tend do the opposite? What makes them think that by tossing down a gigantic challenge or casting their own gynormous vision, they will be able to motivate people into working harder or more effectively? For example:
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