The computer stopped. It froze up and would not respond to any keystroke or click of the mouse. Being new on the job and not well-versed in computer technology, the receptionist did not know what to do. Once she realized the computer would not respond, and fearful that she would lose all of the report she had been working on, she asked for help from one of the more experienced secretaries. The secretary walked over, sat down at the receptionist’s desk, made a few quick keystrokes, stood up and said, “There you are,” and walked away. The receptionist was relieved and went back to work. Within a couple of hours the same thing happened to the receptionist’s computer. The same scenario played out. The next day came and went and the receptionist’s computer locked up again. Once again, the experienced secretary came to the rescue of the new employee.
Each time the receptionist was embarrassed and did not like pulling the secretary away from her workload. She tried to watch as the secretary freed the computer. But it was to no avail. The secretary would come in, make a few quick keystrokes and be off again. The secretary was very knowledgeable in the workings of the computer. In her mind, she was doing what needed to be done. She was correcting the problem. Or was she? Was she really correcting the problem or just the symptoms?
Frustration was setting in for both ladies. In the secretary’s mind the new receptionist was not learning to avoid making the error that was causing the computer to lock up. The receptionist’s frustration was with the system and that the secretary wasn’t taking time to teach her how to correct the problem or to avoid it. Had the secretary taken the time to explain the unlocking procedure and possibly tried to help the receptionist discover what she was doing to cause the computer to lock up, time and frustration could have been saved for both ladies.
The teacher (secretary) was very knowledgeable. Yet one thing she was overlooking was the student (receptionist) did not yet know the basics of computer operation. Many times we do the same thing in Christian education. It is easy for those of us who have been around Christianity for a lengthy period of time to forget that many of our listeners may be new Christians or non-Christians. We must continually ask ourselves, “Do they know the essentials yet?” Many of today’s Christians and church attendees exhibit biblical illiteracy and a shallow faith because we assume they know, understand, and apply more than they actually do. I attribute much of this to the teaching methods we have used for many years. We can never revisit the basics too often.
In teaching or leadership in general, we need to revisit the basics of our own leadership to insure we are teaching/leading, not simply treating the symptoms. You can purchase an air freshener for your home, or you can purchase an odor eliminator. Their packaging looks very similar on store shelves. One, the air freshener sprays a heavy scent on top of the existing odors attempting to mask or hide the odors. This is treating the symptoms. It does not eliminate the original odor.
The odor eliminator (as Febreze) actually has molecules that encapsulate the hydrocarbons of odors eliminating them from the sense of smell. This is treating the cause. In your leadership and teaching are you treating the symptoms or the cause?
George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life. Click here to receive this blog in your email inbox each Tuesday.