School Of Hard Knocks

Today I want to share one more part of Michael Franzese's book, "I'll Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse: Insider Business Tips From A Former Mob Boss."

In his chapter about how to learn from your failures, Franzese writes, "It's not how many times a person fails that necessarily matters. It's not called the School of Hard Knocks for nothing - it's all about what you learn. It's what a person learns from failure and how he reacts to it that leads to either ultimate success or ultimate failure. What information can you take away that will benefit you the next time around? What can you learn so you will never repeat the same mistake twice? How will you allow it to affect you internally so you don't give up, but keep on moving forward?"

Franzese lists four benefits of failure: 1) Failing can show you defects in your plan; 2) Failing can reveal defects in the execution or timing of a plan; 3) Failing can identify weaknesses in a team that need to be addressed; 4) Failing can highlight otherwise undetected variables at play.

Franzese concludes, "I got a good education from the many times I failed, and I'm relatively certain I'm not done yet - failing or learning. Once you assess the situation, you can remedy the gaps in your plan and your execution and improve your performance for the next time out."

How does Franzese's advice affect you? It's time to take a cold, hard look at your church or ministry. Have there been failures in your church or ministry, and perhaps on multiple occasions? What lessons can you take away that will help you out the next time around? Have you understood and learned those lessons well? Have you been able to spot defects in your plan or execution or timing? Do you need to make changes or transitions in your team? Are there any other variables that you need to address or confront?

The more transparent you are in answering these questions, the more likely you will learn from your mistakes, and the more likely you will become a successful church or ministry "failure" very soon.