Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of effective employee engagement is receiving meaningful feedback. In my experience, the best way to successfully do so is through simply asking questions. Asking questions, either individually or in a group setting, communicates to the employee that their opinion matters and that those in leadership genuinely respect and care about what they have... Continue Reading
In How Great Supervisors Use Employee Recognition To Improve Performance, we looked at how supervisors who provide frequent and meaningful recognition and praise inspire employees to higher performance, engagement and loyalty. Below are 40 ideas for recognizing those you supervise. Learning your employee’s recognition preferences will help you determine which will work for you and which will not. But, don’t... Continue Reading
In the groundbreaking bestseller, The Carrot Principle, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton show definitively how supervisors who provide frequent and effective recognition inspire employees to excel. In a similar study found in How Full Is Your Bucket?, Tom Rath and Donald Clifton demonstrate that employees who receive regular meaningful recognition and praise: Increase their productivity Increase engagement with their colleagues... Continue Reading
In Mentor-Coaching In A Supervisory Relationship we shared how a supervisor that incorporates both mentoring and coaching can more effectively support, develop and improve the performance of their direct reports. A Mentor-Coaching approach is particularly effective in helping the supervisee gain insight and self-awareness into demonstrated behaviors, both positive and negative. Mentor-Coaching Tips For Reinforcing Positive Behavior Step 1: From... Continue Reading
The leader of the past was a person who told, the leader of the future will be a person who asks—Peter Drucker In Mentor-Coaching in a Supervisory Relationship we saw that coaching is where the expertise lies within the person being coached, and the role of the coach is to help the coachee, in partnership with the Holy Spirit, discover... Continue Reading
In my experience the twin approach of coaching – facilitating discovery in you – and mentoring – filling in the knowledge that you don’t have – can be a powerful tool for the supervisor to use to catapult learning and initiate synergistic change in those they supervise. In mentoring the expertise lies in the mentor and is transferred to the... Continue Reading
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.” – Henry Ford “I am not what I think I am; and I am not what you think I am; but I am what I think you think I am.” – Unknown “If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as... Continue Reading
When making hiring decisions most churches involve a Personnel or a Search Committee to drive or advise the search process. Anyone who has chaired or led such a committee knows the challenge of facilitating agreement once two or more candidates have been identified for consideration. The following four surveys are helpful tools in leading a committee or team to clarity... Continue Reading
The moral failure of a minister is one of the most devastating events that can happen in the life of a minister and a church. Every time a minister falls, we all suffer with that minister and his family. And, our collective witness to the world suffers as well. Yet, surprisingly, most staff interviews skirt the issue entirely. For Jesus’ sake,... Continue Reading
Screening Ministerial Staff for soft skills is one of the most challenging aspects of the interview process. Fortunately, attribute based interview questions are a proven way to reveal a candidate’s abilities in a number of job-essential soft skills. You can better discern how they would perform in your church culture by looking at a candidate’s past behavior in 9 essential areas:... Continue Reading
Micromanagement supervision is a management style whereby a supervisor closely observes or controls the work of subordinates. Much has been written about how micromanagement is really mismanagement. How micromanagers disempower staff, stifle opportunity for growth and innovation, and give rise to poor performance and morale. Like cancer, there are numerous symptoms of micromanagement, most all of which are bad for the... Continue Reading
Many skills and attributes are required to become an effective supervisor, but one rises above all others and can be the “deal killer” to effective supervision. The single most critical factor in church staff supervision is the perception of the direct report that their supervisor has the competency and commitment to help them achieve their personal goals and objectives. In... Continue Reading
Jim is a Church Organizational Leadership and Management Coach, Consultant and Trainer. Throughout his career Jim has demonstrated a passion for showing Pastors and Ministers how to use organizational tools for church and personal growth and health.
More About Jim“For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.” Colossians 2:5