FIRST IN LAST OUT
“ I ’ VE GOT SOME LAST-MINUTE CHANGES ” | Todd Elliott
Sound familiar ? I was working on an event that for some reason had a ton of last-minute graphics changes . When the people came to the team with this phrase , we pretty much always said , “ Sure , no problem .” After a few days of this , the person doing graphics was pretty wiped out . On one hand , we had someone who cared enough about the presentation to be the best it could be , that they said yes to every change . The results were an excellent program with the graphics being exactly what the presenter had in mind . With the end goal of communicating a message most effectively .
The results were also someone who was frazzled by the end of the program and right on the edge of making mistakes . The graphics person was definitely ready for a very long break after the program was done .
The question for me is , should we have been saying “ no ” to last minute changes to protect the graphics person , or was saying “ yes ” to all the changes the right idea ?
On one hand , as a leader on the team , it is my job to keep the scope of work to something manageable for the team . On the other hand , the purpose of the team is to help support the message , and if we can make it better then why wouldn ’ t we ?
There is also something to be said for the graphics person making the changes to stick up for themselves and to be able to say “ no ” if that is what ’ s best for the overall program .
The reality is that this gray area is where we live as production people . There is no standard answer for all the situations . Sometimes making the last-minute change is the right call . Sometimes locking things down early is the right answer .
Down at the foundation of this question is trust .
Trust between you and the people you ’ re supporting and their trust in you . Trust between you and the graphics person and the graphics person you , and with the presenter .
• Without trust , it is almost impossible to say “ no ” to a last minute request .
• Without trust , it is difficult to understand why a last-minute request isn ’ t possible .
• Without trust , it is difficult to understand why a certain last-minute request is even necessary .
Trust comes from time working together . Trust comes from living through all the outcomes , good and bad . Trust comes from enough shared experiences to know the best ways to respond in certain situations . Trust also comes from speaking the truth in love to each other , in a culture without fear , but understanding .
Here ’ s a question for you to think thru : How can we be about creating that culture instead of waiting for someone else to create it ?
To learn more about how to create a healthy team culture , check out our leadership track in our digital resource center !
Todd Elliott Todd is a writer , speaker , technical artist in the local church and founder of FILO , which stands for First In , Last Out . FILO was born out of his own need as a technical artist in the local church to be in community with other church tech people , to learn new ways of doing things and to be inspired that what he did mattered . The more FILO-type people he met , the more convinced he was that these are things we all need . That ’ s why FILO exists : to equip , encourage and inspire technical artists in the local church to become the best version of ourselves . Formerly the Technical Arts Director at Willow Creek Community Church , he started FILO in 2015 to help other technical artists become more effective so that the local church can be more effective . FILO ’ s flagship event happens yearly : Our next FILO Conference will be May 6 + 7 , 2025 in Chicagoland , IL . Register now for the best pricing options !
104 January 2025 Subscribe for Free ...