Clarifying direction: achieve, preserve, avoid

You know that to get anything done, you need to cast vision. But once you do, it’s time to get more specific about precisely what you are trying to get done.This clarification process is best done together with your team. For example, say your church has a...

Harmony between pastors and their boards?

  Pastors often face frustration when the board seeks to micromanage and things get bogged down. So often there is confusion in churches over the role of the pastor, the staff, and the board. Frequently people are trying to play the wrong position for their role....

How to do a staff review that helps people grow

When I was a senior pastor, I used to do formal annual reviews with each member of my staff. I began by giving them an evaluation form that they were to fill out before our meeting. It covered these categories: List your areas of responsibility, along with a rating of...

Why staff meetings are mostly a waste

Consider the average staff meeting: some catch up, coordinating of calendars, maybe a bit of support. Usually when you walk away, you haven’t accomplished much, and you’re generally you’re not in a place where the team had enough time for focused thinking about the...

Can’t we all just be friends?

Sometimes people have an expectation that when you work together as a team, everyone needs to be friends — buddies who go out and do things together outside of work time. Many teams do function like that, and that’s fine if it works. But not all teams have to function...