3 prevention questions that save leaders time and money
A factory installed a new paint booth in its paint department. The new booth worked perfectly, but the sales person selling the booth told the staff that at temperatures over 80 degrees, combined with humidity under 50 percent, the paint in the booth could become flammable and ignite a flash fire.
So, the staff met to decide how to deal with flash fires. After discussion, they took three actions: They installed fire sprinklers over the booth; they ordered fireproof jumpsuits for the workers, and they installed a red telephone in the booth with a direct line to the fire department.
Then they returned to work, satisfied that they were prepared for flash fires. And they were. Except for one thing. All their actions were suppressive actions.
Their preparations meant well, but they had the effect of permitting flash fires. Why? Because the preparations were designed to react to existing flash fires, not to prevent them. What could the staff have done differently?
Problem prevention happens before trouble starts
As church leaders, we have our own fires, and we might not be doing enough problem prevention. I’ve noticed over the years that leaders in every field do more problem suppression than problem prevention—often with damaging results. So, let’s look at problem prevention versus problem suppression.
Preventive actions are taken against the likely causes of future problems before those future problems start, while suppressive actions are taken against existing problems that have already started and are already causing damage, and are always taken after trouble starts.
Most people have a suppressive bias. Consider hospitals and clinics; doctors and nurses; police departments; fire departments, and so on. They are called “first responders” and are honored as heroes. But the question nobody asks is: Why aren’t they called “first preventers”?
Well, they respond to existing problems (existing sickness, crime and fires) instead of preventing these things. That’s true of most social systems, so most of us grow up thinking suppression is the norm. Then, we become leaders and tend to lead that way. So, how can we be more preventive?
How to be more preventive
Regardless of whether we lead in a church, a corporation or a non-profit, we can be more preventive by using three unique questions as guides:
1. If we do this, what future problems can we expect?
2. What would be the likely causesof those future problems?
3. What preventive actions can we take now to keep these likely causes from causing those future problems?
That’s all there is to preventive leadership.
Here's how the three preventive questions apply in a ministry environment. Try asking these questions at a staff meeting:
1. If we hire this new staff member (or cancel this class, or change this music, etc.) what kind of future problems can we expect?
2. What would be the likely causes of those future problems?
3. What preventive actions can we take now to keep these likely causes from causing those future problems?
There’s an old adage that says, “Recognizinga problem is half of its solution.” We’ve recognized a blind spot in leadership, and we’ve seen a three-step technique that fills that blind spot. It’s my prayer that more pastors, elders and leaders will use these preventive questions for greater success and more peace of mind.
Photo source: istock
 | J. Owen Allen, Ph.D., is a blogger, author, speaker, consultant, and founder of The Christian Family Online in America, Inc., a non-profit. He has studied Christian ruins, paintings, writings, symbols, and artifacts in Israel, Italy, Turkey and Greece. His doctorate is in organizational behavior with post-doctoral work at Oxford. A former dean and professor at a Christian university, he is also a former consultant to Fortune 100 corporations such as GM, GE, and John Deere. His latest book is Preactive Leadership. |
More on Church Leadership and Administration
- Taking church to where people already are (by Bob Whitesel)
- Eight essentials for guest-friendly church bulletins (by Thom Rainer)
- Eleven observations about church transfer growth (by Thom Rainer)
- A multicultural church avoids intracultural leadership (by Bob Whitesel)
