Does everything seem to be going wrong at your church or business? Are the key indicators of your success continually going down? Does everything feel like a struggle? Does it feel like if you didn’t have bad luck you’d have no luck at all?
If you have been in leadership any length of time, you have been there. You know at best, you have little to no momentum. At worst, you may be in full-fledged free fall.
Recently, Andy Benoit of the amazing website The Monday Morning Quarterback, profiled the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons started the season by winning their first five games. With new head coach Dan Quinn, the team appeared to have a chance to make the Super Bowl.
They have since lost five of the last six games. Benoit describes the team as being in a free fall. It is amazing the parallels which exist between a sports team in free fall and a church or business in free fall. You can read his full article by clicking here.
The good news is with the right decisions and best practices, you can regain lost momentum and stop your free fall regardless of the type of organization you lead. First, let’s look at the anatomy of a free fall from Benoit’s article. I will then conclude this post with a much-needed word of encouragement.
The following are 7 Signs A Church Or Business Is In A Free Fall I gleaned from Benoit’s profile:
- Missed Opportunities – There is a difference between sensing opportunity and seizing it. The Falcons were favored in four of the five games they lost. These teams were considered easily beatable.
- Unnecessary Mistakes – The Falcons have made far too many turnovers during their last six games. In particular, quarterback Matt Ryan has thrown two or more interceptions in five games this year and is on pace for the most in his career.
- Loss Of Talented People – One of the season’s best surprises, running back Devonta Freeman, missed the last game with a concussion. Even in the prior two games, Freeman only rushed for 12 and 43 yards respectively.
- Poor Fundamentals – There is a lack of attention to the basics of your profession. In their 10-point loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Falcons lost two fumbles in scoring position. Two weeks later in a 3-point loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Falcons lost three fumbles, two in scoring position.
- Poor Execution – Atlanta defeated the Tennessee Titans, one of the league’s worst teams, earlier this year by a score of only 10-7. Part of the reason was Ryan throwing two interceptions because the Titans defense outschemed the Falcons offense.
- Poor Decision-Making – Ryan, a very cerebral quarterback, has been making a number of uncharacteristically bad decisions resulting in unnecessary interceptions.
- Poor Performance – Wide receiver Leonard Hankerson has had a number of dropped passes this season and veteran Roddy White has had three or fewer catches in eight of the team’s 11 games.
The good news is all these issues are correctable. With their solid defense continuing to play well, there is still time for the Falcons to make the necessary adjustments, correct their mistakes, regain momentum and make the play-offs. Chances are the issues in your church or business are correctable as well. I hope this list helps you identify your problems.
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