Philosophically, I am against full-time staff working from home for any significant portion of the week. Here’s why: We read in Mark's gospel "And he [Jesus] went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons." (Mark 3:13-15 ESV) From this passage we learn that Jesus had a chosen method for … [Read more...]
Success in Management at New Day
What does it mean to be a good manager? Well, that depends on who you're asking! Ask a hundred different leaders and you'll likely get a hundred different responses! But if someone were to ask me, here's how I define successful management at New Day... Hiring the right people begins with a crystal clear understanding of what we’re looking for in future Team Leads and staff. If you need a refresher on that click here. When you don’t have a clear picture of what you’re looking for, you’ll … [Read more...]
Principles and People
As a supervisor you have to care about principles and people. It's imperative that you find an appropriate balance between caring about principles and people. Historically I've tended to lean towards caring more about principles than people, but have found a healthier balance by learning to ask three important questions anytime someone fails to live up to one of my principles. If the quarterly stats for the church are good and the quarterly stats for that person's department … [Read more...]
Say It Over And Over And Over
Former president Richard Nixon, in a speech to the National Press Club in 1972 said "When I say something so much that I am tired of hearing it my staff has heard it for the first time. When my staff is tired of saying something over again the press is hearing it for the first time. When the press is tired of saying something the public is hearing it for the first time." I love this quote because it reminds me of how important it is repeat (often) whatever it is that's important for my staff … [Read more...]
Seek First to Understand
If you manage people (whether paid staff or volunteers) there will be times where they don't live up to your clearly communicated expectations. Now when this happens (which you can count on as much as death and taxes) you need to know how to properly respond. When staff (paid or not) don't live up to your clearly communicated expectations, don't get mad, don't jump to any conclusions, don't begin to reprimand, seek first to understand. Here's what that looks like: Let's pretend … [Read more...]
What Pandora Can Teach Us About Staff Development
Of the many music streaming services out there (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, etc) Pandora is my favorite. I started using it way back when and I've just stuck with it. As I write this leadership lesson I have my country station playing in the background, a station I've developed over time that now plays all my favorite songs. Now understand, getting it to play all my favorite songs didn't happen by accident. It got to where I wanted it to be as a result of me giving it constant … [Read more...]