Priority: Implementing Change Based on Lessons Learned

It’s been a minute, Servant Leader, but I’m glad you’re still here. I was reading in the Book of Esther this morning and it dawned on me that the Old Testament is rife with stories of how generations of Israelites were taught lessons, and then forgot them. While we can point fingers and challenge each other to do better, I see a lesson about God that withstands the test of time – the test of generations.

During the thousands of years of human existence, God’s grace has been ever present – as far back as Original Sin and the Fall of Man. He had every right to destroy Adam and Eve and start fresh. That would have been easy – it was two people. But instead, God, in His grace, showed them the consequences of their actions and gave them a way forward. King Saul, King David, and King Solomon were giants in their own right – yet they were sinners, nonetheless. God didn’t erase them from the Earth, but they also didn’t get away with their disobedience. God removed his anointing from Saul. David was unable to build the temple. And Solomon’s downfall led to the separation of Judah from the united kingdom of Israel. Heady penalties for sure, but gracious still.

God’s grace isn’t limited to the Old Testament. He gave Peter three chances to repent, remade Saul the persecutor of Christians into Paul the Apostle, and gave the Seven Churches pathways to redemption.

That’s the lesson – not that we humans fail to learn and are by our very nature disobedient, but that God is gracious. Period. Full Stop.

But what can we learn from God’s graciousness that applies to today’s business world?

Let’s look at a scripture in Isaiah…

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,The Holy One of Israel:“I am the Lord your God,Who teaches you to profit,Who leads you by the way you should go.Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!Then your peace would have been like a river,And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.Your descendants also would have been like the sand,And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand;His name would not have been cut offNor destroyed from before Me.” (Isaiah 48:17-19, NKJV)

The word “profit” in this context means “to ascend”, “to be valuable”, or “to benefit”.

Simply put, God teaches us to be useful. Any other action is suboptimal.

But how do we apply this to today’s GovCon efforts?

Let’s start by prioritizing Lessons Learned. Most companies do lip service, holding a 30-minute After Action or Lessons Learned debrief, checking the box in their CMMI list, filing paperwork, and moving on. Real implementation of God’s teaching is to prioritize Lessons Learned, make substantial change, and be better.

Consider the last Loss Debrief you received – did it give you even one item the company can improve to be more competitive? Did it highlight weaknesses or (God forbid) deficiencies in your approach that torpedoed your efforts?

What did you do about it. Did you file it in your Lessons Learned Repository for reference in four years when the next iteration of that contract comes around?

Or did you initiate an enterprise-wide change that would mitigate or eliminate that weakness (or deficiency) forever?

Keep this in mind, Servant Leader. When God “leads you by the way you should go”, He expects you to follow. Want “peace…like a river”? Follow God’s leading. Want “descendants…like the grains of sand”? Follow God’s leading.

Want to win more proposals?

Then implement real change based on prioritized Lessons Learned.

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