With Skillful Hands

Riverbanks

Riverbanks

July 3, 2014 By Mike Sorcinelli Leave a Comment

Good employers will give their employees riverbanks to operate within. A riverbank is a metaphor for boundaries. A river has a riverbank on each side keeping the water where it needs to be. Without riverbanks, the water would just go everwhere, which would be good for no one. Giving employees riverbanks does two very beneficial things: It keeps them moving in the right direction, giving them focus. It allows them to use their unique personality and God-given talents to get the job done, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Staff

Delegation vs Abdication

Delegation vs Abdication

July 1, 2014 By Mike Sorcinelli Leave a Comment

I like Bruce Tulgan's take on delegation in his book It's Okay to be the Boss:   "Some managers make the mistake of thinking that delegation is about letting go. Sadly, delegation is not at all about letting go of work. Delegation is all about getting work done through others - and that is an intense, hands-on endeavor."  Leadership by abdication is telling an employee or volunteer what to do, but then disappearing into the sunset, never to be seen again. This is not responsible delegation, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Staff

When a Volunteer Needs to be Fired

When a Volunteer Needs to be Fired

June 26, 2014 By Mike Sorcinelli Leave a Comment

In Peter Drucker's book The Effective Executive you'll read the following story: General Marshall during World War II insisted that a general officer be immediately relieved if found less than outstanding. Marshall flatly refused to listen to the argument: "But we have no replacement." "All that matters," he pointed out, "is that you know that this man is not equal to the task. Where his replacement comes from is the next question." Sometimes we are scared to do the right thing because of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Volunteers

Why You Don’t Have More Volunteers

Why You Don’t Have More Volunteers

June 24, 2014 By Mike Sorcinelli Leave a Comment

When you have a volunteer shortage (church wide or in a specific department) I think there are at least three questions you should ask: 1. Are you asking God for volunteers? If you need more volunteers, the answer begins with prayer. James 4:2 says "You don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it." And Matthew 9:38 says "So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields." Step one is to pray for more volunteers. 2. Are you prepared … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Volunteers

Why Percentage Based Budgeting is So Helpful

Why Percentage Based Budgeting is So Helpful

June 19, 2014 By Mike Sorcinelli 1 Comment

In my post How to Spend the Money I laid out four categories of spending as well as recommended percentages for each category. Now I want to talk about why these categories and recommended percentages have been so helpful to me. It helps your board of directors determine an appropriate pay package for you. Your board will decide your base salary, benefits (i.e. health insurance, retirement) and bonuses (i.e. like an end of year performance based bonus where you can earn up to 5% of your base … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Finances

How to Spend the Money

How to Spend the Money

June 17, 2014 By Mike Sorcinelli Leave a Comment

When we first started New Day, among other things, I was contemplating this question "How will we spend the money that God entrusts us with?" In the realm of personal finance I knew of recommended percentages for the various categories within your budget, but I knew of no such resource for church finance until I came across a book called Money Matters in Church: A Practical Guide for Leaders by Aubrey Malphurs and Steve Stroope. In this book the authors give you four main categories of spending … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Finances

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • Next Page »

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Fill out form to receive Mike’s latest posts via text

Recent Posts

  • The Freedom to Work on What Matters Most
  • The Power of Practicing Your Sermon
  • A Leadership Discipline You Can’t Delegate: Alertness
  • New Job Description Format
  • Shift from Doer to Multiplier

Categories

  • Culture
  • Failures
  • Finances
  • How To
  • Leadership
  • Leadership Pipeline
  • Management
  • Position Papers
  • Preaching
  • Resources
  • Scripture
  • Staff
  • Uncategorized
  • Vendors
  • Volunteers

Design

With an emphasis on typography, white space, and mobile-optimized design, your website will look absolutely breathtaking.

Learn more about design.

Content

Our team will teach you the art of writing audience-focused content that will help you achieve the success you truly deserve.

Learn more about content.

Strategy

We help creative entrepreneurs build their digital business by focusing on three key elements of a successful online platform.

Learn more about strategy.

Copyright © 2026 With Skillful Hands & Mike Sorcinelli