This is a follow up to a really good post by Craig Groeshel on Breaking Up the Systems.
He uses the term muscle memory. I snipped this from the site wise geek:
Muscle memory can best be described as a type of movement with which the muscles become familiar over time. For instance, newborns don’t have muscle memory for activities like crawling, scooting or walking. The only way for the muscles to become accustomed to these activities is for the baby to learn how to do these things and then practice them with a great deal of trial and error. Gradually, as the baby becomes a skilled walker, he falls less, is able to balance, and finally is able to incorporate other activities into his life such as running.
Although the precise mechanism of muscle memory is unknown, what is theorized is that anyone learning a new activity, or practicing an old one has significant brain activity during this time. The walking child is gradually building neural pathways that will give the muscles a sense of muscle memory. In other words, even without thinking, the child is soon able to walk, and the muscles are completely accustomed to this process. The child doesn’t have to tell the body to walk; the body just knows how to do it, largely because neurons communicate with the muscles and say, “walk now.”
Muscle memory thus becomes an unconscious process.
Doing ministry out of muscle memory is, as Adrian Monk would say, "A blessing and a curse."
Muscle memory in ministry happens when we do a task often enough and well enough that we can perform it without thought.
The great part is that we just do our job without thinking about it. The bad part is we just do our job without thinking about it. Do you see the problem?
Autopilot feels great! We're finally comfortable, operating at a high level of proficiency with little thought. On the other hand, it was the discomfort we felt when we were learning that stretched us and challenged us to try harder and give our best.
It is not too long before autopilot looks strangely similar to a rut. You've heard the definition of a rut? A rut is a grave with the ends kicked out.
Autopilot is dangerous for a number of reasons:
- We don't remember why we are doing what we are doing
- We stop noticing little things
- We get focused on the task and not on people
- We just do the job and lose site of the bigger picture
- We start to cut corners to make the task even more "efficient"
- We get impatient with those we are training; after all, to us it is easy
So to avoid this tendency, leaders need to shake things up.
We need to change the routine and break up the rut.
That leads to all kinds of fun. More tomorrow.