Being Fair is Not a Priority

Today I'm a fly on the wall in the back of the room in Kem Meyer's workshop on Communications. She just said something very interesting: "Fairness is not a priority for us in what we communicate and what we don't."

It made me think through several thoughts about fairness:

• We aren't fair about what gets promoted from the platform. Some ministries or events get priority.
• We aren't fair about which events or ministries get facility space.
• Jesus wasn't fair when he chose to spend most of his time with his 12 disciples. Furthermore, he wasn't fair when he chose three disciples above the rest of them.
• As a leader, I'm not fair with my time. Some people can call and get time with me at a moment's notice. Other people can't. That's not fair.
• We aren't fair when we determine what gets in the budget and what doesn't.
• I'm not fair with my influence. I focus a great deal of my influence with some people, and none at all with other people.
• We aren't fair with our compensation. Two people in the same position may not be paid the same. Two people who have been on staff the same length of time may not be paid the same. Two people with the same education and expertise may not be paid the same.

Bottom line: We make decisions based on priority, not fairness. We filter discussions through our mission and values, not whether it is fair. We determine budget dollars and facility requests through our purposes, not whether someone will get their feelings hurt.

Comments

[Kevin M. Stone]

Tim,
I regularly read and enjoy your blog. I'm learning lots from your posts.

This one really struck me this morning when I read it. I get that all the time. "That's not fair." "How can you allow that to happen, it's not fair."

Anyway, I couldn't agree more! We have a priority model around here for making decisions. It's called "The 3 Buckets." I'm going to post something on it soon (haven't yet had the time!).

Good stuff!