A Follow-Up

Have you ever read something and thought, "That's just what I was thinking?" I had one of those moments today.

One frustration that many leaders have is the foreboding sense that you spend most of your time oiling squeaky wheels. From time to time you think, "Just let the wheel squeak. I have work to do." While reading the book Sticky Teams by Larry Osborne, I came across this quote:


The fact is, oiling squeaky wheels can be hazardous to your church's health. Leaders who place too much emphasis on keeping squeaky wheels happy risk abdicating leadership. Instead of initiating, the leaders end up reacting. Instead of asking, 'What does God want us to do?' they ask, 'How will the squeaky will react?'

It also sends an unspoken message to the rest of the congregation. It tells everyone that the best way to have influence around here is to complain, and the louder and more often you complain, the more power you'll have. It's no wonder, then, that leadership teams that try to oil squeaky wheels end up having the most wheels to oil (page 81).


When I saw this I had one of those moments. I thought it but had not said it. Now I have, and now I want to live by it.