PRAY|THE|REVOLUTION

Here’s a bit of a departure from my normal posts on prayer and revival.  I came across an article in PCWorld titled: Five Ways to Drive Your Best Workers Out the Door.

It peaked my interest just a bit as I am a huge believer in both excellence and freedom to dream and innovate as someone on a ministry staff.  Both a high bar and a wide playing field.

This article was written from a secular perspective, but I believe it translates very well into a ministry context.  Here are some of my thoughts on the five points:

Mistake No. 1: Keep the Creative Juices Bottled Up.

Google, for example, allows their employees to use 20% of their paid time pursuing their own projects.  This enables them to stretch their imagination and even see the line between their work life and their live of personal vision blur.  In a church or ministry setting, this is key.  If we hire people who aren’t dreamers, innovaters and who don’t have their own DNA affirmed, they won’t last. 

I always understood that when I hired a new staff person when I was leading a church (or even as a youth pastor), the position they were hired for was put joyfully at risk.  The more excellent the hire, the more innovation that would come to the program.

Mistake No. 2: Micromanage Your Staff.

From the article: "The tight management control was a clear and extreme case of micromanagement. It led people to feel there was a lack of trust in their abilities," Butler says. "He didn’t feel empowered in the role."  "This problem is tough because the tendency to micromanage is more a personality trait than a policy decision," says Franz Fruehwald, CIO at Catholic Human Services-Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The more a leader leans toward micromanaging, the less he needs a leader in the role he’s hiring for.  He really needs an administrator.  The problem with this is that effective departments, and even sub-departments, need effective and strong leaders who will take risks, develop and make the hard decisions.  A system that tends toward micromangement will quickly become bottlenecked.  It may find itself true to the old way of doing things, but the venture into the great unknown of the future may never happen.

For example, when I was on staff at a large church in Dallas, the two regular requirements were:  Arrive in the office by 9am each work day and ‘get the job done’.  There were times I’d work an extra 30 hours a week, and there were also times I’d be on the golf course by 10am.  I have operated the same way with my staff.  We’re unified and together and embracing huge expectations while also spending a lot of time working from home, from the coffee shop or on the road.

Mistake No. 3: Deny New Opportunities and Challenges.

From the article: Bolton remembers one senior IT manager who found that his boss wasn’t willing to give him new opportunities after he completed the program. "He wanted more challenges and more responsibility. They talked about it, and nothing happened," says Bolton, who is also a leadership consultant at Lifetime Learning in Upton, Mass. The manager didn’t stick around. Within a few months, he found a new position at another company where he felt he had more opportunities to grow.

An excellent litmus test of whether you’ve hired a strong leader or not is the test of innovation.  Will they challenge the status quo and bring new life into the organization?  In order for this test to initiate, we must be willing to call out the pioneer from inside of them.  As leaders we have to be willing to pay a great price for their failures, as a true pioneer will be walking blindly.  They will feel their way through, make a myriad of mistakes and ultimately pave the way for many others to go where previously no man had gone before.  It’s our job to not only allow for this process to evolve, but also to budget for it, cheer lead along the way and be available to coach and encourage.  The next Edison may be under our wing.

Mistake No. 4: Don’t Listen to Your Employees.

From the article: Use all the talent around you. "We hire people that we believe can do the job," Berry says. "If we don’t allow them to use all the tools in their toolbox, or we try to pigeonhole people into doing it the way we’ve always done it, then we’re doing a disservice to the individual, the team and the organization."

As a visionary leader, I understand the immense pressure to take the reigns and run hard.  This is fully appropriate, and a senior leader has a never-expiring trump card at his disposal.  Effective visionary leaders know when to use it. 

A church planting coach once shared with me some interesting information.  The number one reason church plants fail is the insecurity of the leader.  They refuse to bring in staff or even volunteers who are stronger than them.  If someone shows up who is stronger in a given area, they are mostly silenced and usually end up moving on quite quickly.

Some of the best leaders have just a few strengths.  But, they are very, very powerful strengths.  They understand they must listen to those under their care, who in many ways know much better how to accomplish something.

Mistake No. 5: Change the Work Environment Without Considering the Impact on Employees.

From the article: "Keep the people in the business equation. Companies often focus on business objectives and financial goals when making tactical moves and forget that "there are human beings left behind," says Bob Eubank, executive director of the Northeast Human Resources Association in Wellesley, Mass.

I’ve made this mistake.  As an innovator, it’s very easy for me to turn on a dime.  The reality is that, with some decisions, it’s simply not appropriate to make the turn that quickly.  People are involved.  I know a very simple decision, that may be very good for the organization, may be very bad for the people you are depending on to implement it.  Displaced and disgruntled employees who we are looking to for leadership and service in times of change can make the season of transition dreadfully difficult. 

I really like the simplicity of these five mistakes.  Sometimes leadership isn’t complicated, but it can still be challenging.  I’ve failed much, and will most likely fail much more.  But, as we continue to learn and grow and serve well with humility and wisdom we will certainly see our life missions fulfilled.

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