Category Archives: Work

Dinner in the Circle

Faith, Life, The Church, Work

During the school year, on the first and third Wednesdays, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM , after I get off work, I help serve meals at a local church.  The food is great; things like homemade soup, spaghetti, baked potatoes with toppings, tacos, lasagna, and other wonderful dishes. They are served with a side, dessert, and drink. The cost is $3 for an individual and $12 for a family of four or more. The people who prepare the meals, serve the meals, bus the tables, wash the dishes, and clean up afterward are the best people I know. There are seven or so of them. They come from all walks of life. A teacher, a local election board employee, a medical  office manager, a steel worker, a director of nursing, a retired factory worker, and an accounting clerk. They serve food, handout drinks, and visit with the guests, There is a table of 80-90 year old widows, single mom’s thankful they don’t have to cook that night, grandparents helping to raise grand-kids, retired couples, families of all shapes and sizes. The atmosphere of the meal is like oxygen. People are smiling, laughing, and encouraging one another. The people serving work together like a well oiled machine.

No matter how tired, grouchy, or worried I am when I  get there, I feel better by 7:00 PM. It’s kind of counter-intuitive but after the 90 -120 minutes of work  I am happy and my soul feels full. I have read that the evidence that God is in the midst of something is that is characterized by this: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control. These are the words I would use to describe the meal and those I work with to put it on. I am thankful I get to be part of it. 

Being a Thankful Leader

Faith, Topics in Leadership, Work

thank-you

I spend a lot of  time at work thinking about  problems. Problems from funding changes, to regulatory changes, to juggling the budget, to trying to hire good staff in the midst of a statewide workforce shortage, to making sure our agency is on the forefront of meeting the housing, trauma recovery, and mental health needs of our community. There are many times it feels overwhelming. Today though, on Thanksgiving, I want to take the time to share the specific blessings I experienced this year.

  • After more than a year of looking for a full time  psychiatrist God provided a great one. He is a wonderful team player and his patients love him.
  • One of our key administrators moved and we were able to find a highly qualified replacement who is a great problem solver.
  • This week two experienced social workers walked in and applied for jobs we had openings for.
  • This week a great employee who had taken another job came back.
  • We had an opening for a cleaning position and were able to fill it with a real go-getter who had just lost hours at another job.
  • After looking for a support staff for several weeks we just hired a really dynamic candidate.
  • Our clinical director has created a tight-knit  team of counselors and case managers that work together and get great results.
  • Our HR manager  has developed a fantastic orientation for new employees and is putting together a great recruitment and retention plan.
  • Our domestic violence shelter has started several new support groups.
  • A state and local grant allowed us to expand services to our county jail.
  • After a major local tragedy our agency was able to provide critical incident stress support to several local groups.
  • We have opportunities to expand our equine therapy program.
  • This year we partnered with our local schools to start a kindergarten readiness program.
  • We’ve identified several other partnerships we can develop to have an even greater impact in our community.
  • Our financial statements look solid.
  • Our shelter director had gotten new grants and strengthened funding for all its programs.
  • We have purchased new billing software which will strengthen our accounts receivable.
  • We’ve been nominated for social service agency of  the year through our local chamber of commerce.

So many blessings. So many answers to prayer.

Personally I’m blessed with an amazing wife and soulmate. I have three amazing daughters. I’m blessed with friends, a great church and opportunities  to use the gifts God has given me.

May all if you have a peaceful Thanksgiving. Let’s also try to count our blessings a lot more often.

Whose time is it anyway?

Faith, Life, Topics in Leadership, Work

 

glass-time-watch-business

I try, as best as I can to stay organized with “my” time. Being organized and efficient are some of the traits that typically make the “traits of effective leader” list. What I always tell people is, “getting organized isn’t the problem, it’s staying organized that gets,me.” My calendar and my to-do list are important tools. To keep track of my time I use Google Calendar. I can schedule my time from several devices and keep everything synced. I use Google Keep to create reminders and to-do lists.  I write out my to-dos and check them off on a regular basis.  The work ethic I inherited from my parents leads me to make sure I am being productive and getting things done. I try to make every hour count.

I’m not obsessive about it, but when there are interruptions or intrusions to my plan I can feel a little surge of anxiety or even frustration with the person or situation getting me off track. Maybe the source of the discomfort is because I forget that the hours I have in the day aren’t really mine. They are given to me by the one who created time.

This week I had a couple “intrusions”  that gently reminded me that the the creator of time may have some things to add to my day. Early in the week I was hunkered down plowing through my to-do list. One of the crisis counselors at the  agency I am the director of ask for me to help with a person in crisis because all the other staff were tied up. My first thought was, “I don’t have time for this.”  Despite my initial reaction I jumped in to help. I did the crisis intervention, and for about an hour I had the privilege of entering into someone’s valley of the shadow of death. It was a sacred time. This person, in complete trust, shared their deepest pain with me. I found myself feeling blessed by the opportunity to be a listening ear. I realized after the conversation that God had orchestrated this. He wanted me to be an extension of his grace to a suffering soul. This was better than anything on my list for the day.  The second happened as I was leaving the YMCA to get back home after working out. I had planned just enough  time to get in some exercise then get ready for a meeting. On my way out I ran into a friend. I did the quick “Hey how you doing?” Instead of the normal quick “okay” he chose to spend the time to actually share how he was doing. Once again, I felt that twinge of anxiety and my internal dialogue was , “shoot, I don’t have time for this.” I spent about 5 minutes listening and offering support. We parted ways with a smile and a “nice seeing you.” The conversation was not long but it was meaningful. It was enough time to demonstrate to my friend that I cared about him. Once again, a chance to reflect some grace into someone’s life. It was time not blocked out on my schedule but it was a sacred encounter.

So I will start a new work week again Monday.  I have my schedule and my to-do list. I am praying though, that I will be sensitive to God’s plan for what’s ahead and leave room for the creator of time to drop in a few interruptions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Treat the organization you lead as sacred.

Topics in Leadership, Work

I have come to the conclusion that in order to lead an organization so that it thrives at accomplishing its mission, a leader must treat it as sacred. I use the word sacred because leaders are the protectors of their organization. They protect the mission. They protect the culture. If it is done with vigilance and perseverance organizations are able to continually adapt to challenges and improve.  If leaders are not vigilant at proactively dealing with internal threats and actively adapting to external threats then an organization slowly collapses.

 Practically this means several things. These things I have leaned the hard way.

1)  Deal with problems whenever they arise.  

 2) Hire managers and supervisors with the greatest scrutiny. The wake left behind by an        emotionally unhealthy leader can be devastating.

3) Celebrate every victory.  Celebration affirms the work your team is accomplishing.

4)Screen out any worker who is unethical, subversive, or not mission driven. 

5) Reward good hard work. Find as many ways as possible to say thanks to those who are making the mission happen.

This list is easier said than done. Often times there are pressures  that compete to be the priority and that make straying from this list more convenient. Stay true. I have learned I am always glad when I do.

 

How BIG are your problems?

Faith, Life, Mental Health, The Church, Topics in Leadership, Work
Photo by Frank Wouters
Photo by Frank Wouters

Let’s face it, no matter what role in life you find yourself in, there are times your problems seem much bigger than the resources you have to solve them. If you are like me, when those perilous stretches of time are pressing in I don’t sleep well, I don’t eat well, and  I focus all my thoughts on how big the problems are and on how much power they have over me.   The more I obsess on my difficulties  the more dominance I allow them to have over me.

A few years ago the senior pastor of my church taught me a very powerful truth about problems. The truth is found in this simple phrase that resonates in my mind when difficult circumstances start to seem like they are going to have the upper hand.  My pastor’s words of truth: “If you have a BIG GOD you’ve got small problems; If you have a small god you’ve got BIG PROBLEMS.” This simple phrase helps me move away from emphasizing the power of the predicaments in front of me and helps me focus on the resources I have around me and inside of me.

As leaders when we see the threats in front of us we must reposition our fear and focus on the opportunities and strengths of our organizations. Concentrate on gathering the collective energy and creativity of our staff to find new paths forward. As parents we need to always be looking at our children’s many gifts, talents, and passions rather than their few hang-ups. Doing so helps them grow into their best selves. It also helps them see themselves through the lens of capability rather than inability.

So friends, let’s be real here. Life is hard. Each day brings its share of trouble. But by God’s grace, and by focusing on the resources we have, we can move forward helping our organizations and families be overcomers rather than overcome.

Blessings,

Jerry

 

 

 

Moving through the stressful times as a leader

Faith, Mental Health, Topics in Leadership, Work

Slieve League Cliffs Ireland

Anyone in a leadership role has felt it. That sense of crushing pressure compressing  on you by difficult circumstances. The pressure may be coming from internal or external forces. It may be complex and multifaceted.   Either way, as the primary decision maker and problem solver for an organization,  you feel the stress. We leaders respond to the pressure in different ways depending on our personalities or the make-up of our character.  Some of us get angry and aggressive. Others get distant and distracted. Some get sick. Yet some of us, on good days, find a way to move through the stress and remain hopeful. The pressures and circumstances pushing on us stay the same, but we were able to see them differently. We see them as transient and manageable instead of fixed and intolerable.

If the stressors remain the same then what is it that allows a leader to handle the pressures more adaptively? The answer is in finding coping skills equal to the forces pushing on us. When I have the opportunity to speak to aspiring leaders I often tell them I have to take three kinds of medication to handle the pressures of my job. The medications I take are 1) regular exercise (usually running, 2) journaling, and 3) prayer/meditation. I find that when I am taking my medication regularly the very large, powerful, and frightening problems aren’t as daunting.  It also seems that the greater the strength of the stress, the more I have to rely on my medication. When things are rough, I need more exercise,  journaling,  prayer, and meditation.

If you are a leader who is feeling overwhelmed and discouraged by the trials and difficulties in your job, try looking for some helpful medicine. I know leaders who paint, draw, write, run, do yoga, martial arts, meditate, pray, or participate in a drum circle.  If you take the remedy regularly your problems may look much more solvable and your stress may feel much more tolerable.

God bless,

Jerry

What to Do When You Get Discouraged

Faith, Life, Topics in Leadership, Work

image

It doesn’t matter what kind of a leadership role you are in whether it be parent, pastor, agency director  or something else, discouragement can overtake you. Sometimes it overwhelms you.  Usually when I am feeling down about my role at work or home it leads to a place of isolation, fatigue, and over-focusing on what’s wrong.  I replay, “what I should have done.” For me the way out of the land of discouragement usually involves a little break, time with people who care about me, meditating on age old truths (I find in the Bible), and physical exercise.  In this linked article Rick Warren does a nice job of describing how leaders get discouraged and some thought provoking ideas on bouncing back.   http://pastors.com/gods-word-is-the-cure-for-discouraged-leaders/

Getting feedback

Life, Topics in Leadership, Work

coffee_02_bg_040306As a leader one of the things I appreciate is very direct communication from others. I would much rather have someone come to me and say, “Jerry I’m really mad at you about…”, than have someone be be upset and sit on it. On the flip side, I have to create a safe enough environment for people to feel comfortable enough to share their true feelings with me. I can create that safety by validating their concerns and by not talking over them, explaining their concerns away, or retaliating in any way.

I am really working hard at the art of listening and clarifying. It is taking a lot of learning and relearning. My hope is the people around me at work and home feel more valued.