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/

The Round Up - Evaluating The Situation

Thinking back over your own career, how many times do you remember having a performance evaluation where your supervisor or manager spent no more than about twenty minutes with you, told you a couple of areas where you needed to improve, asked you to sign the evaluation, and that was the end of it? Sadly, for most people, this is more likely the norm than the exception. Most organizations do have some sort of employee performance evaluation system in place, but many are not designed to really achieve the primary result of improving work habits and performance, as well as, the secondary result of strengthening the relationship between the employee and their supervisor or manager.

Consider, for just a moment, the idea that most organizations take only one opportunity annually to let their team members know where they stand regarding their work habits and performance. And even at that, they don't really take an adequate amount of time to hold real dialogue with the team member as they review the evaluation. In reality, the performance evaluation process, if handled properly, provides some of the most fertile ground in which to foster personal, professional, and team growth with your team members.

The next time you are faced with the task of conducting a performance evaluation, ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I really prepared for this process? You may need to spend more time in considering how you will handle sensitive subjects such as personal issues that are affecting work habits or performance. It is also a good idea to have a peer help you to prepare by playing the role of the team member you will be evaluating, especially if there is a possibility of high emotions. This will help you get a feel for how you will handle the situation ahead of time.

2. Have I properly adjusted my focus? In preparing the evaluation, it is fairly easy to focus on the past few weeks of performance. You need to make yourself adjust your focus to see the bigger picture of how the team member has performed over the full course of time since the last evaluation.

3. Are there any potential surprises? Truthfully, there should never be any surprises in an evaluation. Anything that merits discussion in an evaluation (undesirable work habits or performance issues) should have been worthy of some sort of mention prior to the evaluation. When we hold onto issues and wait until an evaluation to discuss them, the team member is usually confused about why it was not discussed with them when it occured. It usually makes them question why it is a problem now but apparently was not a problem then.

4. Have you made sure the setting for this discussion is appropriate? Make sure to meet with the team member in a setting that is both comfortable and allows for a thorough meeting that is free from any distractions for either of you.

5. Have I set aside adequate time for this meeting? This is so important - don't rush through the meeting! I encourage that you allow at least 45 minutes for a performance evaluation review. I usually spend no less that a full hour on this part of the process and believe it is worth every minute of it. There was a time when I did those "quicky" reviews, and I usually got "quicky" results - the kind that fade away as quickly as they show up. When I began to spend much more time with the actual review process, I started seeing much more significant results and finding that my team members showed a genuine appreciation for the extra time I spent with them. Without a doubt, there was a higher level of trust, respect, and loyalty as a result.

6. Have I committed to a follow up to the review? Be sure to schedule a follow up with the team member to revisit the issues, the action plan you both agreed to, and to see what progress has been made. The time frame for this follow up can vary, depending on the issues. However, I would encourage that you don't exceed about six weeks at the most for any given issue. Without a follow up, there is a deminished level of accountability on both sides to ensure that the action plans are followed.

The obvious goal of a performance evaluation system is to improve the work habits and performance level of your team members. But don't miss out on the secondary goal - building a stronger relationship with your team members.

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