Make it easy

This month has been a month of voracious reading. So far 5 books. I go in spurts like this, but try to always be reading something. Part of my life-long learner intention.

In one of my recent reads there was a chapter about the importance of assessing, as a leader, why someone was not able to perform the way they were expected to. Was it a motivation problem or an ability problem? Good question to ask. It then followed that chapter with a chapter about helping people succeed by making it easy for them to accomplish what is needed.

Make it easy for them? I have to admit my first reaction was “What a crock!” Make it easy in my mind meant lower the expectation. If a person could not perform up to par, lower that expectation to make it easier for them to succeed. So, based on that idea, the person’s feeling of success (meeting the lower expectation) was more important that actually accomplishing what is really needed (the higher expectation).

That got me to thinking, what would things be like if God did that? Be holy? I can’t quite do that, but would being mostly good most of the time be sufficient? Lowering the expectation is not the answer. I have to admit that I nearly put the book down at this point. But I kept reading. I am glad I did.

As I read on I realized that the main point was not to lower the expectation, but to work toward removing any obstacles to the person accomplishing the expected outcome. If they are not motivated, work toward removing any obstacles to them being motivated. If they are not able, work toward removing anything in the way of them being able.

This was starting to resonate more with me. Remove obstacles to people’s success. A good role for a leader to have. In fact, back to the God part, is that not exactly what He did? If His expectation is Holiness, and we can not meet that because we are sinful, then He needed to provide a way to remove that obstacle to us succeeding in being Holy. And He did – through His son Jesus Christ. He did not lower the expectation, but he made a provision to remove the obstacle.

What a perfect time of year to be learning this. As we celebrate the birth of Christ, it is good to remember that God was beginning to remove the obstacle to our success in being Holy people through the birth of His son Jesus.

Thanks God for helping us to succeed by removing the obstacles to our success!

Do you have any examples of when a leader you worked with/for did well with removing obstacles to your success?