Duck Hunting
"You don't have to get all the
ducks to have a good hunt.
It's obvious to anyone who
ever spent a day crouched in a duck blind: You don't have to get all the ducks
to have a good hunt. A returning hunter
focuses on what they bagged, not what they missed. A good duck hunter might
miss dozens of ducks and still bag "the limit." Duck hunters who focus
too much on those missed won't last long in the sport. With just one shotgun,
and scores of ducks flying, you are bound to miss plenty even when you’ve had a
great day. Leaders have to be careful of focusing on "missed ducks." No leader gets all the ducks. Neither do
golfers, or quarterbacks, or ministers.
Some pastors come home from
church every Sunday and start that depressing game of tallying who was missing with
their spouse. They are focusing on "missed ducks." Brooding about
people who didn’t show up, who missed the announcement, didn’t pledge to the
capital campaign, or didn't vote for renewing your pastoral call are missed
ducks.
Leaders focus on the ducks
they bag, not those missed. Jesus was such a leader. He missed the rich young
ruler. He missed most of the people in
So,
what do you think?
Responses
to this column are welcome at Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=161502633
Keith Drury
www.TuesdayColumn.com
Original
1984 recording: http://www.drurywriting.com/keith/strategetics/leadership/35.mp3