Tag Archives: Falcons

Posted on

Unity In Diversity

by

In a recent post, we looked at how diversity of skills, perspectives, gifts, etc. is necessary for an organization to achieve it purposes. If you have not read it yet, I would recommend doing that now. Today, I want to look at how diversity may not be enough. We also need unity.

unity

All-Stars Without Diversity

In the other post, I described a hypothetical situation where the Atlanta Falcons signed five new all-star players for their roster. All five were quarterbacks. The leadership of the team knew they did not need five quarterbacks, but instead planned to play these all-stars in the offensive line positions.

I talked about how ridiculous this would be (if it were true) and how ineffective it would be to put quarterbacks on the offensive line. I don’t think anyone argued about this opinion.

Same True For Business

We then looked at the parallels between a football team and our businesses. Regardless the organization, we agreed that we needed among our members a diversity of skills, perspectives, gifts, etc. if we want the team to be effective.

While this is true, there is more to the picture.

What About Unity Of Purpose?

Think about this. Assume for a moment the Falcons did not sign five quarterbacks, but instead had all of the best skilled players in the league for each position and had them playing in the right positions. Sounds much better, right?

Well, now assume the quarterback had decided he was going to set a new record for the most rushing yards for a quarterback. The running back set his goal as the most receiving touchdowns in a season. The linemen determined they would seek the record for the fewest injuries in a season for an offensive line. The coach is convinced he can orchestrate the most come-from-behind wins in one season.

Do you get the idea? If each player has a different goal – even if it is a valid, challenging goal – then the team will self-destruct! Can you imagine what a game would look like for this team?

Unity In Business

The same principles apply in our businesses. If we hire the best people and put them in the right positions according to their skills or gifts, we are starting off on the right foot.

However, if we do not work just as hard to make sure they all have the exact same overall goals in mind, we are simply setting ourselves up for failure. There is no way for an organization to be successful in achieving the purposes for which it was created if the members of that organization have varied goals.

Take a look at your own organization. Does everyone have the same goals as you do? Are these goals communicated clearly and consistently? Do you make corrections to the goals of those on your team as it becomes evident they are different from those of the team?

What Does Scripture Say?

In case you are wondering what the Bible says about this principle of unity, I suggest we go there to find out. In fact, we can use part of the same passage of Scripture to illustrate this point on unity as we did for the point about diversity. Take a look:

But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
1 Corinthians 12:24-26

Note the following phrases:

    God has put the body together…
    there should be no division in the body…
    its parts should have equal concern for each other…
    if one part suffers, every part suffers…

I think it becomes clear that diversity is important, but it must be combined with unity if we are going to be effective. The right skills in the right positions, all with a common goal, can achieve amazing results!

Which is more of a problem for your team: unity or diversity?

What action step do you need to take to begin correcting this?

Is your team aware of the need for change?

Posted on

Dream Team For Falcons?

by

I want you to imagine for a moment that you are a fan of the Atlanta Falcons professional football team. You believe there is great hope in the upcoming season. You are intently following their offseason moves so you get a better idea of exactly HOW good the upcoming season will be. Then you see the following in the newspaper:

Falcons

5 New Star Falcons!

Your first thoughts are full of excitement and you can’t wait to see the names of these new stars on the team. As you read through the article, your mood changes. In fact, it gets downright maddening as you see the details of the new players that have been signed.

Why are you frustrated? As it turns out, your favorite team has signed five of the best players in the league. While that SHOULD be a good thing, the truth is it is not. Unfortunately for you, all five of the “all-star” players that were signed are quarterbacks!

What Are They Thinking?

Granted, with a possible exception here or there, these are arguably the best five quarterbacks in the league right now. There is no question they are the best. The problem is that no team needs five quarterbacks! Of course, the Falcons’ ownership realizes this…

Which is why they are planning to play these new stars on the offensive line.

Seriously? You can’t believe your eyes! What are they thinking?

Diversity Is Necessary!

Obviously, this is fiction – don’t get too worked up! But clearly, there is a huge point here relating to business, churches, and any other organization. The point here is that diversity is a major benefit to an organization and the lack of it can be just as deadly.

Think about it. Too many people with the same skills and talents, the same perspectives and opinions, etc. can be a good thing if your only goal is harmony. You won’t likely have many arguments or confrontations this way, but do you really think you will be more effective this way?

The problem with this picture is that most organizations have a variety of jobs that need to be done. Each of these jobs require differing skill sets and talents. Just like a football team has different positions that require different body types, sizes, flexibility, and speed, your organization cannot be effective if everyone is just alike.

Good At One, Good At Another?

While the five quarterbacks mentioned above are likely among the best at the quarterback position, they are not nearly big enough or strong enough to play on the offensive line. Even if they are better at their position than the current offensive line is at theirs, that does not mean it is a good idea to put them in this position.

Yet, often we do this very thing in our businesses. We see someone that is good at sales and just assume she is also good at managing other people. So we promote her without considering that these two jobs require very different skills and abilities.

I am sure you can think of similar examples of this kind of behavior in your organization. I can promise you we have made this mistake more than once. In fact, I have been guilty of this myself – with my own job.

My Own Job!

For years, I have tried to do certain parts of my job even though I am not very skilled at these parts of the job. I did them because I knew they had to be done and felt I was the only one who could do them.

Fortunately, during a one-on-one coaching session, my C12 chairman told me that I was not at all good at these parts of my job! He did not mince words, but told me exactly what I needed to hear. I am so thankful for this kind of wisdom and accountability!

I Followed The Advice

As a result, I have been on a search for someone that IS skilled at these tasks. I am determined I am not going to continue making the same mistake because I know how much it is limiting the success of our company.

Sure, it is certainly humbling to realize that I am not able to do everything our organization needs out of my position. I would love nothing more than to be able to fill this role in a way that takes the company to new heights. At the same time, I realize that God did not wire me that way.

My gifts and talents are absolutely useful in our company, just not in the roles I have been playing. I am okay with that.

Example From Scripture

Just so we are sure these principles are true and not just my opinion, let’s take a look at Scripture that backs this up.

If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
1 Corinthians 12:17-20

Can you see how this works in a business? This same principle that Paul describes as the body of Christ works for a business, non-profit organization, or any other group of people with a common purpose.

I would encourage you to look around your business (and in the mirror!) to see if you have the diversity of skills, perspectives, gifts, etc. that you need. If not, make a conscious effort to begin the process of correcting this problem. In my next post, we will look at how diversity may not be enough.