It's been almost a month since MinistryCom. I left with so much stuff in my head I wanted to blog it but couldn't. So I've been digesting over the last month and this is the takeaways I'm left with.
1. You don't have it so bad. There are many ministries at other places that are less resourced, less appreciated, more overworked. No matter who you are there is someone who has it worse. Which leads to:
2. You are not alone. It was amazing how many people I heard with the same struggles as me. It taught me that I need to be better, the situation is the reality. I need to adjust my expectation.
3. A brand is a lasting experience not stuff. A brand is not your logo, collateral, or web site. It's how you make people feel. A lasting impression has a lot more impact than a brochure.
4. Web 2.0 is way more than I ever though. Matter of fact it is everything. Web 2.0 is how people interact with you. Our constituents don't want data hand fed to them (well actually they do). They also want to interact with that data, make it theirs and manipulate it.
And a few more but that's all that fell out right now. More to follow.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Is it true?
I've heard Kem Myers speak about. I've read her blog but until just now I never knew exactly what she meant when she said, "everyone doesn't hate you, it just feel like it." Maybe I "knew" what she meant but really thought it was hyperbole.
It's not.
If you work in communications, especially church communications, for more than six months you're going to understand what she means.
I got vendors that won't call me back, a wife that falls asleep alone most nights (ps I'm typing this at 11:35 p.m.) and ministries that I'm sure hate me. Hate's a strong word. Yep, accurate.
The funny thing is I love them. I am desperately passionate about getting their message out, well. Maybe that's the problem. Everyone knows the old triangle, good, cheap and fast, now pick two. To be honest I'm not sure where the breakdown is.
Do they expect too much or are just difficult? Am I slow and incompetent? Is the reality of the situation unfortunate? Who knows.
Well hopefully I will. I am desperate to find out how I can serve these guys. I want to create a team atmosphere where we're all on the same team working together towards the common goal. Nothing illustrated how obviously not true that is as a meeting I had today.
A ministry partner made mention of bringing a volunteer with a particular skill with THEM into a meeting with US so that he could be sure he understood us. WOW! I didn't think we were that bad. I thought that was what I did, protect them from the over-the-head vendors out there. Gut check!
So I like lists. Here's my steps to getting back to that team spirit:
1. Find out what they think about me. I hate surveys but they have their place. I'm going to try to get some candid feedback from a web survey on how we can best serve them and what roadblocks they feel like they face. I'm also going to keep making my daily walks around. I want to be around the ministries and hear them.
2. I'm going to start trying to heal hurts as I find them. Sometimes its not hard to find the hurts and sometimes they're more difficult. I'm going to make a point to start rebuilding relationship first. Which leads to my next two more subpoints (trying to get to five points, its magic there.)
3. Rebuild relationship. I am going to continue to actively work to build relationship. I'm going to bring them breakfast on a day they have a major ministry event. Show up with extra things they need. Staff an event. Volunteer with them. Pray with and for them. One other thing: My wife serves during our first service and I've taken a semester off from serving. Which means I've got about an hour and a half to do whatever. Going to my office is BAD. So I've started going to each ministry, one a week, and just sitting with them. Doing whatever they need. I WANT to know them.
4. Exceed expectations. This is always a goal but really want to step it up. I want to always be thinking one bigger, smarter and better than they are. That's why they "want" me around.
5. Try not to say no. I thought I'd love the day when I was a decision maker. Yes, no. Horse hockeys. It sucks. I hate saying no. I want to say yes. Honestly, it's easier. But now I want to say yes in all the right ways.
If there's one thing I wish my ministries knew it's that I love them. Work and product aside, I love them. I love what they do. I love what I do, and I love serving them. That and $4 will get me a venti, non-fat, no whip mocha at 140 degrees at Starbucks.
It's not.
If you work in communications, especially church communications, for more than six months you're going to understand what she means.
I got vendors that won't call me back, a wife that falls asleep alone most nights (ps I'm typing this at 11:35 p.m.) and ministries that I'm sure hate me. Hate's a strong word. Yep, accurate.
The funny thing is I love them. I am desperately passionate about getting their message out, well. Maybe that's the problem. Everyone knows the old triangle, good, cheap and fast, now pick two. To be honest I'm not sure where the breakdown is.
Do they expect too much or are just difficult? Am I slow and incompetent? Is the reality of the situation unfortunate? Who knows.
Well hopefully I will. I am desperate to find out how I can serve these guys. I want to create a team atmosphere where we're all on the same team working together towards the common goal. Nothing illustrated how obviously not true that is as a meeting I had today.
A ministry partner made mention of bringing a volunteer with a particular skill with THEM into a meeting with US so that he could be sure he understood us. WOW! I didn't think we were that bad. I thought that was what I did, protect them from the over-the-head vendors out there. Gut check!
So I like lists. Here's my steps to getting back to that team spirit:
1. Find out what they think about me. I hate surveys but they have their place. I'm going to try to get some candid feedback from a web survey on how we can best serve them and what roadblocks they feel like they face. I'm also going to keep making my daily walks around. I want to be around the ministries and hear them.
2. I'm going to start trying to heal hurts as I find them. Sometimes its not hard to find the hurts and sometimes they're more difficult. I'm going to make a point to start rebuilding relationship first. Which leads to my next two more subpoints (trying to get to five points, its magic there.)
3. Rebuild relationship. I am going to continue to actively work to build relationship. I'm going to bring them breakfast on a day they have a major ministry event. Show up with extra things they need. Staff an event. Volunteer with them. Pray with and for them. One other thing: My wife serves during our first service and I've taken a semester off from serving. Which means I've got about an hour and a half to do whatever. Going to my office is BAD. So I've started going to each ministry, one a week, and just sitting with them. Doing whatever they need. I WANT to know them.
4. Exceed expectations. This is always a goal but really want to step it up. I want to always be thinking one bigger, smarter and better than they are. That's why they "want" me around.
5. Try not to say no. I thought I'd love the day when I was a decision maker. Yes, no. Horse hockeys. It sucks. I hate saying no. I want to say yes. Honestly, it's easier. But now I want to say yes in all the right ways.
If there's one thing I wish my ministries knew it's that I love them. Work and product aside, I love them. I love what they do. I love what I do, and I love serving them. That and $4 will get me a venti, non-fat, no whip mocha at 140 degrees at Starbucks.
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