We often take our grandchildren to a local trampoline/indoor activity center. They charge by the hour, but we recently discovered that the all-day charge might be more economical. My wife took two of the boys one day, planning to use the all-day charge. She asked, “If we do the all-day charge, can we leave and come back? I thought we would stay for a while, go eat lunch, then return.” The response: “No.” The reason: “We can’t keep up with that.” She chose not to go the all-day route.
This raises a question for me. First, children are issued an arm band when they enter. If they are going to be there an hour, they get one color. There is a different color for two hours. This rotates throughout the day. I assume that there is a different color for all day admission. If the children are color coded, why can’t the ones with the all-day color come and go?
I assume that this has something to do either with management policy or a concern that this requires too much work on the part of those who monitor entrance. At any rate, I perceive this as a contrast between self-interest and service.
In his New Leadership Paradigm, Steve Piersanti, former CEO of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, defines self-interest in this way: “Leaders focus on maximizing their own power, pay, perks, prerogatives, and other positional benefits.” On the other hand, service is defined as, “Leaders focus on serving all stakeholders of the organization or community and benefiting the interests of the whole.”
The contrast might be defined as the difference between a “gate-keeping” and a “permission-giving” culture in the church or organization. Gatekeepers in positions of leadership tend to limit access and opportunities. They often operate out of a fear of failure or uncertainty based on a perception of limited resources. Permission-giving leaders, on the other hand, encourage experimentation and seek more effective ways to serve the community. They have both an abundance and developmental mindset.
Which of these is operating in your church or organization? Do you most often choose fear or possibility? Are you hoarding resources or investing them?
I have an idea that if the establishment where we take our grandchildren for recreation would reassess their policy and stretch themselves a bit, profits might just grow with a come and go policy. This would require a change in mindset, however.
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