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What Leaders Can Learn From Being A Volunteer

February 17, 2010 in Communication, Leadership with 0 Comments

For the last two years our staff has spent a few hours volunteering at a local food bank as a part of our Christmas celebrations. At the end of our few hours we took a few moments to celebrate and to communicate what we may have learned from the experience. Here are some of our observations:

  • Evaluate the volunteers and assign tasks according to skills.
  • Clearly communicate expectations of task assigned.
  • Leader supplied the volunteer with proper training.
  • Leader supplied the volunteer with the resources needed to carry out task.
  • Whole process came to a stop when supplies were limited or non-existent.
  • When a task was not being carried out as expected, there was gentle correction and clear restatement of expectations.
  • Leader listened to all ideas of how to carry out a task differently than first instructed. Idea was evaluated against experience of the leader and was accepted or denied on that experience.
  • Volunteers not assigned to the right task easily got bored. Leader quickly recognized those circumstances and moved volunteers to a spot that better fit their skills.
  • Some volunteers needed to move often from task to task.
  • Some volunteers were very comfortable with the task they were assigned and thrived.
  • Just one person not performing task assigned affected the whole process.
  • Leader recognized the need to praise the volunteers and give encouragement.

Our organization is totally different from the one where we volunteered, however, we learned much from evaluating the process.  What observations about making volunteers successful would you add?


I’m Glad I Twitter

February 12, 2010 in Communication, Social Networking with 0 Comments

Thanks to
Randy Elrod (@recreate) I was introduced to Twitter two years ago. At first I had no concept of what it was or how I would use it. Since that first introduction I have enjoyed the benefits connecting with persons in my interests, field of ministry and those at my local church.

Here is a true story that could only happen through Twitter.

Last fall I noticed a person’s (whom I had met briefly in my home town) twitter post about looking at the view of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Our conversation went something like this:

@caseysee:
love the view of the Sierra Nevada Mountains

@michaelhsmith:
I love those mountains and miss seeing them, grew up in Fresno

@caseysee:
me too! Hoover ‘77

@michaelhsmith:
McLane ‘77

@caseysee:
I am here with my mom, we want to know if you played Little League at Scandinavian

@michaelhsmith:
yes

@caseysee:
what team

@michaelhsmith:
Twins

@caseysee: Red Sox, but my dad was the coach of that team. My mom remembers you

Since that conversation we have been able to connect back in Franklin and have had lunch together and plan to do so again. We
probably never would have connected so quickly and with such detail if it had not been for Twitter. Come to find out @caseysee and I moved to Franklin the same year.

More Reasons
To Twitter

In the last twelve months Twitter has helped me:

·
Connect with someone where I live whose father was my Little League Baseball coach in Fresno California

·
Connect with people who share my job in other parts of the country and world and see how they are doing ministry.

·
Meet other business leaders face-to-face and share ideas

·
Meet people whose blogs I read

·
Get a great deal on a cruise to Alaska, where I met people I had only known through Twitter.


Making a Decision Stick

February 10, 2010 in Communication, Leadership with 0 Comments

Very rarely do executive teams leave a meeting without making important decisions that affect a larger group of employees or teams. Through presentation of facts, open communication and evaluation, decisions are made. What happens after the meeting can make or break the decision. Here are a few things that can help make a decision stick:

·
Leave the meeting as a team agreeing to
project a united front.

·
Clearly communicate the decision.

·
Make sure all communication is consistent

·
And make sure the application of the decision is
consistent.


Everybody on the Same page

January 14, 2010 in Communication with 2 Comments

NewspaperGood news: our organization is getting bigger.
Bad news: it is becoming more difficult to keep everyone on the same page.

Good news: our campus is much bigger than it was three years ago
Good news: there is much more activity taking place.
Bad news: There is no-way everyone can know all the details.

Good news: All staff is not required to attend every staff meeting,
Bad/Good News: In every staff meeting there is something discussed that impacts every staff member.

Important News: every staff member should know the leader’s heart for the organization
Important News: every staff member needs to understand the core values that drive mission and vision.

How to get the news out!
To help keep everyone on the same page we took a simple step; a weekly email newsletter. Nothing fancy….just the facts.

Here is the outline we use:

  • Notes from the Top (the boss communicates about core values, mission and vision)
  • A staff meeting recap (not the details, just an overview)
  • This week at ClearView (a listing of the big events, staff anniversaries, prayer concerns)
  • Upcoming Events (the big stuff)

Bad news: someone has to produce this piece each week,
Good news: everyone on the same page…a better informed team is well worth the work.

How do you communicate the ‘big picture’ items with your team on a weekly basis?


Make the most of 2010 Goals, talk about them

January 6, 2010 in Communication, Leadership with 0 Comments

It is that time of the year when everyone is making resolutions and setting goals. I have come to the realization that the goals and initiatives I have set at my work place have the potential of becoming much more effective if I am willing to talk about them.

Accountability and Feedback from my supervisor. It is part of our culture to submit a “goals and initiatives” plan to our supervisor which is then discussed once a month in a one-on-one meeting; in doing so we open the lines of communication about these goals and other items.  These meetings are a great way to keep the supervisor informed of our progress which helps us be accountable for our actions.  Many organizations only rise to this level of communicating goals. I believe we miss a great opportunity if we stop here.

So this year I will also share my goals with:

Those I lead.  By sharing my goals with the people I lead I give them insight into the job I am trying to carry out. In communicating my goals I will also encourage input. I have these people on my team because I believe they do amazing work and we function better as a unit than as individuals. I trust their input. I also again believe I am held to a higher level of accountability if let people know what I am working on.

My peers. My group of peers consists of five other team members who have responsibilities much like mine. The reason to share my goals and initiatives for 2010 with this group is to get support and feedback. If constructed correctly my goals fit the ‘big picture’ of the organization. I want to keep my peers informed, I want them to buy-in to my work and I need their support.

Setting goals are an admirable task; however they are nothing more than words on a paper if they are not put into action. And if we are willing to talk about our goals we will get support and effective accountability.


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