Summer 2013

Valuing outcomes, performance, transparency and accountability

Outcomes matter. In past decades, many organizations were more focused on organizational culture and inputs rather than outcomes. These days, however, more and more organizations are focusing on outcomes, performance, transparency and accountability.

To provide an introductory overview, inputs are resources we add to our organizations. The most common resource inputs are human and financial. Th...

Lessons I've learned along the way

Several weeks ago, I watched our young staff at Growing Leaders — the nonprofit organization I help lead — host a large event for educators. It was rewarding to see them embody our core values, serving with excellence. I smiled inside as I reflected on learning to lead them and modeling the way. It’s been one of my great joys to invest in the college interns and twenty-somethings on our team. It has also been one of my mos...

Managing a ministry's most important leadership transition

Perhaps no event in an organization’s life cycle is filled with a greater sense of both expectation, as well as angst, than the transition of senior leadership. The departure of the chief executive officer presents unique opportunities and challenges: opportunities to evaluate and re-engineer the vision of the institution, and challenges of ensuring continuity and viability of current operation...

Saying 'I do" to workplace conflict

Standing together before God and the witness of family and friends, couples intending to marry engage in vows to love, honor, cherish — and communicate effectively through crisis and conflict — until death do they part. After the honeymoon, they head back to their respective places of employment. Once back, engrossed in the day-to-day routine, they begin to recognize that quite a bit of time is spent with ...

Three keys to creating a sticky organization

I’m often asked by top executives about our leadership succession plans, talent development models, and how we attract and develop new leadership. Together, we strategize on competencies, qualities, and the calling of those whom we identify as emerging leaders.

These steps are important, and I would be the last to say there’s no need for systems to assure both leadership stabil...

A better way to grow and develop people

My journey in growing employees took a sudden turn just over 10 years ago. I was part of an aggressive business that was pulling together multiple businesses in the same industry, all in the name of “growth.” One of the companies we pursued turned the tables, and we found ourselves being acquired. I was shocked and had no idea what was in store. However, the Lord knew this was to be one of the best things to ev...

Mentoring can be effective in any work context. It can be done across distance; with all generations, genders, and global cultures; and with all skill levels. Mentoring literally creates an exponential knowledge expansion and limitless skill development opportunities, expanding your ministry and God’s reach in critical ways.

The Benefits of Mentoring

In a successful mentoring program, it is important for every...

How HR metrics can transform your ministry

Early in his ministry, faced with increased questioning by religious leaders, Jesus tells a parable that likely resonated with some workers of his day: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wi...