If you weren’t able to make it to The Global Leadership Summit—going on right now north of Chicago and at Host Sites across the nation—there is one word you must know from the opening talk.
GETMO.
Yes, it’s a little funny sounding, but as he gave the keynote talk for day one, Pastor Craig Groeschel shared why GETMO is something every leader should implement.
In his talk “Bend the Curve” Pastor Craig gives us a new way to look at the concept of “return on investment” (ROI) and how to improve quality without sacrificing resources.
Many leaders assume that better always costs more. A $700 suit is better than a $300 suit. A $50,000 car is better than a $10,000 car. Spending 20 hours prepping a sermon is better than spending 10.
Right?
Pastor Craig says we all assume that investing more brings a better return—and, at first, that can be true. Usually, the $700 suit really is better than the $300 suit. But, as you continue to invest in something, you reach a lid at what improvements can be made, and investing any more brings a diminishing return.
As a leader, you want to find that sweet spot where you get the greatest level of return for the investment you make in time, money, and resources. The key is GETMO—Good Enough to Move On.
Focus on GETMO
Rather than focusing on perfecting something, Pastor Craig tells us to look for the solution that will get the job done—implement that and move on. For us in ministry, we often have limited time, funds, volunteers, opportunities, etc., so GETMO can really help us focus on solutions instead of processes.
When we’re working on a problem, it’s so easy to throw more time, more money, or more concentration at it. Pastor Craig used the illustration of sermon planning—if eight hours spent prepping gives him a 80% polished piece, then 40 hours would obviously be better. Except it’s not. There comes a point when you’ve invested too much and you’ve overthought the sermon. When this happens, you actually start losing quality. 8 hours → 80% return
At some point, you’re investing more than you’re getting back, and your curve starts to level off or even drop.
The solution is to constantly look for ways to get to GETMO. GETMO is the stage where you get maximum impact for a sustainable amount of investment. Work on something until it’s good enough to move on.
To be clear: this isn’t a cavalier “good enough” attitude of doing the bare minimum. In fact, Craig says we usually need to be intentional about GETMO when we care too much, when we’re obsessing. We need to do what is, in fact, enough without getting bogged down in perfectionism.
Remember: Perfection is the enemy of progress.
The pursuit of perfection eventually limits you—perfection is unachievable. But, the pursuit of excellence motivates you.
Implement GETMO
Pastor Craig says that leaders should bend the curve away from spending more to do less and bring it back to being smarter with what you invest.
Here are two keys ways to bend the curve.
1. Think inside the box.
Usually, people say, “Think outside the box!” They’re really saying, “Think beyond your limitations.” But often, when we remove all limitations and open ourselves up to endless “what ifs,” we stall out.
Instead, it’s actually constraints that drive creativity. Decisions drain energy. Constraints eliminate options and allow us to focus on solutions, not decisions.
Example: When Pastor Craig was teaching in-person at two campuses, he found himself in a pinch: his wife was due to give birth to their son Sam at the same time he should be preaching. The constraints of the birth and the service time forced them to think creatively. There weren’t unlimited options of time to plan or speakers to bring in—instead, they simply played a video of Craig teaching the message from the evening before. And video church for Life.Church was born.
So, when you’re stuck, identify your constraints (or create constraints yourself) Instead of adding a campus, add services. Instead of spending six months on a project, ask yourself, “What if we only had one month?” Bending the curve means changing the ROI trajectory so you’re actually getting more out of less.
2. Burn the boats.
Next, Craig bases point two on a legend about Cortės burning his ships so his crew would have no option but to press onward. When you’re committed to your calling, burn any boats—any excuses or options that distract you from your goal—and press onward!
Pastor Craig tells us not to focus on what we don’t have or can’t do. Instead, tell yourself what you are called to do and why it matters.
Every time you face a problem in your ministry, decide it’s not a problem. It’s an opportunity to bend the curve. Think inside the box. Embrace constraints. Fully commit to your calling. Then, throw everything you have at a solution until you reach GETMO.
Then, do the ‘M-O’ part and move on to the next solution, the next goal, the next ministry opportunity, the next chance to help someone find Christ.
It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being effective.
Unpack Pastor Craig’s Talk
Here are two ways to unpack Pastor Craig’s “Bend the Curve” talk:
Download his leader guide, discussion questions, and wallpapers from this talk at CraigGroeschel.com.
On Thursday, August 15, we’ll be live on Facebook with Life.Church Campus Pastor Tomė Dawson to unpack GETMO and Bend the Curve specifically for ministry. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and follow us on lnstagram to see highlights and behind the scenes from day two of The Global Leadership Summit.
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