Most everyone is familiar with the famous Jack Palance line in "City Slickers". 

Curly: Do you know what the secret of life is?

Curly: This. [holds up one finger]

Mitch: Your finger?

Curly: One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and the rest don’t mean s***t

Mitch: But what is the “one thing?”

Curly: [smiles] That’s what you have to find out.

In 1996 I visited with a friend who had been a consultant for more than 50 years.  Esteemed around the world for his ability to tie principles together and ask penetrating questions ” he had built a career on the foundation of discerning what was the unique situation of the organization and then reaching in his bag of almost Yoda-like truths and helping the client find a remarkable clarity.  He did not spout truisms or formulas.  He simply waited while you rambled and then asked that one question.  He did not have one generic question or one question for which he was famous.  Every question was shaped and honed for the particular situation.

I was meeting with a young ministry founder today and talking about the transition both she and the organization were making from a visionary project that was a platform for all her energy and creativity to an organization that now needed structure and more resources to grow.  As we talked about what she loved to do and what was weighing on her I thought back to my friend who asked me a tough but kind question.  "What is the one thing your organization needs from you right now that is your responsibility whether you want it or not?" I knew the "one thing" I wanted to do and had managed to do that for the first few years.  But now was the time I had to decide whether I was going to serve the needs of the organization or continue to have the organization serve me.  It was not easy.  I did not really want to stop doing what I loved and start doing what was simply required…but I knew he was right.  I had to settle that before taking the next step.

It's always the same with new ventures.  There comes a time when we all have to identify (and sometimes painfully) take on the responsibility of the one thing the organization needs from us that only we can do.  The mission deserves it.