Allowing Failure: Where's my Rabbit?

Folks involved in the church tech world are doers. They are problem solvers. They're the "go-to" folks. They are the first ones in the door on Sunday morning, and the last ones out.

We're wired to make things happen! We'll bend over backwards to help you succeed, pushing systems and ourselves to the limit and beyond to pull the proverbial rabbit out of a hat. But in doing that, we're our own worst enemies.

We let the amazing things that we can pull off in a pinch become expectation. We allow a work-around to a problem to become the operating norm. We refuse to let a lack of planning impact the final product of the worship service, and we ignore the cost of ourselves, our families, and to our heart.

I'm learning that sometimes letting logical consequences occur is exactly the right thing to do. Let me explain.

Of course, this all begins with communication. As techs, we have to be diligent and clear in our communication with leaders about issues that might cause a failure. That means doing it in writing, in addition to verbally, and doing it in a way that's not perceived as overbearing, threatening or judgmental. For me, that has meant making sure that I use informal and casual language... "Hey... I just want to make sure we're on the same page about the lighting system in the Fellowship Hall."

Be careful to line out the logical consequence if the problems aren't addressed. "We really need to get those mic lines in the Sanctuary repaired. Until we do, we can really only use one, or perhaps two microphones in a service. And if we lose another line, we could be without sound for a service while we get it fixed."

Then, we have to be willing to allow a failure to occur. Certainly there are some exceptions. Life and safety issues, for example. If we were dealing with speaker rigging or electrical issues that could injure someone, obviously allowing the consequence to occur is not an option.

But for things not involving life and safety, failure can be a good thing. This is a major mental readjustment for me. My makeup is such that I'll kill myself to make you look good. I'll work all night to make sure that things go smoothly, even if I don't have the right tools, or if you miss your deadlines for getting me material.

But, I won't be happy about it. My joy is gone! And, we set ourselves up with unreasonable expectations if we continue to pull rabbits out of our collective hats, sooner or later people won't be amazed at the trick and grateful for your skills. They'll simply stare back at you and ask "Where's my stinkin' rabbit?"

Doing this requires a certain mental "dis-investment." We have to become willing to allow things to go "not as well as they could" for a greater purpose. We also have to be prepared for the inevitable backlash at the failure, staying calm and more than reasonable in my response. A calm response acknowledging that the failure was not good, and reasonably pointing out that you have been asking for the tools to prevent the failure is a powerful tool.

By allowing failure, we are then in a much better place to address the NEXT issue that comes down the road. It's human nature that we don't remember pain, but we do remember the circumstances surrounding the pain. We remember what caused the pain, and we try to avoid it. By letting little things hurt, just a little bit, you have an opportunity to educate your leadership, and prevent more pain in the long run.