Ideas
When personal issues begin to impact organizational health
Do you remember when you got your first car? When I was a teenager, I was eventually able to get enough money together, with some help from my parents, to buy my first truck. It felt like the greatest thing in the world. The truck was older and had some issues, but it was mine.…
Read MoreBuried in praise: motivating your best people
In his book Payoff, behavioral economist Dan Ariely recounts an experiment designed to measure motivation. Participants were asked to perform a meaningless task, circling pairs of matched letters on randomly generated sheets of paper. When they were finished, they returned their paper and were given 55 cents. Each time, they were offered a smaller amount to…
Read MoreBeing honest about your organization’s shortcomings… is it worth it?
What do you do when you’re in a ministry that has really dropped the ball? You haven’t done a good job of helping the people you said you were going to help. Or maybe you, as a leader, feel like you’ve let your team down in some big way. Is there ever a time that…
Read More3 Ideas to Consider for Encouraging Mentors in your Organization
When I was in ministry years ago, I didn’t have good models for the type of ministry I was trying to do. There were things I was trying to figure out that I just didn’t have good examples for, which resulted in a lot of trial and error. This is common for anyone that’s trying…
Read MoreAvoiding Church Fights by Having a Clear Vision
Last week, Jason shared some practical ways to inspire individuals in your organization whose vision has strayed from what it originally started as. This week, Todd will discuss vision again, however this is more specifically relevant to churches. We are frequently approached by churches to help iron out conflicts and priorities in their programming…
Read More3 Key Indicators of Organizational Health in Your Ministry
When you think of a growing ministry in your community, you would probably assume it’s a healthy place to work, right? Most people I talk with assume that back stabbing, silos, and typical office problems don’t really happen at most non-profits. In reality, these issues pop up anywhere you find people working together, and ministries…
Read MoreGoing Alone: 3 Problems You Face When You Won’t Partner
Growing up, we are constantly taught the importance of sharing and playing nice with our friends. “Play nice!” and “Please share!” are common things to tell kids. But, much like eating vegetables, adults don’t always do what they make the kids do. When I work with different organizations, I find myself saying the same things.…
Read More3 Ways to Know Your Community
Over my years of ministry work, I’ve been placed into brand new communities three different times and asked to help start a church or ministry. I don’t know where the local grocery store is located or what mascot is on their high school football team’s uniforms, but part of my job is to connect with…
Read MoreMotivation: Why Can’t I Reach More People?
One of the most critical parts we find in helping ministries and non profits is to get into the unique mindset of each organization. Many facets are unique to the organization, but a few issues run consistently through most organizations we’ve worked with. One theme that I’ve noticed is something that I call “Assumed Intrinsic…
Read MoreWorking with a Designer Part I
I’ve been working as a designer for a little over 15 years now, and while each project is unique in some ways, there are themes that run through almost everything that I work on. Client interaction is one of the biggest factors in determining the success of a project. Most clients want a good return…
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