by Keith Webb
Provided by CN Building Adult Ministries Resource Center
Questions to Ask Before Moving On
Many of us like new things. Learning and doing new things is interesting and rewarding. However, once the novelty has worn off, it’s all too easy to move on to the next new thing.
Recently, I met a worker in a Muslim country who hasn’t moved on. For 17 years he’s been working, trying many ideas, teaching, and mentoring. All along the way he saw a bit of fruit, but nothing spectacular. Starting three years ago, however, the number of small groups has grown from 200 to more than 700.
What if he had given up and moved on after 8 or 10 or 12 years? Would the fruit be the same as it is today? I doubt it.
The Ten-Year Rule
Creativity research shows that it takes ten years of hard work to gain enough mastery to produce a unique contribution. Ten years!
Other research bears out the same thing in business, sport, and academics. The competent and successful are made not born. A new book, The Talent Code, says 3 things are required: tens of thousand of hours of practice, passion, and master coaching.
I’m okay with the passion and coaching, but tens of thousands of hours working on it? Tough!
Why Do We Give Up So Easily?
Seth Godin wrote a simple book with a profound point. You can understand it from the cover art. When you begin something new there are a lot of rewards. After a while, the reward vs. effort is reduced. This is The Dip. Many people quit here. However, if you push through the dip the results can be great.
The going will always get tough. By giving up too quickly, we waste an incredible amount of time and effort. To achieve our objectives we must work at it long enough to push through the dip.
Questions To Ask Before Moving On
So you’ve been working for 4 or 6 or 10 years, is it time to move on? Ask yourself the following questions:
- How focused am I on what I’m trying to do? We often haven’t fully invested ourselves in a strategy. Instead we hedge our bets by being involved in many good things. Before even thinking of quitting, get single-focused and dig into what you’re trying to accomplish.
- When will I quit? As you focus, decide when and for what reasons you will quit. How will you distinguish a dead-end verses a dip? Decide now rather than when you’re discouraged in the dip.
- What results are you experiencing? As you move forward build off the results you have. Try different tactics, ideas, and approaches to accomplish your larger goal.
- Am I thinking straight? It’s easy to rationalize why we should move on. Our pride is stung by slower-than-expected results. And let’s face it; in the non-profit fundraising world it’s easier to raise money for new vision. Pride also keeps us from quitting something we should have given up on long ago. It takes courage stick with something and to move on.
There are no easy answers to when to move on? Although, I suspect that with dedicated focus and a few more years, we could achieve far more than we dreamed possible. This is personally challenging to me. How about you?
Keith Webb is a Cross-cultural Leadership Coach and Trainer; Executive Committee Member at ICF Singapore Chapter & Principle at Creative Results Management