Over the last two weeks I have had two very impactful experiences through the  ministry opportunities God has allowed me to be involved in. The first was at last weekend’s snow retreat with our church’s youth group.

This past fall my wife and I volunteered to be on the youth staff as mentors. We both have a small group of junior highers we  meet with to encourage and disciple. As part of the youth staff we were asked to help with the snow retreat. The snow retreat is an annual event for our junior and senior high youth that occurs on the weekend before  MLK Day.  I have to confess that during the weeks leading up to snow retreat I was dreading the event. I obsessed over the idea of being cold, tired and sore. Thankfully, the day before the retreat God infused me with excitement, and I was not disappointed.  The event was powerful.  I had a blast. I was reminded  how God speaks into the lives of young people and gives them a hope and future (Jeremiah 29:11). Many of the 120 kids attending experienced seeing their Creator’s call to living a life that makes a difference. I had the opportunity to pray with several young men about what God wants to do through their lives. I came home refreshed, renewed, and ready to continue to walk with the young men I mentor as they explore the adventure and mission Yahweh has for them.  

The second experience I mentioned? I’ll write about that next time.

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George W. Bush joked about being the “Decider-in-Chief”.

Being the chief executive or director means you are the final decision maker for your organization or company. This week I found myself reflecting on how challenging making a decision can be. For instance I think: How will my decision impact one group of people versus another? How much will it cost? Is there a cheaper, equally effective alternative? What are the legal risks? What have we done about this in the past? Can I live with the other person’s most negative response? Will a particular choice tie us down for the next several years? How much will it cost in a few years? And so on…

Ultimately a leader must settle on what is best for the entity the they lead.  Remember, there are no perfect decisions, just ones that are better thought through.

Employee Recognition: It’s the Gift That Just Keeps on Giving

This article by China Gorman  in TLNT points out the power of leaders recognizing employees for the excellent work they do. I find it particularly refreshing to see that employees who are given the power to recognize their coworkers were twice as likely to feel engaged with their company’s mission.  The article points to the correlation between recognition and employees being aligned with their organization’s culture and values.

I am embarrassed to say that  I have struggled with making this important practice a habit. Too often I get side tracked by less important things that too easily clutter my day.   I have seen the  power of employee recognition with my own eyes. I want to be a leader who is good at it. So, I am recommitting myself. I will find ways to do this better, much better. Join me, let see the difference it makes.

I was mentioning to a friend tonight how New Year’s Day  always feels strange to me. I never really know how I am supposed to spend it. It usually produces a few tinges of melancholy as our family traditionally takes down all of the Christmas decorations and put back up our standard, year round decor. Generally, I feel somewhat reflective, asking myself what I accomplished in the recently passed 12 months and what couple major things do I want to complete this coming 12 months. I turned 50 in December.  This has added more significance to the reflecting I am doing. I had two resolutions for 2013. One was to finish my doctorate. The other, was to start a blog. Though it took all 12 months, I was able to check those two things off.  In this next year what do I find myself wanting to undertake? I have a few things. There is a reading list. It is broken up into the categories of books on leadership, faith, understanding people better, and a few I promised my daughters I would read (finish the Harry Potter series and read the Hunger Games trilogy). Another project that has been a long time coming that needs to happen in 2014  is purging the basement of my clutter. Jane and I have set a goal of celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary by taking a special trip together. Finally, I want to live this year being more generous. I want to be generous not only with material things but also in extending forgiveness, mercy,  acceptance, and joy to others.

I hope your 2013 was a good year. I am rooting for you in 2014. May it be a year of growing in peace, fulfillment, and love.

God bless,

Jerry

Like me you’ve probably heard someone say something like,  “You should talk less and listen more, that’s why God gave you two ears and one mouth.” While I’m not sure that is why God proportioned us the way He did, I have found that listening is one of the most important skills a person can develop. In my work training mental health counselors I often tell them that the most useful skill they can acquire is listening. As an executive director I find that listening to someone who is frustrated or angry goes a long way in helping to resolve their concern. When we take the time to listen, really listen, so that we comprehend at a very deep level what someone is trying to communicate, it creates a connection. It communicates to the other person that we genuinely want to understand their message. Quite frankly, until we have really listened to someone we are not prepared give a meaningful response.   Developing our listening skills  means being willing to hear things that we don’t agree with, that hurt our feelings or that make us angry. To do this well, we have to be able to allow the speaker to describe their experience without judging it as valid or not. It takes focus and hard work  to be aware of what is going on inside of us as we listen to the other person speak. Once we are aware of how we are reacting to the other’s words, we can, with practice, moderate our response to communicate understanding.

I have discovered that becoming a  good listener takes concentration and perseverance. Surprisingly though, once you make the commitment,you may find that more people want to talk to you.

My wife accuses me of saying “yes” too often. This year saying yes has made me the President of our local Rotary club, a mentor to junior high boys, co-chair of a Rotary fundraiser, an adult Bible class leader, a popcorn-maker in the high school band concession stand, chapel speaker, Church Elder, and adjunct professor. These roles of course, come on top of my full time job as director of a mental health center with 70 employees, completing my doctoral studies, having three young-adult daughters and being husband to an equally busy wife.  Mind you, saying yes has a price. I rarely sleep in, watch very little television, and sometimes double-book myself. Saying yes can lead you into situations that are hard, messy, leave you frustrated or disappointed with others, and make you tired. Keeping those costs in mind, the benefits of saying yes far outweigh the costs.  In the past twelve months I’ve developed friendships, had opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others, and by God’s grace, have much richer life. Therefore, here is my challenge to you: The next time you have a chance to do something that might seem a little messy or difficult, but that has the payoff of helping others, say “yes”. 

I am sure most if not all  top level leaders of organizations have a team of people who help run the company. As with any group of people,  within that cadre of managers a variety of personalities are represented. Those in that group with strong, outspoken personalities can often dominate the decision  making process. Creating an environment where the quieter more humble manager gets an equal opportunity to speak freely protects  the organization from being driven by the more outspoken leader’s biases. The quiet voice might be the one that saves the day.

I have made a commitment to give a least three thank you cards per week to the people I work with. I try to notice little things they do– extra effort, being faithful, being kind–whatever I find that I can thank them for. It is making a difference.  I hear  back from many of them about how the card makes their day. This had made me realize how long many of the people I work with go without a word of appreciation.  I also find that writing the cards fills me with a clean sort of energy. Committing to being a thank you giver– glad I did it.