We live in a society that is consumed by “more.” More money. More Facebook friends. More cars. More clothes. More happiness. More passion. More, more, more. What we have is never enough, and what we want is always changing.
This insatiability plagues leaders too, except our list may look more like this:
- More followers, staff, or volunteers.
- More influence.
- More authority.
- More platform time.
- More resources.
Often times, these desires come from sincere and good-natured intentions. We want to perform better. We want to create a more engaging experience. We think that “more” will get us there. I’m learning that most times, the opposite is actually true.
If you cannot produce quality with what you have, “more” will only get you more of the same – except with bigger losses.
If you are poorly managing what you have now, what makes you think that you can deal with more? If I can’t handle my staff of three well, giving me more staff will probably not help. It will only make things worse. Every problem will be magnified, every gap will widen, and everybody will be even more stressed out. Producing quality is dependent on efficiently using what you already have.
As leaders we must make a conscious choice of quality over quantity. This means being selective when presented with opportunities, and evaluating their impact on all of the areas of our lives. It means maintaining the proper focus and perspective, combined with principle-based living and decision making.
We please God by doing well with what we have. Learn to be a resourceful leader. Do the best you can with what you’ve got. Don’t give in to the discontentment and discouragement that come when we focus on what we wish we had. Focus on being a producer of quality output, no matter how small or large the task may be. Make quality your priority.
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ – Matthew 25:23 (NIV)
