You Can't Microwave Golden Brown Goodness

Can you imagine life without a Microwave? Percy Spencer hooked us up when he invented that lovely heating machine in the 1940’s. We don’t go a day without using it to do things like heat up drinks, warm meals, and cook popcorn. When my first son was born I figured out the exact amount of time it took to heat a bottle perfectly. Needless to say, my burned forearms got me into enough trouble during the testing phase to get my mental health questioned a few times…and times haven’t changed...that much.


Can you imagine not having a Microwave? We would be stuck relying on the old stove, the grill, or even starting a fire outside in a pit and it would just take too long. We hate waiting. It’s not convenient nor is it practical in today’s world. Unfortunately we don’t like waiting as our leaders grow and develop either. We spend time figuring out how to speed up their growth when we should instead be spending time figuring out how to enhance it.

Did you ever promote Johnny Poser before he was ready? Who would want to take the time to do it right? We have goals to hit, budgets to dwarf, and gross profit to drive. Very little equipping went into Johnny’s development, but you were convinced he would succeed. After all, he did his current job so well that you knew he would fit right into his next one with more responsibility. You kept telling yourself, “This will work out great! Johnny is perfect for this role!”  Then reality decided to show up after you made the promotional switch.  He wasn’t ready and his immaturity slapped you silly. You didn’t truly equip him so you try addressing the major red flags and Johnny doesn’t think he needs any more “help” because he has arrived. You begin to realize your desire for speed and ease blinded the reality of his developmental deficiencies. More and more issues begin to surface until you have no choice but to remove Johnny Poser from his newfound leadership role. I have made this mistake and it isn’t fun living through it having to undo something you never should have done. The problem is you put them in a growth Microwave and expected them to be ready in 45 seconds on 100% power.

I love roasting marshmallows.  My friends make fun of me because I get down and find the best part of the fire where there is no flame with even heat emitting from the coals.  My goal each time is to make the perfect blend of brown crispiness with zero burn.  The process of building the fire, lighting it and waiting for it to blaze to the point so it is ready to roast marshmallows takes time.  You finally get your little puffy ball ‘o goodness on the stick and begin roasting.  It isn’t ready immediately.  It takes time to get all the sides just right – golden brown.  What if you used the same patience and focus in developing your leaders?  Have you ever tried “roasting” a marshmallow in the Microwave?  It blows up.  The heat is too intense and you’re left with a sticky mess.  Take the time to invest, equip, and develop your leaders into golden brown globes of tasty goodness because if you try to Microwave them they’ll end up blowing up into a sticky mess that your wife will make you clean up. Trust me.