Mythbusters: Relying on Golden Tickets & Silver Bullets
Mythbusters is a series of articles by the Blueprint Team that targets false information, misinformation, or just plain-old bad advice…and replaces it with a helpful, truth-filled resource. Check out our first article and second article for more in the series.
We’re all guilty of it at one time or another: trying to find the golden ticket or silver bullet. The shortcut that will save us or our team major time. The magic answer that will solve many problems with one fell swoop. The next big thing that might just turn things around, get us over the hump, or finally unlock massive growth.
The truth is, in some areas of life, golden tickets and silver bullets don’t exist. Some of these areas include:
Marriage, parenting, friendship….any long-lasting relationship
Learning a new skill or kicking an old habit
Building muscle, eating healthy, staying fit
Saving for retirement
Easy examples, right? I think most of us can all agree that all of these require something more than a golden ticket (winning the lottery) or silver bullet (weight loss hacks). They require consistency, faithfulness, commitment, discipline, and investment. And for those who have kept off the weight, enjoy a committed marriage, and can play an instrument proficiently, these things are worth that investment.
But there are less obvious examples out there. There are areas where we think it should be easier than it is. Areas where we’re hoping for a golden ticket or a silver bullet - and the first step is to bring these areas to light. Today I’d like to spend a couple minutes calling out a few examples of areas in ministry and education where I find myself or others looking for “golden tickets.”
Marketing. If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me for a marketing hack, I’d have enough for a very nice pair of leather shoes. The marketing industry would have you believe that the right ad, the next big social media platform, or maybe a new brand will have people pouring through your front door. But there’s no such thing because at its heart, marketing is about forming relationships. Relationships require ongoing communication, clarity, and nurturing - and so does marketing. It’s never one thing that brings people to your door, it’s a symphony of efforts exercised consistently over time.
Culture. This should be an easy one, but I’m surprised by how people think that a better culture is just one leader, one teacher, one student, or one values-setting workshop away. Again - culture is about relationships and people! It, too, requires nurturing, time, earning trust, clarity, and communication.
Financial Sustainability. Often we see this lurking in the hope for a miracle, that a donor will wipe away the debt or that a couple new families will miraculously join the week before school starts to push our books into the black. While I’ve witnessed these miracles occur (God is so good!), I haven’t met a sustainable ministry that didn’t consistently and intentionally work to retain and SUSTAIN sustainability day-after-day through thoughtful budgeting, careful stewarding, and proactively developing healthy financial models.
Progress. Ministries that move forward don’t do so overnight. Behind the scenes of progress, you will usually find a team that has clear goals and has made some difficult decisions about what to do (and maybe more importantly, what NOT to do). They chip away at these limited and prioritized goals a little bit every day.
The reason I’m calling these areas out isn’t to shame or blame or deflate your hopes and dreams. I’m calling these areas out because once we recognize WHERE we’re looking for golden tickets or silver bullets, we can call them out as leaders and teams. Once we stop pouring our energy into quick fixes (and the resulting disappointments that come when they fail), we can pour our energy into something much better…
One of my favorite sayings is this: God does not call us to success. He calls us to faithfulness. I find such relief in this statement. I am reminded that it DOES NOT depend on me. I am not responsible for the success of my school, this project, or growth. God is. Huge relief there. But we don’t stay there. We can’t just throw our hands up into the air or sit on them either.
Because we are called to faithfulness, I am responsible for being faithful. To show up every day. To continue to grow and learn. To try and try again. To do a little bit every day in my little corner of the world. To do the next right thing. To ask myself, “What is the one thing I can do today to move forward?” To challenge myself as a leader, “What is the most important thing I need to do today for my school and team?” And then to follow through consistently.
While I have witnessed a few golden ticket and silver bullet moments that have moved ministry forward, these moments aren’t responsible for the continued growth, sustainability, and beautiful cultures of healthy schools. God’s blessing of faithfulness and consistency MOST often is.
This isn’t easy work. If you’ve been met with challenges in marketing or culture or financial sustainability or progress, I’m not surprised. I’ve found that every school has challenging work to do in these areas.
Something I find interesting? The root word of faithfulness is faith. That’s exactly what faithfulness requires. It requires a lot of faith to plant seeds, consistently water, fertilize, and pull weeds for days and weeks and months and sometimes years. It takes faith to wait for the harvest. But we know that God will provide exactly the results that are best. We can trust him.
So now it’s time for some tough questions.
Is there an area where you’re looking for a simple solution to a complex need?
Is there a goal that you want to achieve…but aren’t working consistently at it?
Why are you looking for a golden ticket in this area?
Who can help you identify these areas if you’re struggling to see them (or answer these questions)?
The first step is naming these areas of your ministry where you have unrealistic expectations or are looking for golden tickets/silver bullets!
Blueprint Schools exists to help schools build thriving organizations, including those who’d love to build thriving cultures, sustainable financial models, and consistent relationships with their communities.
If you need help getting started, we’d love to support you. Schedule a consultation to ask questions, learn more, and find the next best step for your team.
————————————
Thanks for reading!
If you don’t want to miss a future article, sign up to receive our Friday newsletter…
