Tag Archive - work

1

Everything is an Interview

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Everything is an interview. Everything. College football players get this concept drilled into them by their coaches. They’re challenged to be proud of what they put on tape. Every Saturday they play a game and those game tapes essentially become their resume for a job interview to get to the NFL.

But life is bigger than football; even for those of us who are a little obsessed by it. And in every interaction you have in life and in your work place, everything is an interview. And if you don’t view it that way, you may miss your next opportunity.

Scouts are Always Scouting

Talent scouts are always looking for talent. Great churches are always looking for great talent. At conferences, meals, passing conversations, simple introductions, or any opportunity to network scouts are always scouting. If you’re good at your job then people are always going to want you to come do that job with them. It never bothers me when other churches are looking at staff members on my team. They should be, they’re talented people. It bothers me when that doesn’t happen. That’s when I get nervous.

Eroding or Building your Brand

Everything you do either builds or erodes your “brand.” Every social media post you make. Every project you deliver on time, on budget, past time or over budget. If you’re a youth pastor and you get back from camp on time, or late. If you do what you say you’re going to do, or not. In every interaction you’re building a brand that certain people are attracted to and others are repelled by. Now don’t hear what I’m not saying. By no means would I endorse image management, rather I’m talking about agreeing with Jesus about who He has wired you up to be and living as the best version of your self at all times, in all settings.

Moving Up, Out, or Staying Put

With every action you take in your current job you’re either building trust with your supervisor or losing it. You’re either demonstrating that you can be given more responsibility, less responsibility, or you can handle the scope of work you’re currently at right now. The great news is you get to choose your attitude, the manner with which you approach your work, other team members, and to a great deal the results of your work.

Posted in Leadership, Staffing

0

5 Steps Young Leaders can take to Advance their Leadership

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Most churches struggle to attract and develop young leaders. There are a lot of reasons for that. But instead of writing a blog post encouraging the church to take ground in this area (like I’ve done before) I wanted to take a different angle and speak to the young leaders who might be reading this. Not sure this is actually going to be super popular with younger leaders but if you take this advice to heart I promise you it will help you get where you want to go. So at the risk of sounding like a grumpy old codger (not sure that’s really a word) here are a couple of things that will help young leaders advance in their leadership.

#1 Come to Work on Time

This may sound a little elementary, but I’m telling you, if you show up on time or better yet, get into work before your supervisor gets there things will go well for you.

#2 Follow Through

Again this isn’t rocket science. But if you do what you say you’re going to do you, when you say you will do it, you’ll stand out. Consistency and follow through are rare in the workforce among young leaders and this will differentiate you from your peers.

#3 Over Deliver

The old adage is still true today, “Under promise and over deliver.” Do this, and you’ll turn heads. People will begin to learn that they can count on you to get stuff done.

#4 Learn New Things

Don’t be afraid to ask your supervisors for help or input. Offer to take other more experienced leaders in your organization out for coffee or lunch (on your dime) and ask them good questions about what they’ve learned over the years (write the questions you want answered down ahead of time).

#5 Push Yourself

Jump into the deep end of the pool. The best way to learn to lead isn’t in a classroom but by leading. Sink your teeth into something big and see what you can do. Don’t be afraid to fail. Ask your supervisor for extra work and side projects that you can help with.

At the end of the day as a young leader you’ve got to build trust with those in authority over you. Do these five things and you’ll be well on your way!

Interested in learning more about developing young leaders in the church? Check out these “10 Articles that will Help Your Church Develop Young Leaders.”

Posted in Leadership, Staffing

1

How Great Leaders Manage the Tension between People and Projects

Monday, November 9, 2015

Every single person reading this article has a natural tendency when it comes to the tension between people and projects. Some of us are “people oriented,” while others are more “project oriented.” You know which one you are and so does everyone else around you. But which one is more important, the people or the project? The answer is, “Yes.” The project is for the people and the people are for the project. God has given his Church (people) a clear mission (project).

The project is something that Jesus has given us to do that must get done, the project matters. There is too much at stake for us to shrink back from the project that Jesus has given His Church.

The people matter too, because we can’t do this project alone. How we love one another is connected to the project being accomplished in and through us. The Gospel isn’t just taking ground out there, but it’s taking ground in us as we work it out.

4 Ways Church Leaders Manage this Tension between People and Projects

The Selfish Leader The selfish leader is a disconnected leader, because they delegate so they can disappear. They’re not really all that interested in the people on their team or the project. They’re interested in themselves. As a result the team suffers and they never end up accomplishing anything great.

The Darkside of Leadership This leader is so passionate about getting stuff done that they have a tendency to accomplish the project at the expense of people. In fact they’ll even go so far as to use people as commodities. And because you can’t lead from a distance this behavior eventually leads to isolation and manipulation. Isolation because when you use people, you end up alone. Manipulation because that’s what you resort to, when you can’t lead.

The Campfire Leader This leader cares more about the people than the project. In fact they’ll actually go so far as to sacrifice the project on the altar of relationship. This person essentially says that it’s okay to lose as long as you’re losing with friends.

Meaningful Work Meaningful work is doing something that matters to God with people that matter to you. This is the sweet spot where the tension between people and projects is managed well. Where people are for the projects and the projects are for the people.

Posted in Leadership

0

Work Hard Give Your Best & Put Family First

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

How do I balance family and ministry? It’s a conversation I’ve had over and over again as a church staff member. I’ve heard church staff express deep frustration and anxiety over this question. They want to give their best to their ministry calling and yet sometimes feel like they’re sacrificing their family to follow Jesus. But then again doesn’t following Jesus mean you take care of and lead your family well? When you’re on staff at a church it means working weekends and often times being gone multiple nights of the week at meetings when church members are available. Further, many church staff members feel like they’re on call 24/7 to meet the needs of church attenders. You can see how ministry staff members can quickly feel tension over the whole balancing work and family, especially young church staff members who are just starting out and trying to figure it out.

At Sun Valley Community Church (the church I have the privilege of serving at) we’ve defined our leadership culture with 7 clear distinctives. If you’re interested in learning more about them you can follow this link. One of them states:

Effort: We work hard; give our best and put family first.

Recently I used Periscope (I’m learning to use this new social networking tool) to share a leadership tool we use to train this concept and explained it a little more. In fact you can follow this link on your mobile device to watch it. Or you can check out a few of the highlights below:

  1. God is not opposed to effort, but He is opposed to earning. God is into results and effort…it’s all throughout the bible. He’s just not into earning.
  2. You don’t have to die for the Church; Jesus already did that. The Church doesn’t need another Savior we already have one. He’s doing just fine by the way.
  3. All Work and no Rest Leads to Burnout You’ve got to figure out a way to refuel daily, weekly, monthly and annually.
  4. Productivity = Working Hard + Resting Well It’s not work vs home. It’s not either or. You can’t have great results at work and poor results at home or visa versa for very long. Home affects work and work affects home.
  5. Rest FOR Work not Rest FROM Work. In John 15 Jesus talks about abiding in Him…resting in Him so that we will produce fruit.
  6. Laziness is Dangerous! When you retreat from meaningful work and meaningful relationships it will lead you to a dangerous place.
  7. Take Personal Responsibility! No one is responsible for your schedule but you. Don’t play the role of a victim when it comes to your schedule.

Photo Credit: navonod via Compfight cc

Posted in Family, Leadership, Staffing

0

How to Manage the Tension between Work and Rest

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

In the beginning, even before the fall of mankind, God created both work and rest (you can check out Genesis 1-3 for all the details). Both were helpful, both were holy, and both were enjoyed by and benefited man. After the fall of mankind everything was messed up, including mankind’s ideas and inclinations about work and rest. This tension still plagues us today, including church leaders. Our tendency in different seasons of leadership is to lean into one or the other more than we are designed to. And if not caught early it can do damage to our souls and ultimately the ministries that we are charged with leading.

Work

  • Personal ambition: When our ambition for growth as church leaders surpasses our ambition for God, there’s a problem.
  • High Expectations: When fast-charging and high-driving church leaders have set their vision and expectations higher for themselves and their ministries than God does, there’s a problem.
  • Selfish Gain: When we become consumed by our work and our identity as church leaders becomes rooted in our work rather than in God, there’s a problem.

Rest

  • Discouragement: When church leaders fall into discouragement and shrink back because things aren’t going the way they think they should be going, there’s a problem.
  • Emotional Weight: When church leaders pick up and begin to carry the emotional weight of the team, the outcomes of the vision, and the expectations of people in the church, there’s a problem.
  • Laziness: When church leaders over spiritualize the concepts of faith and dependency upon the Holy Spirit to work and avoid working hard themselves, there’s a problem.

When our hearts call too much for one or the other, something is off in us. We’ve been chasing after something that we were never intended to pursue. It should be an indicator to us that it’s time to return to the mission and return to God.

Photo Credit: CyboRoZ via Compfight cc

Posted in Leadership, Spiritual Formation
Page 2 of 3«123»