“The Art of Reconstruction”

There other day, while dropping off my children at school, I had an epiphany. It wasn’t some sort of vision from heaven like Isaiah did in chapter six of his book, but rather a visual lesson that I feel God shared with me. First of all, let me preface this with saying that I’m not the typical “God sent me a vision” sort of person…It’s not something that typically occurs, nor am I out there looking for signs from Heaven (although maybe I should start).

So I’m driving to my children’s school and out of the corner of my eye I see one of the many beautiful properties that surround the neighborhood where I live and it is currently under construction.

You might be saying to yourself, “okay, that doesn’t really seem like an epiphany or even anything remotely resembling a vision.”
Bear with me…

As I view this sight in front of me, I have one of those “ah-ha moments”. The kind that occurs when something or everything just seems to fall into place and finally makes sense. Have you ever had one of those? This specific “ah-ha moment” happens in an instant but the scenario takes time marinate and unfold in my brain:

There were many workers all over that home and property. All of them doing their jobs, but out in front of the home there was this huge eye-sore. It was a very large mountain of rubble. It was all rubbish, old bricks, ruined mortar, dirt and anything else considered to be elements of the old, discarded pile that could not be salvaged or reused in the rebuild.

From an outsider’s perspective this pile of garbage was all that I could focus on. It was all that I could see. The old, yet beautiful home was in severe disrepair as the reconstruction was taking place. It did not look inviting nor habitable in that current state. From the untrained eye, such as I am, the entire structure and surrounding property looked to be now worthless and nonrecoverable. Was I right in thinking this? Well, in that specific moment – yes. It was not a place that was presently livable…and yet I was also completely and utterly wrong. I had a limited window of vision (pun intended). What limited understanding and concept of patience within this reconstruction was obvious. But the funny thing about reconstruction is, well, the RE… It is being REbuilt, REestablished, REmodeled, REnewed.

I imagine that is what Nehemiah’s vision for Jerusalem was all about. He saw the rubble, he wept over the condition of the exiles and their capital city and he determined to do something about it. He envisioned what the completed walls would once again look like. Then in chapter 6 verses 15 and 16 of Nehemiah he saw the fruition of the reconstruction process, “So on October 2nd the wall was finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun. ¹⁶ When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God.”

This is vision.
This is what it takes to tear away the broken down, molded over, ruined pieces of what once was so that the present and the future might soon exist again.

Having vision is risky. Having vision involves living with the eye-sore in the temporary so that the permanent might have a firm foundation that will last. Having vision means that there will be opposition with limited to no imagination of what the future should or could look like contrary to what has been already known. Having vision means there will be tears shed, there will be heartache, sleepless nights, passions expressed and sometimes disagreements shared. It is often the road less traveled because an easier route is present. That easier road is all about preserving the crumbling foundation for as long as possible. Protecting what was instead of investing in what can be. The easier road is the band-aid for a life and career preserved instead a life and career freely given. It is the bowing out of responsibility over that of image, reputation and prominence. If we are not prepared for the fall out and rubble then we ought not tread on property soon to be under construction, and instead take the easier route.

Reconstruction disturbs present in order to survive and to thrive in the future. (Sorry Catherine Booth, I took some liberties there)…

So where is the art within this reconstruction?
Let me just say that this metaphor of construction is being applied in principal to organizational structure and re-organizational structure…

3 Principals Within The Art of Reconstruction:

1) Innovation from the first floor...
There is a tendency within organizations to only listen to the top tier leadership, while those on the ground, or first floor have just as much of a vested interest, if not more. After all, who will eventually replace the current leadership and cast the vision for a future generation? The answer? – those currently on the first floor.

In order to win at the reconstruction process (and by win I mean succeed) there needs to be an investment in innovation from the ground floors. Those companies that allow freedom of thought, creativity and innovation to be utilized see a far more harmonious and successful organization all around. When these characteristics are encouraged and cultivated there is a deepening of the foundations, a re fortification of the walls and a better chance at a lasting reconstruction to the organization.

The key is, though, not to placate or pretend to involve the first floor if their innovations and thoughts will not ultimately be considered or used. For if this is the case, then just stop the pretenses and plod on with your own self-designed vision. Chances are, you will already have lost members of your team and you will only discourage free-thinking innovators under the guise of first floor innovation. In other words, let your yes be yes and your no be no and stop pretending to include others if your organizational system doesn’t allow it…it is disingenuous and disparaging to pretend other voices matter.

2) Sharing the labor and vision
The structures of successful companies and organizations stem from the group as a whole and not a messiah leader at the top. Let’s be frank, there was only one Jesus and we are not Him…although we ought to strive to live like Him. Therefore, perhaps this emulation of Jesus ought to also be present in the office, board room and beyond. Taking this one step further, what would it look like organizationally if we were to emulate the Acts 2 Church? Their purpose was to live in community with one another, help each other, share the good news and it says that many were added to their numbers daily. (Acts 2:47)

Today, we compete against each other, we compare our responsibilities and “privileges” with that of others and we vie for position of ever increasing responsibility and power. This is certainly a drab account of things, but it is fairly accurate by and large? So what is missing in the reconstruction and rebuilding? I believe it is the Cornerstone – Jesus and our pure Christ-like attitudes. If we are to experience a successful reconstruction and/or realignment of mission, we cannot move without this piece first being present. When we have a shared labor, and a committed unified vision, then and only then are we able to put that newly constructed wall up…because the footings and foundation is deeply rooted in the Cornerstone of Christ and Godly principals of observed and put into practice.

3) Include Opposing Views

Are we really looking intently at change or are we just looking for ideas that share our already decided conclusions? It can be challenging to include those with whom you do not always see eye to eye with, but this kind of tension and resistance is healthy to organizations. The mark of true leadership is the willingness to include and to listen to opposing thoughts, ideas and opinions.

To be fair, those views and opinions may not always be correct, and we may challenge notions that oppose our preconceived concepts and ideas…this friction and tension spurs on the creative juices of diversity and innovation in us all. We need this friction and we need to be challenged. This is a good thing to take place. If we are not willing to listen to opposing sides then our reconstruction could be in jeopardy, because dare I say, none of us are infallible.

4) Celebrate Within the “Pardon Our Dust” Moments…
lastly, here’s a bonus principal in the art of reconstruction…it’s a freebie but very, very important nonetheless:
Celebrate within the “pardon our dust” moments. What do I mean by that? First this acknowledges that we do not currently have all of the answers or building pieces in place yet. AND THAT IS OKAY!!! Let’s not pretend to have it all worked out all of the time, because we are not fooling anyone with that facade. When we can celebrate the “baby steps” while actively engaged in these “pardon our dust” moments within the reconstruction, we are saying, “we aren’t where we use to be, and we aren’t where we want to be…but we are making process and we are heading in the right direction!” As a team, this means we have a desired completed project aim and while taking those steps it is important to see how far we’ve come, and to celebrate those micro-victories! This winning attitude brings confidence in the team around you, inspires others to keep moving forward and when we celebrate make it a point to honor and acknowledge those individual efforts that made it possible. When we celebrate the team and individuals who have helped spur the forward momentum, we are ensuring that momentum continues.

Here’s another brick in the wall (sorry Pink Floyd)…something more for us to ponder together. Blessings on you!