Christian Management Report
June 2004 Issue (Vol. 28, No. 3)
FOCUS: The Christian Workplace
TITLE: The Best Places to Work
“As we live in God, our love becomes more perfect.” --1 John 4:17, NLT
IN THIS ISSUE... we address the Christian workplace and how to make it a great place to work. Al Lopus, executive director of Best Christian Workplaces Institute, says there’s a strong correlation between employee satisfaction and an organization’s growth. “Healthy workplaces,” he says, “tend to be fruitful workplaces.” In an interview with Lopus, we provide guidance for the employee caught in an unhealthy workplace. In addition, the top 50 Christian places to work are showcased. ► We’re all wired differently, says Rodney Cox, and understanding these distinctives about ourselves and those on our ministry team can make a huge difference. By presenting four inescapable transitions every team must face, he shows us the diversity of strengths found in every team. ► An important article by Ruth Haley Barton explores the process for transformational leadership. It’s not “something we can produce or manufacture for ourselves,” says Barton, “it’s a gift from God that’s full of mystery. God guides the process…and brings it to fruition.” ► Revelation 21:26 says, “all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city of God.” Gregory Waddell challenges us with this biblical perspective to take the road less traveled, realizing the long-term value and reward in cultural variety within our workforce. ► Rod Handley once again looks at Jesus’ earthly life and explores its facets of greatness, challenging us to build these qualities into our life—things that have a lasting, eternal impact. This is how we’ll leave a meaningful legacy. ► Happy and fruitful reading. —DeWayne Herbrandson, Executive Editor
Note: Unless stated otherwise, the Bible translation used throughout is the New International Version (NIV).
CONTENTS
MANAGEMENT FOCUS
The Best Places to Work
How to Create a Healthy, Fruitful Workplace
By Kevin Scheid, Partner, Best Christian Workplaces Institute
and Helen Lee, Cofounder, Best Christian Workplaces Institute
The recently completed second annual Best Christian Places to Work project, conducted by Best Christian Workplaces Institute (BCWI), surveyed more than 10,000 people from 107 Christian organizations, representing a wide range of industries and organization sizes (a 26 percent increase in participants from the previous year.) A key finding emerging from the survey is the strong correlation between employee satisfaction and an organization’s growth. In other words, says BCWI executive director Al Lopus, “Healthy workplaces tend to be fruitful workplaces.”
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TEAM BUILDING
Leading From Your Strengths
Four “Inescapable Transitions” Every Ministry Team Must Face
By Rodney Cox, Founder, Insights International, Inc.
There’s a reason our ministry teams operate the way they do, relating to the strengths and limitations each member brings to the team. For many teams these strengths and limitations are never examined, and the result can be a constant state of problems, conflict or simply ineffectiveness. Without such an examination, the source of these issues remains a mystery, and finding a solution that leads to building a close-knit team is difficult, if not impossible.
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THE TRANSFORMING LEADER—PART ONE
Giving the Best I Have
The Process of Transformational Leadership
By Ruth Haley Barton, Cofounder/President, The Transforming Center
“The best thing any of us have to bring to leadership is our own transforming self,” says the author, in this first of a three-part series on spiritual transformation. “God guides the process and brings it to fruition; all we can do is create the conditions in which it can take place.” Those conditions include establishing sane rhythms of work and rest, taking time in solitude and silence, self-examination that leads to authenticity, and growing spiritual discernment.
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ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES
The Glory of Nations!
Adopting Cultural Variety as a Corporate Value
By Gregory S. Waddell, Senior Missionary, Envoy Christian Mission
Values are the heart and life of both individuals and organizations. For decades, researchers have studied values and their relationship to organizational development, and have concluded that values are fundamental to an organization's overall health and productivity. In today's increasingly multicultural environment, there’s great need for understanding the particular challenges Christian leaders face when trying to define and implement their organizational values.
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LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
The Discipline of Creative Leadership
Reflections on Creativity and Innovation in Christian Ministry
By Larry N. Chamberlain, President/Executive Director, Grace Brethren North American Missions and Investment Foundation
Creativity, as a discipline, has developed strongly as a force for good among Christian organizations and their leadership, evolving from a traditional mindset satisfied with the status quo to a transformational mindset open to new ideas and creative change. Evidence of this positive development includes increased and enhanced self-regulation, greater accountability and communications with constituents, more openness to diversified methodologies, responsiveness to better business practices, and the embracing of collaborative alliances.
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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Building a Showcase Website
It’s Not About You… It’s About Them!
By Preston Bowman, President, SurfSignals, Inc.
Showcases are a staple of the American shopping experience. They’re designed to grab the attention of shoppers enough to make them want to stop and look. Hopefully what they see will draw them inside the store, where the items of interest are easily found, resulting in a purchase. Our websites should follow the same guidelines, but few really do. The author describes the four steps involved in creating a showcase website.
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LIVING WITH INTEGRITY
A Meaningful Legacy
How to Achieve Greatness in Jesus’ Eyes
By Rod Handley, Founder/President, Character That Counts
Greatness doesn’t lie merely in words, or even in actions. It’s the total effect of one’s life in both public and private that determines greatness. “Jesus reminds us,” says the author, “that greatness is found in being teachable like a little child, in being a servant to others, and in being obedient to his call on our lives.”
