Hey, you remember that song... "Do you have to, do you have to, do you have to let it linger?" That's about the extent of what I remember, but those words stick, don't they? I was wondering the other day how many unnecessary problems linger around in my life and create extra headaches and weight on my shoulders.
How many things stick around that could be eliminated with just a few seconds or minutes of attention. I had this thought the other day... "Every person and organization has problems, ordinary organizations and leaders let the problems linger, great leaders and great organizations find solutions quickly and do not let problems or headaches linger." I'm not talking about applying the wrong solution to a problem. I'm talking about the fact that most problems in your life and organization can be solved in less than a week! I think that part of the "problem" for most of us lies in the reality that we don't have solid mechanisms for solving problems. We don't evaluate our lives and we don't evaluate our organizations and consequently the problems don't get solved.
Here is an idea: evaluate your life... What's working? What's not working? Then brainstorm... What are 4-5 possible solutions to this problem? What's it going to cost to solve this issue? Then assign responsibility, set a deadline and get cracking.
Here are a few examples... If you have multiple services at your church, evaluate in between services and make changes that can be made before the next service. If we have a microphone cable that keeps cracking on Sundays at church... How long does it take to order a new cable? Another example, we had some wires that weren't getting taped down. Archie our Worship Pastor printed pictures of what it looks like taped down and gave it to the appropriate volunteer. When you have equipment that doesn't work, how long does it take to get a new copier or a new modem? How long does it take to get a new computer? You have an employee that's not showing up on time for work, call them in your office and talk to them about it. You have a communication issue with a spouse or a kid... set aside a few minutes to get to the core of the problem. Ask why is it not working? What do we need to fix that problem. Not rocket science, just mental energy!
Some problems are complex and require laboring over a solution, but the majority of our problems have a simple solution and can be solved within a few hours or days!
