In his book, Tribes, Seth Godin says, “If your organization requires success before commitment, it will never have either.” I couldn’t agree more, basically because things like innovation, developing a new strategy, or setting a new standard take time and dedicated people more than willing to stay the course, break through the barriers, and bring something better to fruition. But sadly, most already established, doing-it-the same-way-for-a-very-long-time organizations want the results now!
The problem with this is that you can’t really have new, or different, or especially better results without some innovation and some people to champion the innovation for however long it takes. Again, therein lies the crux of the problem- we want change without having to change anything! I’ve long tired of meetings where the same sad data is presented and a new initiative is proposed to make things better primarily because in the end, what seriously lacks is the commitment to get it done, see it through, make it happen.
Someone once said that nothing happens without commitment- you can’t buy a house without it, have a successful marriage, or build a business. There’s no question that at the onset of every organization or business or movement, there were some people who were simply very committed to seeing it accomplished. They sacrificed, served, and were sold out completely. Every cause needs a champion or some champions, but it also requires great commitment from those involved.
I’m guessing that’s the real challenge today when it comes to accomplishing just about anything- can you find people who will be totally committed; will you be fully committed? I hear it from pastors and parishioners, both blaming the other for a lack of, yes, commitment! You see it in relationships, in business, in every aspect of life- where there is no commitment, there is certain frustration, or worse, failure. And where there are organizations that demand, or at the very least foster an environment of expected success, without a commitment to endearing a culture of creativity, innovation, and yes, real change, you find people and groups that are completely out of touch with reality!
We need causes (and as church folk we can’t really deny what that is); but just as importantly, we need a commitment to whatever it takes to be as productive as possible regarding the cause.
