Even so, in my position, I often have to say “Noâ€. I have to consider the amount of money and energy expended as it relates to the entire church organization. Honestly, there are times I feel like the dream killer more than I get to be the dream enhancer, because I often have to be the “No†voice, but the fact is, as with any organization, we operate with limited resources and sometimes saying no is the right decision at the time. In these times, I have to walk the delicate balance between saying yes and saying no.
A couple times a year we do an extended weekend retreat. This weekend we are headed to Nashville for an all staff planning retreat. An added twist is that our spouses will join us on Friday night for fellowship and then on Saturday morning for a special brainstorming session. (We think they may have better ideas than we do!)
I was honored this week when Jesse Phillips with CatalystSpace blog called me a “seasoned leaderâ€. I feel I still have more to learn than I have learned, but it did cause me to reflect on some of the experiences I have had and people that have influenced me in my leadership ability.
As a former business owner, I recognize and appreciate good customer service. On our recent vacation to the Southwest, being free from the normal distractions of work, I was even more in tune with the good and bad of customer service we received. Perhaps it was because I was looking more closely than normal, but I honestly believe we saw extremes.
Martha was our concierge at the Sedona Real Hotel in Sedona, Arizona during our recent vacation. She helped us pick a restaurant and gave us some quick travel tips, in between helping dozens of other people in person and on the phone, all within thirty minutes before her quitting time for the day. It was obvious it had been a busy day, she was surely tired, but you couldn’t tell it from her disposition. Everyone she helped received the same excellent service.
I spent most of my career in the business world. I was always extremely active and in leadership roles in church and other civic activities, but I earned my living in a for-profit environment. During those years, as an outsider looking in, I believed non-profits had so much to learn from the world of business.
Are you bringing new ideas to your organization, church, or the place where you work?
I love Southwest’s magazine. I always find interesting articles to kill time during flights. This month was no exception. I am glad that let you bring these magazines home. (They do, don’t they?)
Do you harness the greatest power in your organization? The best assets of your church, business or non-profit never appear on your balance sheet.
There is one incredibly important characteristic of a successful team or organization. It is inherent and cannot be trained or programmed. With this trait a team can weather the storms of life together. When this is an attribute of an organization, regardless of the struggles it encounters, the vision can be accomplished.
