Goals, Growth and Results

I initially named this “linear growth vs. logarithmic growth” because that’s really the crux of this message, but it’s not as good for SEO. Let me ‘splain my thinking:

If a church has a goal of 10% growth in, say, attendance over one year, then it would be logical to expect a 2.5% growth every 3 months (for a total of 10% over a year). That would be linear growth. And it would also probably be unrealistic.

Logarithmic growth, on the other hand, assumes that ramping up will take time, effort and refinement. The growth may be .5% after the first three 3 months, 1.5% at 6 months and a larger ramp-up over the last half of the year. That’s logarithmic growth.

I don’t think it’s a shock to hear that the best results almost always come about after a period of sustained, goal-focused effort. We all want the results (I know I do), but we don’t always want to take the time to really put forth the right kinds of effort to get those results (I struggle with this). A gerbil in a wheel will work, very, very hard and get exactly nowhere.

Maybe it’s different for you, but I’ve found that I focus on that which I enjoy. The key, therefore, is to align my tasks to match up with the objectives (bite-sized and created from the original goal) that allow me do things that I enjoy during the process. For me to get the results, I’ve got to set myself up for success (and it helps if your boss helps you do this, too, by giving clear goals and realistic expectations). Since I’m all about “story”, I’m taking my tasks and doing them in the context of building up towards the over-arching story. Point is, find a way to get those things done, consistently, while filtering them against the goal.

My natural desire to see immediate results. My experiences have shown results come over time. It’s not linear….it’s logarithmic.

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