Fly, or Die…the moment of truth

Baby bird stands, staring over the edge of the next.  Momma bird leans in behind baby bird.  Momma birds gives a sharp nudge.  Baby bird will either…

Fly, or die.  It is the moment of truth.

Several weeks ago, our group of students at Boise State (Impact Ministries at BSU) had come to that moment of truth.  Were they going to spread their wings and fly, or close their eyes and die?

We were about four weeks into the new semester, and momentum was already fading.  Student ownership was half-hearted, at best.  The weekly meetings were lacking that spark of excitement.  Something had to be done.

It was our moment of truth as a group.

I was in the midst of reading Jim Collins’ best-selling business book, Good to Great.  Collins recognizes that great companies “confront the brutal facts” head on.  His words were heavy on my mind when a friend of mine counseled me to “rally the troops” and to communicate the importance of this “fly or die” moment.

Without any advance notice, I called a meeting of student leaders.  The message was simple, and clear:  “It’s time to either fly, or die.  Meet me at 9pm, tonight (Friday), for a very important discussion.”

They showed up…every one of them.  I had invited 7 students, and each of them dropped everything (on a Friday night) to be there.

I explained to the group that there comes a “moment of truth” when we find out if we’ll fly, or if we’ll die.  I held nothing back, speaking very plainly about the problems I was already seeing within the group.  Everyone was listening intently…staring from the safety of the nest, knowing a critical moment had arrived.

We spent two hours that evening speaking more honestly than I have ever heard a group of students speak.  Everyone participated.  Nothing was held back.  And as we spoke, and listened, something very cool happened.  We started flapping our wings!

We walked out of the room that night on the same page, and taking responsibility for the past, and determined to work harder to shape a better future.

Since that evening, here’s what has happened:

• Students took charge of every aspect of coordinating our weekly gathering (music, food, teaching assignments, etc.).
• Students planned and coordinated our fall retreat…every part of it!  And, what’s the best part of this?  We had a 90% attendance level at the retreat…amazing!
• Students coordinated several social activities throughout the semester.
• Students have been encouraging other students, forming small accountability/discipleship groups, and practicing authenticity among the group.

We’re far from perfect as a group, but it has been very rewarding to see students take responsibility for growing in their leadership abilities, and in their relationship with God.

“Fly or Die” meetings are now a regular part of what we do as a leadership.  Students absolutely love them!  We just had another one last night, and, once again, students poured their hearts out to me, and to one another.  This week’s time of sharing, confronting the hard stuff head on, revealed to me just how much work there still is to be done, but what an encouragement to hear students speak the plain truth with one another.

Is it time for you to confront the brutal facts?  It might just be the best thing you can do to promote leadership among your students.

Do you have stories to share on this topic?  I’d love to hear how “brutal honesty” has helped, or hindered, your ability to promote leadership within a group.