As kids, when we got a ‘BOO-BOO’ we got the classic remedy for it…a BAND-AID! Ironically the BAND-AID didn’t stop the ‘BOO-BOO’ from hurting us or instantly heal the ‘BOO-BOO.’ Truth is, the BAND-AID only really helped us in two ways when we were kids…
- It helped someone give the ‘BOO-BOO’ attention ASAP
- It helped take the ‘BOO-BOO’ out of sight and out of mind (for a little while)
Common truth, I’m sure for all of us. But let’s see what happens when we take this situation out of this context and apply it to ministry & leadership.
Instead of talking about when we WERE kids, let’s talk about how we ARE leaders. Let’s take out the word ‘BOO-BOO’ and use the word ‘PROBLEM.’ Now, let’s put it in the present tense and re-tell the story…
As leaders, when we have a ‘PROBLEM’ we tend to give it the classic remedy…a BAND-AID! Ironically the BAND-AID doesn’t stop the ‘PROBLEM’ from hurting the organization or instantly fix the ‘PROBLEM.’ Truth is, the BAND-AID only really helps us in two ways as leaders…
- It helps someone SAY they gave the ‘PROBLEM’ attention ASAP
- It helps take the ‘PROBLEM’ out of sight and out of mind (for a little while)
Scary…huh?
The truth is, most leaders will deny that they EVER put a BAND-AID on anything. We would say that we address it head-on with what can be done at that point in time. Many times this means “we addressed it with a BAND-AID, we may revisit it later if there’s more time.”
I’ve been guilty of putting BAIN-AIDs on situations many times as a leader. At the time, it was easier than getting to the root of the problem, but it never worked. I’m learning more everyday that as a leader I have to confront problems head on, with love…and leave the BAIN-AIDs out of it!
That doesn’t mean it has to be a knock down drag out or a negative experience. But problems MUST be addressed. Sweeping things under the rug will only work for so long, but eventually we’ll end up with a mound of dirt (problems) with a tiny rug on top and a bunch of questions still to answer.
What about you…what are some situations you’ve been in lately where you were tempted to put a BAND-AID on something? Did it work? Share with us…! 
May 14th, 2008 at 11:45 am
Band-Aids are great for one week, but rarely last longer than that for me. And it’s painful to remove the band-aid when I finally decide to fix the problem…
May 19th, 2008 at 9:23 am
One “Band-Aid” we have tried is pulling people in to help us with our children until we get more committed workers. We have tried using parents, since they have children in the program, and we have tried begging anyone. This band-aid always seems to backfire. Sure we may get some bodies in there for crowd control, but that is all we have. It is a disservice to our children to have people there who do not care at all about helping or ministering to them, but are only interested in ’serving their time and getting out’. What is the right solution?!? I am at a loss. When we have a group of children with no adults stepping up to serve them, the children suffer too. I am really struggling with this at present in our children’s ministry. I know the band-aid fix is not the answer, but what is…