How Has LCMS World Relief Thrived? Good to Great

Fifteen years ago, if someone would have told me that I'd be interspersing my studies of the Greek New Testament, Luther, translating Martin Chemnitz and the early Missouri Synod fathers, with the reading books on why and how organizations thrive and fail, I would have looked askance at my emerging self. Hey, I STILL study my New Testament, still read and translate heaps of theology, but I've come to realize that understanding and application of wise principals and strategies of leadership and organization are vital for the health of the church and her many organizations, entities and operations.

Why has LCMS World Relief and Human Care continued to thrive (despite my many weaknesses and failings) through thick and thin over the past decade? Divine blessing! Much of that blessing has been fantastic staff (people; see Collins' "Stage 1: Disciplined People" below). Part of that blessing has been the recognition of the truth and applicability of the work and thought of Jim Collins, particularly the books below. In "Christ Have Mercy: How to Put Your Faith in Action" I applied Collin's learnings from "Good to Great for the Social Sectors" to the work of mercy in the church. Most recently I've been reading "How the Mighty Fall" and am noting numerous applicable facts. Note this by Collins:

"When the rhetoric of success ("We're successful because we do these specific things") replaces penetrating understanding and insight ("We're successful because we UNDERSTAND WHY we do these specific things and under what conditions they would no longer work") decline will very likely follow. Luck and chance play a role in many successful outcomes, and those who fail to acknowledge the role luck may have played in their success - and thereby overestimate their own merit and capabilities - have succumbed to hubris." (p. 21)

"What" replaces "Why": The rhetoric of success ("We're successful because we do these specific things") replaces understanding and insight ("We're successful because we undserstand WHY we do these specific things and under what conditions they would no longer work"). (p. 43).

For us, THEOLOGY (i.e. Christ) is the driving WHY of it all! Of course I recognize clearly that Collin's "luck and chance" are rather God's timing unfolding opportunity at a given moment. At LCMS World Relief, we first defined the "WHY" in "A Theology for Mercy", and all the flexible "WHAT" fell into place.

I have provided a theological and practical critique of why the Missouri Synod is struggling so terribly as an institution in "It Is Time". I am also convinced that Collins' fairly new book, "How The Mighty Fall And Why Come Companies Never Give In" (2009), is in some large measure applicable to the national Synod.

There is much to learn from Collins. The Word of God ALWAYS trumps the social disciplines TO BE SURE, but as Lutherans we believe it the First Article (creation) and that the study of how and why organizations fail or thrive, is a worthwhile study also for the church and her institutions, which must daily function in both the kingdom of the right, and the kingdom of the left.

For all of Jim Collins' material, click HERE. At a minimum, EVERY pastor and leader in the church ought read Collins' brief "Good to Great for the Social Sectors." There Collins asserts that it is NOT that non-profits should become more like businesses. NO! Non-profits must pursue EXCELLENCE at their core endeavors, carefully, simply and clearly defined.

Matt Harrison

How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In How the Mighty Fall presents the well-founded hope that leaders can learn how to stave off decline and, if they find themselves falling, reverse their course – in part by understanding the five step-wise stages of decline uncovered in the four year research project behind the book. Every institution, no matter how great, is vulnerable to decline. Anyone can fall, and most eventually do. But decline, it turns out, is largely self-inflicted, and the path to recovery lies largely within our own hands. We are not imprisoned by our circumstances, our history, or even our staggering defeats along the way. As long as we never get entirely knocked out of the game, hope always remains. The mighty can fall, but they can often rise again.

Good to Great This book addresses a single question: Can a good company become a great company, and if so, how? Based on a five year research project comparing teams that made a leap to those that did not, Good to Great shows that greatness is not primarily a function of circumstance; but largely a matter of conscious choice and discipline. This book discusses concepts like Level 5 Leadership, First Who (first get the right people on the bus, then figure out where to drive it), and the Flywheel. Good to Great and the Social Sectors This monograph sprang from the realization that the Good to Great concepts have use far beyond business - in government, non-profits, schools, and just about everywhere else. The monograph rejects the idea that the social sectors should operate more like business and shows how theGood to Great concepts can be successfully adapted to worlds in which success is not measured in economic terms.

GOOD TO GREATTM CONCEPT SUMMARY

Our research shows that building a great organization proceeds in four basic stages; each stage consists of two fundamental principles:

STAGE 1: DISCIPLINED PEOPLE

Level 5 Leadership. Level 5 leaders are ambitious first and foremost for the cause, the organization, the work—not them- selves—and they have the fierce resolve to do whatever it takes to make good on that ambition. A Level 5 leader displays a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.

First Who ... Then What. Those who build great organizations make sure they have the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the key seats before they figure out where to drive the bus. They always think first about “who” and then about what.

STAGE 2: DISCIPLINED THOUGHT

Confront the Brutal Facts—the Stockdale Paradox. Retain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, AND AT THE SAME TIME have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.

The Hedgehog Concept. Greatness comes about by a series of good decisions consistent with a simple, coherent concept—a “Hedgehog Concept.” The Hedgehog Concept is an operating model that reflects understanding of three intersecting circles: what you can be the best in the world at, what you are deeply passionate about, and what best drives your economic or resource engine.

STAGE 3: DISCIPLINED ACTION

Culture of Discipline. Disciplined people who engage in disciplined thought and who take disciplined action—operating with freedom within a framework of responsibilities—this is the cornerstone of a culture that creates greatness. In a culture of discipline, people do not have “jobs;” they have responsibilities.

The Flywheel. In building greatness, there is no single defining action, no grand program, no one killer innovation, no solitary lucky break, no miracle moment. Rather, the process resembles relentlessly pushing a giant heavy flywheel in one direction, turn upon turn, building momentum until a point of breakthrough, and beyond.

STAGE 4: BUILDING GREATNESS TO LAST

Clock Building, Not Time Telling. Build an organization that can adapt through multiple generations of leaders; the exact opposite of being built around a single great leader, great idea or specific program. Build catalytic mechanisms to stimulate progress, rather than acting as a charismatic force of personality to drive progress.

Preserve the Core and Stimulate Progress. Adherence to core values combined with a willingness to challenge and change everything except those core values—keeping clear the distinction between “what we stand for” (which should never change) and “how we do things” (which should never stop changing). Great companies have a purpose—a reason for being—that goes far beyond just making money, and they translate this purpose into BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) to stimulate progress.