A common phrase that we hear today is “boom and bust”. When he was Chancellor, Gordon Brown promised there would be “no more boom and bust” – and he left the country more bust than ever. The consultant that treats my daughter for her Chronic Fatigue Syndrome talks of trying to stop the “boom and bust” with her energy, but instead managing it to use the same amount each day – not using it all up when feeling a little better and then crashing for 2 days afterwards.
At a leadership conference I attended on the weekend, one of the speakers was Jim Collins – the business guru who has written the books ‘Built to Last’, ‘Good to Great’ and ‘Great by Choice’. He was comparing two great explorers, the Norwegian Amundsen and the Brit Scott, and their battle to reach the South Pole first – and why Amundsen was the more successful.
One of the reasons he picked up on was the different approach regarding daily segments of the trek. Scott, when the weather conditions were good, would keep going all day until he could go no further – but this often meant a day or two followed with little distance covered. He compared this with Amundsen who trekked 20 miles every day. It didn’t make any difference what the conditions were – good conditions where they could go further, boiling hot sun, deep snow, he did a 20 mile march every day. Even when close to the goal, he restrained his men from sprinting to the finish and going further in a day – he knew they also needed to make it back to base camp again.
We all know the result of this story – that Amundsen made it to the South Pole first – and his team got safely back to base camp, but Scott – having made it to the South Pole a few days later – never returned.
In our churches and charities, it can be tempting to race to our goal – but in trying to get there quickly, we never quite make it. Remember that it is better to take a 20 mile march every day than it is to follow the way of ‘boom and bust’.
As I look back, I see periods in my life where I did regular 20 mile marches, and other times where it looked more like ‘boom and bust’. I can also see which periods were the most effective and achieved the most.
Remember, in your organisations, take a 20 mile march every day!!