Encouragement
Larry Lilly's Letter Tuesday September 13, 2005
I often try to help people find their niche in life. It is not as easy as it sounds. With some people they are obviously in a field for which they have absolutely none of the skills that particular work demands. I will not call names! For these poor souls it is simply a matter of getting them into an area of work where they perform at an acceptable level.
Others?
Here is where it gets interesting. How many businesses, churches and other groups are crippled due to having one or more people who look really good on paper, and talk about first impressions, these apparent world beaters are the photo besides the definition of Mr/Mrs.Ms/ winner. But that is as far it goes. When the rubber starts meeting the road, they simply cannot or will not get with it. I am old enough to have watched several people with talent drift along into old age having never really reached their potential. These folks always have a scapegoat of some sort or other, "I need this that or the other and then I will be able to do a better job." Pity the poor boss who falls for this.
The really tough ones to deal with are the ones who have enormous talent, out perform their peers and are what is referred to as 'natural' leaders. The problem? They simply disrupt the team. And all organizations are teams in one form or another. It is wise and talented person who recognizes that he/she has great talent, but that they honestly do not 'fit' the current team. And they asked to be traded or hunt for another team.
The golden boss or leader is the leader who acknowledges such a person has all the ingredients but will never reach greatness due to the lack of bonding with the rest of the team, or business.
My hero of younger years was the indisputable coach of the 20th Century, Vince Lombardi. I read in a book about him written by one of his champion players who revered Coach Lombardi of a time when the coach dealt with a man who was the center of strife and other distractions on the team. It finally came to a confrontation and the coach dealt with the situation in a straightforward, though kind way. He looked the player in the eye and said, "Son, you have what it takes to be great, but not on this team. I am trading you."
True to Coaches words the dismissed player began playing for another team and made All-Pro! The man who replaced him on Vince Lombardi's team went on the Hall of Fame. And the team got out of a rut and won several championships.
In the Lord's work the same dynamics can be seen at work everyday, especially on Sundays. It is my opinion that if sports teams, industrial enterprises and families operated on the principle of, "Well, he is such a nice guy," they would be in the mess most churches and other Christian organizations find themselves.
Sometimes getting fired is the best thing that could happen to you. And sometimes giving someone the figurative axe is the best thing for them and the team. I have been on both ends of this article and in hindsight have no regrets.
A management guru from Harvard said, "Hey if it aint worken, fix it!"
I agree. Jesus Christ that we might have life, and being out place is not much of a life!
Larry Lilly Copyright 2005 Use with Credit.
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