This is something we need to do more of as churches.
Collins research discovered that companies that excelled were those who were not afraid to hear tough truths about themselves.
I’m not sure who it was that said the ‘first task of leadership is to define reality’, but Colins would agree. He sees it as vital that companies deal with truth that is hitting them in the face – not the reality they wish were true.
He advocated creating a culture in which every person can be heard and respected because the ‘brutal facts’ may not (an probably won’t) come from those high on the food chain. They will likley come from those ‘on the ground’.
To create that culture he discovered that leaders:
– lead with questions not answers (that doesn’t mean the leaders didn’t know the answers but rather they heloped people explore the questions)
– engage in dialogue an debate – not cooercion – we don’t use power to achieve our ends
– conduct autopsies without blame – blame will limit our discovery of truth
– build ‘red flag mechanisms’ that turn information into information that canot be ignored. (too long to explain – but a magic idea!)
I guess if our churches genuinely confronted the brutal facts it might be way too scary…