Leadership Lesson #5–We Are Who We Hire

     We have a great staff at Jubilee Shores.  Last week, they “punked” me over a little incident, and it was great fun reading the emails that circulated for the day.  We didn’t get much work done, but we had a blast with each other.  I am so thankful for them.  Each of our team members is conscientious and committed to the cause.  They are efficient and effective.  They push each other to give God their best.  And they love to laugh.

     Please don’t misunderstand.  It hasn’t always been that way.  I’ve had a lot to learn about picking the right people and managing them well.  But anyone who leads teams knows how rare and elusive those seasons of “synergy” can be.  It’s a little like driving a car.  One tire out of balance can wear on the others and even jeopardize the safety and stability of all aboard.  If we are behind the wheel in leadership and neglect the early warning signs of imbalance, it can be really costly relationally.   We can lose credibility in a hurry when the car gets out of control.  But, there is nothing like a smooth ride.  As leaders, building the right teams is our most important task.  So, here are some tips to consider:

1.  Take Your Time.  The most costly hiring decisions I have made are the ones I made under pressure.  Sometimes it requires courage to wait.  Constituents want their particular concerns addressed, and delay can look like indecisiveness or even lack of diligence.  However, those seasons of waiting can be really productive for an organization if we manage them well.  It provides time to re-assess priorities and re-evaluate existing personnel.  Jim Collins’ analogy of getting the right people in the right seats on the bus is such a good one (if you haven’t read Good to Great, do so now, please!).  In a non-profit organization – at least temporarily – volunteers can be recruited and trained to step up, which will reduce cost and increase effectiveness in the long run. 

2.  Establish a Consistent Hiring Strategy.  For a long time I trusted my instincts in making  personnel decisions.  My instincts are pretty good, but I learned that they are not good enough.  After a few poor choices, I learned to trust a team.  I still get to make the critical choices, but I get a lot more input.  And having a consistent strategy is helpful for the team in evaluating candidates.  I like the simple rule Bill Hybels and his team at Willow Creek developed several years ago.  Does the person being considered pass the 3 C’s test?  What is their level of competence for the job?  Are they a person of high character (not just morally, but is their work ethic consistent with the culture of the organization)?  And, what impact will this person have on team chemistry?  It’s not an exact science, but it is a good place to start.  Also, a basic temperament analysis tool can be beneficial.  There are a lot of good ones, but a team member put me onto the Enneagram Assessment a few years ago.  You can find it online at www.enneagraminstitute.com.  I like it because it assesses the interactivity of the person’s profile with the profile of the manager or supervisor who will oversee the new hire.  A lot of good analysis that will help you avoid personnel pitfalls.

3.  Do the maintenance.  Once the right people have been identified and oriented into our organizations, it is important to stay in touch relationally and professionally (without getting the two confused, of course).  Weekly or monthly meetings (as informally as possible) with direct reports communicates value.  It keeps accounts short and allows for conversations that keep tension from building over time.  Don’t avoid the difficult conversations when they are necessary.  Most team members appreciate knowing where they stand and where we stand with regard to their effectiveness.  Taking the car in for routine rotation and balance on the tires can be inconvenient with regard to our schedule, but it’s a lot cheaper than replacing a tire (or even more than one if it has worn on the others), which leads to one more important word of encouragement.  If all else fails and regular maintenance is not effective, consider trading in the model while it still has value.  A staff relationship gone bad can demoralize everyone and letting a situation go too long can rob an underperforming teammate of the confidence necessary to be more effective somewhere else.  Be very generous in severing the professional relationship (verbally and financially) and close the door gently, but move on.

4.  Have fun together.  This brings us back to where we started.  I once served on a staff that took a “coffee break” together every morning at 10:00 am.  Sometimes the jokes got ”corny,” but many of the key people on that team stayed together for many years.  Our staff meets every morning for devotions and we take time in our weekly staff meeting to laugh with each other.  Sometimes we even go too far and laugh at each other.  But the vulnerability required to apologize only increases our credibility with each other.  

      While writing this I am reminded that our staff hasn’t taken a day off for a “road trip” in awhile.  So, I am going to sign off now and go meet with the staff party planner, who is also our Financial Administrator (a great combination, don’t you think?).  Talk with you next week.

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