Leadership is influence. Everything rises and falls on leadership, everything.
Is “good enough” an acceptable leadership idea? Or should you ALWAYS do the ultimate and “very best”?
As a leader, you mostly have three cherished, invaluable resources:
Time
Finances
People
5 principles to help you discern the dilemma:
Your outcomes should always equal or are better than your investment.
The big picture principle of discernment is to be able to measure the outcome.
Where the input is greater than the results; Lots of effort, but nothing changed; Lots of work, little fruit.
Good enough should never be an excuse for being lazy.
Great passion, precision, and care must always go into every ministry effort; the people you serve are worth it.
Determine what amount of effort and energy is required to produce the results you desire.
Very best should never be an excuse for unproductive perfectionism.
It is possible to get lost in unnecessary precision.
“Very best” is a principle that has nothing to do with justifying pet projects or perfectionism; it’s about leveraging the gifts and talents God has given you in alignment with a reasonable amount of effort and energy to achieve an appropriate return on your time.
How you handle your time options is of critical importance.
If you choose the “good enough” principle, it is then essential to use the time you saved intentionally; use your time to work on top priorities, not lost in busyness.
Pre-choose what you will invest your time in.
If you choose the “only your very best” option, then be honest with yourself and your team about why it is so important, and you are willing to let other things go.
A delegate who might cover what you can’t get to, or are there things you can eliminate.
The discernment between the two should never be done in a vacuum.
One of the best safeguards to discerning these leadership dilemmas is never doing it alone; if it’s big enough to be considered a dilemma, it’s big enough to ask for wisdom from others.
Measuring your pre-determined or desired outcome is essential.