So, what do we do about it? (Wellbeing and Retention 2)

How can I as an LDHR leader actually make a difference to the movement I am part of?  How can I move away from being dragged down into just dealing with the mire of day-to-day processes and problems and positively impact staff life?  

Last week, we looked at the synergy between Gallup’s Q12, BCWI’s FLOURISH model, and the research of the Christian Distinctives Group with the Aspire assessment, to understand the pivot points in moving organisations and their staff from surviving to thriving. 

So, let’s unpack each of the five areas identified in Aspire.  The Aspire assessment consisted of statements that staff had to rate their level of agreement with, and in each area, there were key determinative statements that we found were predictive of the whole. We’ll highlight those statements and then look at a few ideas and suggestions to address the issues and move things forward.  Here goes:

Excellent Infrastructure

     “We continue to improve in how we do things as an organisation”

In my post-grad studies in HR many years ago, we had a whole module on “continuous improvement”, looking at Kaizen 그리고, Total Quality Management.  More recently the talk around continuous improvement has emerged in Circular HR with a focus on more employee-centred issues and sustainability as well as organisational improvement.  The headline is still the same, though: We dare not take our eye off “How can we do this better”?  Not just the things that aren’t working, but the things that are.

     “There is effective communication up, down and across the organisation.”

John Cleese’s training company “Video Arts” produced a communications training course a number of years ago, identifying the two major issues experienced in communication: 

1. “no one ever tells me”
2. “no one ever asks me” 

This has stuck with me.  Often, when I think I’ve communicated well, I may have communicated clearly but may not have communicated things as much as I should or as consistently as I should.  When it comes to asking, my good friend Bob Tiede often says his favourite three questions are “Tell me more”, “Tell me more” 그리고, “Tell me more”

Effective Leadership

     “The leaders put Christ at the centre of the organisation’s vision and activities.”

Many organisations talk about integrity but seem to struggle to pin down what integrity actually is and looks like.  For Christian organisations, missional or otherwise, we know that Jesus is the centre and the Bible is our foundation, but what that looks like in practice is sometimes elusive. Different people, and particularly different generations, see this differently.  For some it’s rooted in Bible verses anchoring all our actions, for others, it’s making sure prayer is a part of every meeting, for others its action-centred in social engagement, equality and sustainability.  Perhaps this could be a discussion point for your team?

     “The senior team’s leadership style is appropriate for the organisation at this time.”

When it comes to appropriate leadership styles, one of my go-to books is still the first leadership book I read when I started leading a team 30 years ago.  Ken Blanchard’s work on Situational Leadership is still such a great framework for thinking about what your people need to succeed and flourish.  Where would you put your team members or their responsibilities on this grid?  

Dependable Relationships

     “People generally treat each other with respect.”

Within the Campus Crusade family, this sort of question generally scores pretty well.  Ministries have good times and bad, but in all the teams I’ve worked in and alongside, they’ve always been a better place to work than the best days in the Insurance company I used to work for.  Hearing the stories of friends and relatives in their workplaces makes me grateful for who we continue to be.  Let’s not get complacent, but sometimes, perspective on other workplaces is a good reality check! 

     “There is a sense of unity and pulling together in my team.”

Having said all that about relationships, “unity” can sometimes be tricky.  We are quite famous for recruiting entrepreneurial mavericks to join our staff teams.  However, the impact of strong-minded, individual thinkers is that unity of direction and action can become undermined.  We are not troubled by issues such as “performance-related pay”, but that doesn’t mean we are immune to individual competitiveness over team direction.  Our Global Executive Team has done a great job in addressing the 사고방식과 행동들 we need to overcome some of these things.  Maybe it’s worth revisiting these things and working through a course on your team?

Developmental Opportunities

     “The organisation gives me opportunities to learn and grow.”

     “I am growing as a person”

For several years, the Global LDHR team has prioritised emphasising and encouraging everyone to engage in the three conversations in the 간사 개발 주기. It’s become common language in most of our ministries, and most have found it helpful to determine their priorities and think about their growth.  However, with the focus on the SDC, I think there may have been in some places, a decrease in the use of the more thorough approach to planning development using the 개인 개발 계획(Personal Development Plan) and thinking through how to tackle development issues using the 5Es.  Maybe it’s time for a revival?  

Valued Work

This area had a number of different aspects:

• The type of work: “What I do in my job plays to my strengths”
• The quantity of work: “My team’s workload is about right”
• The context of work: “As an organisation, we are good at concentrating our effort on the main things we want to achieve”
• And the recognition of work: “Good work is recognised and appreciated in this organisation.”

There are so many things we could unpack in this area, but much of it comes down to the issue of “staff engagement” which we will be looking at next week, so let me leave you with a few thoughts on how you and your teams can look into all these areas.  Maybe you could:

• Use the question statements to form a staff satisfaction questionnaire?
• Take one at a time and ask your team one each week?
• Dig into one area you have a hunch is an issue and use the Bob Tiede approach:  “Tell me more, tell me more, tell me more”
• Most importantly, change something:  What can you address today?  What can you address this year?

Phew, that was quite a long one.  Sorry.  It’ll be shorter next week, I promise.  Do let me know what you think is the biggest priority that you see in your context.