The Toughest 10%

It’s one of the most difficult things for any leader to do. It’s not very popular, but it’s very necessary. It’s moving people out. And as leaders in the church, we cannot be shy about it.

Over the last ten years, Fellowship Church has tried to do just that. It’s a principle that Jack Welch calls differentiation. Basically, Mr. Welch says a healthy organization regularly moves out 10% of its staff. He says, “Winning leaders invest where the payback is the highest. They cut their losses everywhere else."

In other words, great leaders regularly take a look at the organization and evaluate those who should stay and those who need to be moved out.

This isn’t to say that you don’t appreciate the work and blessing that those people brought to the table. God brings people into your organization for a reason. But oftentimes, it’s only for a season. There are situations where it is necessary to move certain people out so that you, and they, can continue to grow.

At Fellowship, we have grown more over the last 20 years through subtraction than through addition. Think of a body. For a physical body to grow and maintain vibrancy, it must regularly eliminate certain things. In the body of Christ, and especially when it comes to staff, the same principle applies.

When you regularly move people out, the results are phenomenal! Those people then have the opportunity to become a blessing, to be used by God somewhere else. You see those left who step up to fill the voids; those who help your church reach the next level. You experience a vibrancy, freshness and newness that may not have been present before. You are forced to think strategically about your resources. And you ultimately experience growth through the change. I call this the spin cycle of success. Change – Conflict – Growth.

For any organization to maintain life, it must remain fluid. Otherwise, it becomes stagnate. And as the living body of Chirst, we must recognize this and not be afraid to follow the steps to maintain vitality and life.

As a leader, don't be afraid to evaluate who is around you. Don't be shy about moving people out. God will continue to work through you. He will continue to use you and your organization for his purposes. And you will experience blessings that may have been blockaded before!

Comments

[John Cross]

Very well stated!! Releasing and re-assigning are part of leading a healthy, growing, ministry/organization! For us as pastors, the stakes are much too high for us to do otherwise! We've got to choose who we lose!

It's an old school line, but the lost are worth the cost!!

[Buddy Cremeans]

I meant 12 spies.:)

12-4= 8

my bad.

[Buddy Cremeans]

Can't we all just get along?

This would have been my response 6 years ago if I read this post. Today? Not so much. I used to believe in order to be a good Pastor and Leader you need to keep everyone "on the bus" for the ride.

Jim Collins, says in his book, Good to Great...

Great Companies have discovered...

Get the right people on the bus.
Get the wrong people off the bus.
Get the right people in the right seats.

I think if we drill down and look at Gods take on this, His percentages would shock us! Perhaps, God would call this post....The Toughest 80 percent.

10 spies….spied out the Promise Land.
All 10 had experienced the super natural deliverance of God.
10 spies??? 8 didn’t believe in the direction God wanted to take the bus.
Gods response?

10 – 8 = 2.

Oh yeah, another 2,000,000 people believed the 8 spies instead of the 2. Gods response? He subtracted 2,000,000 peeps! Yikes!

Keep subtracting Ed!

The stakes are too high.

Take 2 Cities for God!

[Kayla Barrett]

Great post and well-stated. I have served in both the corporate marketplace and in a ministry organization. Movement among leadership is the lifeblood of innovation, progress and God's timing in our own journeys. Thanks for the boldness to say what needs to be said.

[Postscript]

While I whole heartedly agree, a lot of Pastors and churches will go about subtraction in the wrong way. How you give honest feedback when they are on staff and how you send them off are very important as well.

[@matias72]

As a deacon and leader in other areas of my church, how can I communicate this to other members who choose not to let go?

[Gaddy]

apply it to life too...i go to campbell university divinity school in NC and the first thing the dean told me was to learn to subtract. We think we are most effective when we multiply our responsibilities, but that is sooooo not true! Busy-ness does not equal success! Subtraction is a beautiful and challenging practice and oh so needed!

[Rona Davis]

Hey Ed!
As a member of your church, I have always admired your bold leadership to forge ahead and not worry about the background noise of grumbling and complaining. While in home team leadership years ago, I recall an email you sent all of us that let us know if people could not trust their church leadership they should consider they may be in the wrong church. I don't remember how you worded it and don't want to misquote, but the message was clear, "quit grumbling and complaining, especially when you do not even know all the facts and shut up, step up or move over." (MY WORDS, MY INTERPRETATION, NOT ED YOUNG'S WORDS.) That always struck a chord with me and made me realize what great leadership, strong leadership, Nehemiah type leadership we were under!

I would like to speak to the 10% who may be reading this. If you are one of those 10% from a church or organization who has just been moved over, up, sideways or out - listen to what God is telling you through this change! I am that 10% right now!! I have had to take a huge leap of faith and resign from my job of 9 years knowing I was out of season and out of step with where the company was going. It was a difficult process as I helped set up and structure the company and people were moving on without me. I began to really walk in frustration and even in complete, sinful disobedience!! When the Lord finally got to the part of my heart I could hear from, I realized, it was time for me to move on, to recognize I was the 10% that was slowing down forward progress of my organization. God had already given me and my husband a very clear vision for the future and for our own ministry. I kept waiting for Him to throw down some start-up capital, but He made it clear that He was expecting obedience and a sky dive of faith on our part! I resigned first thing Monday morning and have not felt so much peace in so long! People that I have had tense relationships with for the past few months have come to tell me how happy they are to see me move on into my own place, the place God had been making a way for!!

So, if you are that 10% - it is OKAY!! It is BETTER THAN OKAY!! God has an amazing place for you! An amazing assignment for you! As awesome as Ed Young is to all of us (and Lisa Young, too) - we are all supposed to be that awesome to the field God is giving us to harvest!! So rise up to this occasion and get your plowshares out!! If you cannot get hold of this excited anticipation for your future, ask God to reveal where you are in disobedience. It won't be pretty, it won't be fun, but when you do that, when you open that door and are willing to walk through the repentant fire God will bust a move like you have never seen and the enemy will back up like a coward!! Do it!!

Purposed Freedom = Freedom + Purpose + Restoration = Abundant Living!
Rona Davis
Former Caged Bird Flying Free
C.C.O. (Chief Creative Officer)
Purposed Freedom Living

[Mac]

Ed, what a great reminder of the real responsibility of true leaders. Thanks for being willing to both do it and talk about the hard stuff.

[Dean Hansen]

I have noticed that there are a lot of lateral movements at Fellowship Church. Leaders moving from one position to another and from campus to campus. Moving out doesn't always have to mean "Good-bye". As a business leader, I have often employed this strategy to initiate fresh, innovative energy -while keeping good people. By switching positions, you instantly create a new perspective.

[Tim Chambers]

There are times when you find out that that 10% has been 90% of the reason you don't see the full blessing of God. We are in the midst of God shuffling the deck in a huge way and I see it as an opportunity for future growth. Good thoughts on the 10%.

[Daniel Hahn]

That's some awfully tough decision making, Ed-decisions that have to be made. It's almost a shame that there's a business side to church, but, like you said, it does inspire all to be a better team member. Sounds like you've had to let someone go recently that wasn't happy...

[Colby Jenkins]

Hey Ed, I always enjoy reading your post on leadership. Can you give some insight on church subtraction as it pertains to a small church of less than 100 people? I can see how this process serves as a creative step into a new level. But what if once you subtract you can't add back, simply because of the lack of people capable to fill those shoes within your ministry? Thanks for all of your insight, its such a blessing!

[Scott Gould]

Ed, great real post.

We need leaders who get down and dirty and talk about what leadership really is in the church today.

Thank you.

[Lisa Neal]

I'm a member of Living Word Family Church in Raleigh, NC pastored by Pastor Steve and Connie Caronna. I really enjoy keeping up with your ministry and blogs. Thanks for sharing this.

[Bev Stra]

Excellent! When the staff/volunteer knows that their time might be limited they have an opportunity to pull out all the gifts and use them not allowing laxity. There will be a steady stream of freshness. Amen!

[bill (cycleguy)]

Thanks for this advice Ed. We just had a staff subtraction (time for it and he chose it) and the transition is tough because we are a church of less than 200. We came close to that "number" but then the staff member pulled some hijinks (not moral) and we took a hit. I do have one scenario though for you. What if you are the only one on staff and subtraction is not a good option? :) Appreciate reading your blog.

[Chris]

I bet your staff and volunteers read this with "fear and trembling":). But, I do agree wholeheartedly. Not easy to do but a must over the long haul. Well put.

[Angela Yee]

Interesting concept… how do you do this practically speaking?

[Theda Okona]

Well stated--even in the church's organization chart there are people who are there for a reason, others for a season and some for a lifetime. It is the cycle of a healthy church life...