Off To A Great Start

I was recently sitting in the office of a client where we were visiting about first one thing and then another. As he picked up some items from the side of his desk nearest to me, I noticed a sheet of paper, folded in half, simply printed with a photo of someone on the front, and a title that read A Very Short Book above the photo. My curiosity got the best of me, and I just had to ask if I could look at this very short book. It turned out to be a collection of bits of advice for young, first-time pastors. It was written by a retired Presbyterian minister from Texas named Bill O'Neal.

This collection numbered nineteen short pieces of very solid advice about how to fit in, endear oneself to the new congregation, and stay out of the danger areas that are easily stumbled into by young pastors. They were, no doubt, all lessons he had learned from his own experiences in his long career as a pastor.

As I looked at this list of thoughts, it occured to me that, with minimal changes to Pastor O'Neal's phrasing, at least thirteen of the nineteen items he spoke of could easily be applicable and timely advice for new supervisors or managers. Here is what he offered as advice (where substitute words apply, I have added them in parentheses):

- For beginning ministers (supervisors/managers): Take a good look at yourself, and if you really don't like people, do something else, like get a PhD and teach, be a stock broker, or bureaucrat.

- When you start a new pastorate (supervisory assignment), simply show up, smile, and let the people know you are happy to be there.

- Make no changes for at least the first year. Exception: Unless there is a clear indication that the people (your team) are ready for it.

- If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

- Avoid conflict with the Presbyterian Women. It can be hazardous to your health. (New supervisors - don't stir up the ladies. They have more power than you realize!)

- Listen to your members (subordinates) and respect their stories and history. Many of them have been doing church (working in their jobs) since before you were born.

- Major in preaching, teaching, and pastoral care (coaching, supporting, and showing that you really care about your team). Everything else will fall into place.

- Try not to give the impression that you think the church (this department or work area) was about to tank before you came to save it.

- Don't swagger or smirk. It gives a bad signal. Remember you are a servant.

- Be a friend to your colleagues in ministry (your peers in the workplace). It can be lonely out there.

- Don't pick a fight you can't win. You only waste your capital.

- Avoid an adversarial attitude toward the church members (your work team).

- Let her lay where Jesus flung her. (Don't dig up old issues that need to be left alone).

As Pastor O'Neal has proven, the wisdom of the ages is usually free and willingly offered to the next generation. Our task is to accept, embrace, and implement that wisdom, then pass it on to the next generation as those before us did for us. Hopefully, you will feel compelled to share this wisdom with others in your organization.

Thanks to you, Pastor O'Neal, for sharing your experiences!

Mike Purcell - Speaker, Trainer, Author
President - Compass Performance Group, LLC
http://www.high-impacttraining.com/
http://www.getsaddlesense.com/

Square Pegs, Round Holes

Have you ever been in a situation where you just didn't really feel that you belonged in the place or with the group you found yourself in at the time? More than likely you have been there. Maybe it was back during your school days, at a party or social event, or maybe even at a corporate event. Remember that feeling - the "I just want to get out of here" feeling? Most likely, you only stayed as long as you absolutely had to and, as soon as you had a choice, you made a swift exit.

Feeling that you don't belong is very uncomfortable. It's even worse when it relates to your work situation. Many companies lose good employees because they don't understand the relationship between an employee's overall job satisfaction and his feeling of being a valued part of the organization. This is a concept I often refer to as the circle of belonging factor when teaching the principles of employee retention, productivity, and morale. It is based on the idea that one of the basic needs of all people is to feel appreciated, understood, and accepted in their work environment. And, greater than any single factor, it is the relationship between the employee and the direct supervisor that has the most significant impact on whether or not an employee develops a deep sense of belonging.

The loss of a good, productive employee is often accompanied by some head scratching by the management team as to why the employee chose to leave. "I thought he was doing a great job and was happy with his work", says the supervisor. "He said he really liked working for us when I spoke to him on the rig site just last week", says the district manager. Personally, my first reaction to this would be to say "Well, what did you expect him to say??" Most employees, in response to questions like this, are going to give the answer they think their supervisor or manager wants to hear. This is one of the foundational principles of the circle of belonging factor. Only employees who feel they are securely within the circle of belonging will volunteer information about how they truly feel when asked by someone higher on the food chain than themselves.

To help you visualize this circle of belonging concept, imagine a circle with a picture of an employee inside the circle. If this employee feels accepted, understood, and appreciated, he will be squarely in the center of this circle. At that point, your risk of losing this employee is very minimal. In addition, he is most likely one of your most productive and loyal employees, which is exactly what you want. However, if things are not so great for this employee, and he feels that he are not always accepted, understood, or appreciated, he will begin to drift away from the center toward the outer edge of the circle. At this point, his attitude, loyalty, and productivity will begin to decrease along with his sense of belonging. If this pattern of movement continues as a result of a decreased sense of belonging, this employee will eventually move out of the circle of belonging altogether. It's at this point that you will more than likely lose this employee. At a minimum, his attitude, loyalty, and productivity will be very low.

This concept seems to be somewhat magnified in how it affects front-line employees. With higher level employees, there are several factors that minimize the impact of the circle of belonging factor. First, simply by virtue of having been promoted to a higher level position (supervisor, manager, etc.), they normally feel a fairly significant sense of belonging. Secondly, the stakes are typically higher for them regarding job changes. For them, making a decision to leave brings with it a much greater level of risk and uncertainty. Can I replace my current level of income? Will I be able to find a job with the same benefits? Can I find a job with the same level of responsibility and job satisfaction? These are less often major considerations for front-line employees. They typically have less risk involved in a decision to change jobs. Exit interviews with front-line employees in heavy industry jobs often indicate that they may have remained in their job had they been dealt with in such a way as to foster a greater sense of belonging.

The long and short of this concept is simple. If you want to keep your good front-line employees - the ones who get the real work done each day - make sure your leadership team understands the circle of belonging factor. Making sure your employees never feel like a square peg in a round hole will ensure you have the highest potential to maintain a team of very productive and loyal employees.

Mike Purcell - Speaker, Trainer, Author
President, Compass Performance Group, LLC
http://www.high-impacttraining.com/
http://www.getsaddlesense.com/