Lots of people confuse a possibility for an opportunity.  That can be dangerous.  There can be a huge difference in the two.

Recently our church was approached with what we thought was a great opportunity to plant another church campus. An existing church building was going to be available for little or no money and 10 or 20 people were ready to launch with us.  With no start-up costs it would be reasonable to think we could successfully move quickly towards a decision. We have thought about multi-site campuses in the past, so this seemed to make sense.

Shortly into the discussions the owner of the building decided he did not want to continue to discount the building for another church plant. He is considering other options with the building. If we rented it our cost would be several thousand dollars per month.  No longer was this an opportunity.  It was now only a possibility.  Do you see the difference?

Characteristics of Opportunities

• Defined as “an appropriate or favorable time or occasion” (Dictionary.com)
• Come with some defined realities
• Almost like being “in the right place at the right time”
• Hard to pass up, because they almost always come with some pre-arranged wins
• Make decision-making easier

Characteristics of Possibilities

• Defined as “the state or fact of being possible” (Dictionary.com)
• Filled with lots of hopes and dreams
• Have fewer assurances
• Could be great, but they could equally fail
• Come with unique risks and require more preparation to insure success.
• Need more thought, prayer and discernment.

Both opportunities and possibilities can be good.  I love risks and without them there is usually no opportunity to score big wins, but leaders (and individuals) need to learn to recognize the difference between the two.  Confusing a possibility for an opportunity often gets organizations and people in trouble quickly.

I have heard too many people say, “This is such a great opportunity”, when mistakenly what they have is an attractive possibility. There is a difference.

Have you ever made mistook a possibility for an opportunity?

Related posts:

1. Never Miss An Opportunity Again
2. Keeping Core Members In A Church Plant
3. Does Your Organization Produce Innovative Leaders or Managed Followers?
4. My Personal History of Leadership Development
5. Innovative Ministry Leader: Don’t Miss This Opportunity