Even if you’re not a CEO, at any level you can still have incredible influence on your team. A recent Harvard Business Review article titled, “Every Team Needs a Super-Facilitator,” highlights longtime NBA player, Chris Paul, as a super-facilitator. Four times he’s joined a new team and within two years each team experienced their best record ever. Chris Paul is ...
In its annual State of the Global Workplace, Gallup reported the global percentage of engaged employees fell from 23% to 21% in 2024, nearing the recent low levels of engagement experienced during the pandemic. Digging deeper, the data revealed that manager engagement drove the decline, falling three points from the prior year. Engagement of managers under age 35 fell by ...
Research shows that hearing just one story of how our work benefits someone else can increase motivation by 400%. The author of a Harvard Business Review article showed a team of plumbing contractors a picture of his son enjoying a doughnut at his favorite doughnut shop. One of the plumbers proclaimed, “Hey, we worked on that doughnut shop!” The author ...
Desiring to serve God in his work, Darren often held back to be sure he wasn’t jumping ahead of God by taking actions God didn’t want taken. When Darren proudly described his restraint to his spiritual mentor, the mentor reminded Darren of the many times God used people to accomplish tasks, from Moses seeking his father-in-law’s assistance in the Book ...
If you remember the parable of the talents, the last servant made excuses for his poor performance. Although this servant blamed his mistake on fear, it could have just as easily been due to laziness. In the workplace, you can often identify the lazy workers by their multiple excuses. Some of them can get comical. Two of my favorites listed ...
Ignaz Semmelweis was a Hungarian physician who implemented hand washing procedures for doctors at Vienna General Hospital. This new practice decreased the incidence of maternal death from 18% to 2%. Sadly, the medical community was offended to be told that a gentlemen’s hands could possibly carry disease. Doctors unanimously continued their deathly procedures. Unfortunately, many great findings are ignored ...
When a new school year begins, an experienced teacher learns to hold a tight rein on student discipline. But later, their grip can be loosened as the class learns to obey directives. My friend, Jim, as a seasoned executive, says that employers might consider this same tight-to-loose concept with new hires. Initially, weekly check-ins with tight accountability are warranted. Later, ...
Our team recently completed our annual two-day planning retreat. By far it was the most Christ-centered peaceful, unifying, and productive retreat I’ve experienced. Each morning, we had an extended time of prayer, communion, and preparing our hearts. The biggest difference, however, was our team member’s hearts were open to putting God first over our own interests. When I contrasted this ...
In this series we’re discussing the challenge of being a good shepherd. The final challenge is in retaining the people God has called to your team. Much earlier in my career, I had a person working for me who became verbally abusive and rude to multiple team members. This person added significant value to the organization in other ways, causing ...
In this series we’re discussing the challenge of being a good shepherd. Last time, we discussed the importance of caring for the needs of your flock. Our second challenge is to create a peaceful and safe environment for your team. Working directly with customers can leave some employees fearful and anxious. If they are not supported by management adequately, the ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
