Now we all know people that like numbers, and we know people that don’t like numbers!
For some, I think the love/hate relationship to numbers goes back to our early education. Remember in school when someone would ask the teacher, “How will I use [insert mathematic topic] in my life?” Most teachers provide a weak response, and my perspective is that people fear numbers because they have not been taught the potential positive impact numbers can offer in work and life.
The first post of the Church Finance 30/30 Series was about the same topic, with a different slant – Budgets are about freedom, not constraint. The same can be said of numbers. Numbers are about freedom, not constraint!
The main point – we need to teach people how to use numbers to help and to inform decisions, not annoy people.
Finance is not all about numbers, but numbers are a critical input and output to finance. So, how do we connect the dots and help people enjoy, and not dread math?
The Wall Street Journal ran a great article, “How One Entrepreneur Conquered Her Math Fear” by Alexandra Samuel.
I think Entrepreneurs can be much like pastors managing a church — they may be a one-person show, with limited support, and a tremendous responsibility for ALL aspects of management — Finance, HR, Advertising, Marketing
Samuel outlines four ideas that I want to use to help you conquer your fear of math, and I will share my journey with numbers along the way.
Action 1: “Learn quantitative thinking with a passion project”
Samuel’s point is that you are not going to get confident with numbers if you’re not interested.
When I was a little boy, I had a teacher tell me, “Mike, you are not very good at math, you should focus on other subjects and be good at those subjects.” WHAT? This is a terrible thing to say to a kid. But, kids listen to their teachers, and I listened well. For a long time, I thought I was “bad” at math.
It wasn’t until my teacher in high school, Mrs. Donna Eichenlaub, helped me make the connection between numbers and something I WAS interested in – money. (As a side note, Mrs. Eichenlaub was so influential in my life that I dedicated my Parish Finance Book to her).
Mrs. Eichenlaub was the first to turn me on to a lifelong passion and career in numbers. I am no statistician, but the idea that numbers can bring insights into all aspects of life was amazing to me.
My passion project became — the stock market. I pretended I had $1,000 to invest, and “invested” that money in a few of my favorite companies – Starbucks, Nike, General Electric.
Each day after school, I would come home and check the stock price in the newspaper (Hey, I am not ancient, but it is true – the internet was not invented yet). Once I saw the share price for the day, I would calculate the gain or loss, the percentage increase or decrease from the time I bought the stock, and then I would predict where I thought the stock price would go. It was terrific.
Ok – I have no idea how my fake portfolio ended up, but to this day I still love the stock market and calculate my stats!
What is your passion project? Remember, learning math does not have to start with church topics.
What are other things that excite you? Maybe you love sports — calculate baseball, basketball, football, hockey stats. Do you like cars — calculate MPG. Do you enjoy politics — calculate the number of pollsters that were correct versus incorrect in the 2020 election. The list is endless.
Action 2: “Find a question you’re desperate to answer with numbers”
Samuel writes, “There’s no better motivation for conquering your math phobia than a question that you are motivated about answering.”
What is your question that numbers could help you answer? Maybe you want to know how much collections have grown or declined over the last five years?
Once you have the numbers, you could think through other non-math factors like neighborhood demographics or personnel changes (like the appointment of a new pastor) that may have impacted collections. Numbers provide a great way to help you think through and find solutions to questions.
Action 3: “Recruit a mentor-humbly”
Push past your comfort zone and find someone to help you navigate the math waters. “Since you don’t want to make a recommendation, much less a decision, based on mistaken calculations or methodology…” get a mentor to help you check your work. Samuel adds that this person should be someone you can approach humbly and honestly.
In the church world, I have found church people get paranoid about others finding out what they don’t know. Don’t let this stop you; if you’re uncomfortable recruiting someone on the inside — like a member of the finance council — find someone on the outside. Maybe it is another pastor, a local CFO, or even a family member that you know is good with numbers. Trust me — there are plenty of people in the world that have made numbers their careers.
Action 4: “Get indignant about your math education”
You can do it! Allow this math journey to help you become a better leader. Instead of walking into a finance council meeting afraid of the financial statements, you can grow confident and comfortable. Be relentless in your pursuit of learning.
Action 5 – Have fun (I added this one!)
Fun? Enjoyable? Absolutely. I learned math the same way I learned the piano. Let me explain. I am a big fan of Elton John and loved the song, “Your Song.” So, I went out and bought a music book filled with Elton John’s music. I pounded away at the piano until I was able to play simple chords with my left hand, and the melody with my right hand. It was great, and soon enough, I felt great. Was I good? Not necessarily, but, was I comfortable? Absolutely.
The same applies to math. Get comfortable and learn to enjoy the questions and see what solutions emerge.
There is only one person that can stop us from learning something new – us!
You learned how to ride a bike by riding, to drive a car by driving, to preach by preaching — now learn something new by trying!
It has been a pleasure to journey with you through these 30 days of 30 tips. Please share your thoughts, comments and questions with me at mjcastrilli@gmail.com.
