One of the most frequent questions we get about our search process is, "How long will it take?"
What we are learning as a firm is that the really savvy churches and leaders are the ones that aren't obsessed with speed of staffing, but quality. Thinking on this subject, we asked our Ministry Partner Tony Morgan for his thoughts. He says patience is required. Not just in the hiring, but also in getting a new leader going.
Read his reflections below. He's pretty smart.
by Tony Morgan
"I just want to save you all the frustration right now. I’ve experienced it a few times in my life. I’ve watched others confirm it in their lives.
It takes 12 months in any new job to figure out the role.
I’m talking about leadership roles here. If you are a widget-fabricator, maybe it’s different for you. For those of us that transition into new leadership positions, though, it always takes a full year to find out what we were really hired to do.
In those 12 months, we get to figure out what the unspoken expectations are. We have the opportunity to determine how our uniqueness fits into the unique organization that now provides our paycheck. We have the chance to see how we relate and work beside the people on our team. It takes 12 months. Until then, we aren’t really adding true value. We’re just trying to survive.
This is why finding the right people before you offer the job is so important. This is why finding the right employer before accepting the job is so important. This is why keeping the right people in your organization is so important. Every time the position opens, we lose 12 months."
(This is just part of Tony's reflections on this subject. To read the full post and lots of other good things Tony has to say, check out the full article and his site here).