8 Principles: Define Reality

“ 8 Principles: Define Reality”

Last week we began to look at the ‘8 Principles for Growing a  Healthy Organization.”

The second principle is:

2. Define Reality
Max Dupree aptly said, “The first job of a leader is to define reality.”

Who are you as an organization? What is the score? Are you succeeding? Where do you need help? Many organizations want to define who they think they are, or what they hope they are -and it does match the truth.

Years ago, in a church I pastored near Atlanta, we decided to define who we were. We had been growing for several years, but growth had slowed and both the church and the community around was changing. We ordered a demographic study of the area and found that we were still matching the community and decided to only make minor adjustments in our approach to ministry. There was a problem. The demographic study was based on an older census. The community had changed significantly. We could see that, but the study showed us what we wanted to see- instead of facing the truth.

Many organizations stubbornly stay the same, believing the outcome is going to be the same as the past. Our miscalculations caused us to decline in ministry over the next year, because we refused to define and face reality.

Who are you really? What is the true make up of your community or customers? Define reality.