At last year’s Catalyst Conference in Atlanta, author Jim Collins gave a synopsis of his (and Morten Hansen’s) recent book Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos and Luck—Why Some Thrive Despite Them All. Collins’ research team spent nine years researching the issue of why some companies thrive during times of uncertainty, and others don’t, and the book presents the results of that study. I found his talk to be so intriguing that I read the book, and although the book is not written from a Christian perspective, I believe the principles that were uncovered in the research offer help to leaders in Christian ministry as well as other leaders (which I’m sure is why Collins was invited to speak at Catalyst).

The team studied seven companies that had started from a position of vulnerability and then outperformed their industry averages by at least ten times (called “10X companies,” with their leaders being called “10Xers”) over a certain period that included uncertainty and even chaos (for example, Southwest Airlines during a period that included airline deregulation and the 9/11 terrorist attack). The team compared each of the 10X companies with a counterpart company in similar circumstances which did not do well, and in some cases even ceased to exist as an independent entity. Before describing the factors that distinguished the 10Xers from their less successful counterparts, the authors listed what they did not find about 10Xers relative to their counterparts:

The 10xers are not more creative.
They’re not more visionary.
They’re not more charismatic.
They’re not more ambitious.
They’re not more blessed by luck.
They’re not more risk seeking.
They’re not more heroic.
They’re not more prone to making big, bold moves.

The research found that 10Xers distinguished themselves by embracing a paradox of control and non-control. On the one hand, 10Xers understand that they face continuous uncertainty and cannot control or accurately predict significant aspects of the world around them. On the other hand, 10Xers reject the idea that forces outside their control or chance events will determine 10Xers’ results; they accept full responsibility for their own fate. 10Xers implement these beliefs with three primary behaviors: fanatic discipline, empirical creativity, and productive paranoia.

Fanatic discipline means consistency of action; sticking for the long-term with what you know you should do regardless of pressures to do otherwise. Empirical creativity means making bold moves based on what you know actually works (e.g., seeing it work yourself, or having solid evidence that it works) rather than relying on opinion, untested theories, or conventional wisdom. Productive paranoia means staying on the alert in good times as well as bad, and always being prepared for the possibility (indeed, the certainty) that conditions will turn against you at some unpredictable moment.

For me, the benefits of the research findings are personal and ministry-related. Personally, it reinforces that I need to be in prayer and in the Word. I need to be disciplined in spending time with the Lord, no matter what the outside pressures might be, and I need to take care of myself physically, as well. This will prepare me for the trials that life and ministry bring. Also, it was encouraging to see in the research findings that a person doesn’t have to have a certain type of personality, abilities or gifts in order to do well as a leader. The 10Xers were a diverse group, and the behaviors exhibited by them are within anyone’s grasp.

With regard to ministry, one of the most helpful ideas from the book was the concept of “firing bullets, then cannonballs,” as the authors put it. In other words, trying different ideas on a small scale (pilot projects), seeing what actually works, then putting all that you have behind it, and continue doing it until it becomes clear that something else is called for. The key for 10Xers was to settle upon what the authors called a SMaC (Specific, Methodical and Consistent) recipe of durable practices that can produce consistent success (the authors give an interesting account of Southwest Airlines’ tremendously successful SMaC recipe). A simple example in a church setting would be doing a small-group DVD study with a few people, and if it’s well-received, launching an all-church study. If that works, then have as an ingredient in the SMaC recipe to try to do an all-church study once a year.

More could be said about the helpfulness of the book, but in short, Great by Choice is a great choice to read!

Ron Burns, Discipleship Coordinator
N. Manchester (IN) First Brethren Church



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