One consideration people everywhere in our culture today have in common is, People want to be heard. Unfortunately, there are two barriers in most organizations. One is, there is no apparent structure for the average worker or member to share his/her viewpoints and suggestions. Some organizations and leaders go to extremes to make sure workers do have a communication avenue like this. Poor leaders do not want any input from others. Great, successful leaders on the other hand, welcome input and provide avenues of communication.

The second barrier is most people have difficulty expressing his/her viewpoints and suggestions. Few people have been trained or know how to deliver a suggestion without attached emotional baggage. Therefore, what could be a great suggestion, becomes a complaining point. You cannot (and should not) totally separate emotional attachment from a suggestion, especially if your belief is that this suggestion will benefit organizational quality. As leaders we need to be able to assist others in sharing his/her ideas in a congruent manner.

As a coach, I have found one of the best ways to do this is by asking a “tell me more” question. “That’s interesting. Can you tell me more?” A couple others would be, “Can you unpack that for me?” “Have you seen this happen before? If so, how was it handled?” Tell me more questions allow the speaker to process a little further his/her issue and reason for speaking. This approach may take a few more minutes, but it can produce great results for the entire organization.

These questions open the door for you, the leader to ask, “How do you think we could better handle this in the future?” or “Thank you for that insight. We’ll work on a better solution. If you have any thoughts, please submit them in writing, so I convey your thoughts correctly.” Having someone submit possible solutions in writing causes them to think about how you as the leader have to process information. It also shows that you are interested in listening to his/her viewpoint and suggestions.

Oftentimes, the answer to this individual’s personal issue will be revealed in his/her explanation. This will give the leader the information needed to help this person acheive greater effectiveness. Never underestimate the power of influence on others when they believe their voice is being heard.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

This is a guest post. It is actually a 4 question survey that we ask all team members to complete about their experience through the Reaching the Summit process . This one was completed by the interim pastor of a church who recently completed a one year series of working with me in the Reaching the Summit (RTS) process.

1——Through the course of RTS I have realized…have realized several things through this process. I learned that change is a slow process. It comes form identifying strengths of the church and then using those strengths to meet the needs of the people around it. The best way to see if this is happening is another thing I learned that seemed so simple. Look at the church and see if it resembles the community that it is in. If it doesn’t then it is not meeting the needs and reaching the people. This process is not a one time process, but instead is an ongoing and never ending one. This is because people change, demographics change and times change. This is what makes it hard because it is so easy for us to get comfortable where we are and doing what we like, which leads to the church using its strengths to minister to themselves.

If we are not making an effort to keep this from happening then it will happen.

2——RTS has helped me——RTS has helped me first of all see the importance selecting the right people for the job. It has helped me see how to do this by looking at peoples strengths, how they have handled jobs in the past and where their interest are. Some people are good long term leaders and some are event people who are good at doing one time events. Both are needed.

It has most of all I think helped me realize, that as a Pastor, I need to be a stronger leader. This comes from going through processes like RTS and requires effort to grow the spiritual gifts that God has given me. I think RTS really helped me in this area.

3——-I believe that because of RTS our church will———As a result of going through RTS we not only identified some of the strengths of our church but we also identified some of the weaknesses. Those seemed to be doing things simply because we always have. By eliminating those because they were no longer effective, we will have more people to help in our areas of strength and better meet the needs of the community around us which will result in our growth.

4——-I was an interim pastor at Bethel but have applied the things that I have learned at the church where I am currently serving and have seen the difference that it has made. Thank you as well for your book “Coaching, A way of leadership a way of life. It too has helped me to be a better leader.

Bruce Coker, Associate Pastor, LifeLine Church

Why are we afraid of reality? It is true in business, in the church, and even in our everyday conversations with friends and family, we obscure the reality of life. In the church we often hear, “we’re doing fine.” Or “We’re running about the same as last year.” The interpretation of the reality of these is, “We’re losing ground. Not as many people coming, no new people joining our church, we keep cutting due to lack of finances.”

In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins speaks of facing the brutal facts of reality. In Reaching the Summit, I speak of having a Vigorous Face to Face Summit with Reality. In all situations of any relationship or organization, until you are truly ready to confront the true (often brutal) facts of reality, you will not be able to pull out of any downward spiral in the relationship or organization.

Unfortunately, many people (most people) would rather glaze over or totally ignore reality, rather than face the true and often brutal facts. We want to live in our fantasy world, believing everything will turn out alright – someday. And we want to believe that day is just around the corner with our next big event, or the next big wave or program sweeping the nation. Brutal fact: It just does not happen!

It is apparently human nature to hide the truth when there are potential consequences and possible risk. Many churches remain in decline because the members (and leaders) refuse to accept reality. It is often not until the church is in dire consequences they will call on someone from outside to help. In fact, the call for help is usually one of the final grasps for survival. Even then the church is looking for a savior. Reality is; the church already has a savior and does not need another savior.

If you want to find the realty of your situation, call on a trained, unbiased outsider – someone who has nothing to gain – to assist your organization in uncovering the reality of your situation and assisting in strategically planning a turnaround.

A couple of resources to help you get started: Reaching the Summit: Avoiding & Reversing Decline in the Church and Turnaround Journey.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life

Many years ago, I hired in, selling vacuum cleaners, in homes. Within four weeks our office management and owner asked me to take on the role of sales trainer. Within the next six months our office had more successful new sales people than any other office in our nationwide company. In fact, we captured the award of number one office in our division of a worldwide corporation. While at that time I still did not consider myself to be a “leader”, we had more people who came through our training classes who went on to successful sales and management careers than any other trainer in the organization. Was I an exceptionally great trainer? No, by no means. In my mind I paled in comparison to those who trained me.

As I look back on those days and many since, I believe it was not my ability as much as my vulnerability that made a difference in so many lives. Vulnerability is considered the openness to expose one’s own weaknesses and susceptibility. In leadership ministry positions to this day, I try not to see myself as better or higher than anyone else. Actually, I see everyone as how they contribute in areas where I am weak. Seeing other people’s strengths is a key to leadership. Helping others to see and realize their areas of strength is also key.

One of the best ways to help others understand and utilize his/her strengths is through the use of your own vulnerability. I know I am not God’s gift to leadership. However, after many years, I have come to realize that God has gifted me in some areas of leadership. Even this has not been an easy factor for me to grasp. Perhaps because I know I have shortcomings and failures in my leading. Realizing these factors is a first step. Sharing your shortcomings is the beginning of vulnerability.

It becomes very beneficial for a leader to share his/her vulnerabilities to those whom he/she leads. And the way you share is the key factor which will build up or tear down the confidence and morale of others. Always share to encourage, embolden, and strengthen those you are speaking to.

When sharing your own vulnerabilities, never share to build yourself up or show how “good” you are. Always share to show you too have weaknesses and shortcomings. Share to build others up, to show they too can overcome obstacles that they may be facing. A successful leader will share his/her vulnerabilities to help others overcome obstacles and mindsets keeping them from performing at their very best.

Show me a leader who refuses to show a chink in his own armor, his weaknesses and vulnerabilities, and you will find low morale and high turnover in that leader’s employees/volunteers. Showing vulnerability actually builds integrity. What will you do this week to build integrity through vulnerability.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

Oftentimes we enter relationships, business or personal, with a trust that is based on mutual performance. That is, “I will trust you as long as you keep up your part of our working relationship. But, the minute you do not…” Trust based on mutual performance is not a lasting trust and will lead to dissension, discord, and a break up of the organization or relationship. We see this in business and in personal relationships. This false trust has led many couples to divorce, business partnerships to dissolve, and churches to split.

Trust built only on mutual performance is like trying to build a bridge out of tissue paper. It will fail. You and I will drop the ball at some point in any dependent trust relationship. It may not be major. But, there are times in our lives when we simply cannot accomplish everything in front of us. When this happens in a relationship based on dependent trust, it will always breed fear. If your trust in me is dependent on my “doing”, then I will begin to fear the possibility of not upholding to your trust level. Living with this type of fear will cause a person to act in a protection mode – protecting one’s self from losing the other’s support. This is not healthy and will lead to collapse of the relationship, be it in business or personal.

Trust comes when we realize the other person’s good toward us is not predicated on our actions or inactions. Genuine trust is not dependent on anything. It is a character trait of integrity. Trust as an integrity character trait has the other person’s best interest in mind. There is no fear of a boss, pastor, or spouse with this type of trust integrity. Even when you mess up, this person is going to be there to assist you in redeeming and improving future applications.

Pastors and church leaders believe they have automatic, built-in trust. However, genuine trust comes over time. Too many religious leaders lead out of a dependent based trust without even being aware of it. Even pastors must work to build the genuine trust level with his peers and church members/volunteers.

When you build this type of trust integrity, you will see those who work for you or alongside you begin to move more freely and comfortably. Without the chains of fear, he/she will be a greater productive laborer for your organization or relationship. Don’t assume that you have genuine trust integrity. Begin today, working toward building it into your character.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

Several years ago, I read the story of a company owner who, after listening to his employees needs, promised his employees that he would get them the best insurance benefits possible. The company had budgeted a certain amount of money in expectation of health insurance costs. When the decisions were made, and the insurance plan selected, the company had saved a considerable amount of money. This is where character integrity of the owner comes in. He could have said, “We saved the money, we’ll put it into the bottom line for profits,” therewith lining his own pockets. But this is not what the business owner chose to do.

Instead, he decided this amount of money was budgeted for benefits and it would be used for benefits. The company placed all of the money saved from the insurance purchase, into a fund for employee retirement benefits. Of course, when this was revealed to the employees, they were ecstatic. Employee morale soared. And just as important, at least three other benefits were recognized.

The business owner’s integrity was elevated among the employees. All employees understood their boss could be trusted to do what he said he would do. He had promised to get them the best insurance he could, and he did. In addition, he did it at a lower than expected cost. Trust is critical in any relationship.

Second, the employees received a bonus benefit that was totally unexpected, in their retirement. While the owner could have placed the saved money in the profit column for his own benefit, he did not. Instead, I believe he did what many businesses would not, he gave it in to his employees by placing it in their retirement funding. Taking care of your employees/volunteers is critical to high morale and improved productivity as well as retaining employees/volunteers.

Third, the employees were comforted to know they did not have to have representation in the room for every decision concerning their well-being. It is always good to get input from all levels of leadership, employees, and volunteers of your organization. However, when you build trust within the organization, people understand being outside the room does not mean their concerns are not being listened to and addressed. When trust is this strong in any organization or relationship, productivity will certainly soar.

Dr. Henry Cloud says, “If all companies (organizations, churches) were run like this, labor dispute might be an oxymoron.” Wouldn’t that be a dream world! Build trust in all your relationships, listen to the voice of others, keep your word, and remember, it is not all about the bottom line. Building trust is building Integrity!

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

We’ve all heard of businesses with a “high-turnover” rate. Businesses that cannot seem to keep employees. Following a short term of employment, employees keep leaving the company. Normally, it is considered a fault of those leaving the company. The job was not what he expected. She just was not committed. He’s not use to hard work. In some cases, this might be true.

However, when turnover continues among good, and not so good, employees, other issues need to be addressed. Great leaders will look at the inner workings of the company, the structure and atmosphere or culture inside the organization.

I have read the story of Dell computers a few years back. When internal surveys revealed that half (50%) of Dell’s employees reported they would leave the company if they had an opportunity, the two top officers took notice. While many CEO’s pastors, or other top officers would have dismissed or explained it away, Michael Dell and Kevin Rollins took the matter seriously. In fact they took it personally – in a good way.

Both Dell and Rollins began addressing their own weaknesses that had lowered morale in the workplace. Understanding the reality of this situation and the lengths that this CEO and President went to, gives testimony to why Dell is considered one of the best led companies in North America. One article written about the Dell experience can be found in Business Week Magazine, November 3, 2003.

Hiring or recruiting the right people is critical. But hiring the absolute best person for a position is no guarantee he/she will stay. Without connectedness (see connections post) on the leader’s part, disparity will increase, and morale will decline (sometimes rapidly). With declining morale, the workplace becomes a place of anxiety and depression. No one wants to stay under those conditions.

Some of the words used (by employees) to describe Dell’s two top leaders were, impersonal, detached, autocratic, antagonistic, and unapproachable. Michael Dell was an “off the charts” introvert. He had not realized the interpretation this would give to his employees. He sat out to change his own vulnerabilities right away.

Connecting with others, (getting to know his/her personal story) is the absolute best way to insure they feel understood and appreciated for their efforts. This does not require major effort or time. Simply a couple of minutes a day getting to know a little about what gets people up every morning. Every person wants to feel valued in life. To provide this connectedness to employees/volunteers requires a leader who is willing to break through his own vulnerabilities. Try connecting to understand how you can improve morale and productivity. You will also retain your valuable employees who will be your cheerleaders as well.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

Jane had had enough. Her co-workers loved her. She always seemed to be able to figure out how to tackle a new issue or situation. Unfortunately, Jane’s boss, the company owner, just wasn’t a listener. Convinced that her ideas were not being considered after three years of employment, Jane left the company. And five other employees followed her. Morale had been low for some time. With Jane’s departure, it took a nosedive.

When a person lives in any relationship long enough believing he/she is not being heard, trust disappears, separation and disappointment sets in. Each of us wants to be heard. And most of us believe we are good listeners. We operate with the belief that “I hear what my employees (volunteers, wife, friends) say.” In reality unless we connect with what they are sharing, we are only surface listening. Surface listening is only listening to be polite, listening only to give our prepared respond.

In any relationship, be it work related, church, or personal, when a person has given up on being heard by the other, he/she has not given up on being heard by someone. This is where the demise of marriages, organizations, and friendships begins. If you’re not listening to your spouse, she will find someone who will listen. As a corporate leader or minister, if you are not listening with an intent to connect, your people will find others who will listen, inside and out of your organization. What the others will hear, is usually not what you want them to hear.

I have been in countless meetings and read many stories where a concern was being voiced, yet the leader skimmed over the concern or gave a statistical reason why the concern was not valid. Each time we do this as leaders, our trust factor drops in the minds of those in attendance – and others who will hear from those in attendance. Building trust requires many more deposits than withdrawals.

The best way I know to build trust is to connect with those who serve alongside you and work for you. Connecting through listening does not imply building an in-depth close and personal relationship, inviting everyone to your house for dinner. It does mean listening to others with the intent to hear their concerns without a prepared answer or dismissal of his/her concern.

It is impossible to build trust without connecting with others. On the opposite side, the greater the connection, the stronger the trust factor. Think about it, whom do you trust most? Undoubtedly, one of the person’s you are strongly connected with. Wise leaders understand spending a little time connecting with their charges (employees, volunteers) is worth volumes of trust.

People who trust, demonstrably will accomplish more and morale will remain high among those who trust. Invest a little time building connections. You’ll create trust and be glad you did.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

Lucian Coleman once wrote, “A disciple who disdains learning is no less paradoxical than a cowboy who won’t go near horses.” I find that humorous and at the same time very accurate. As we lead, our leading should always be to cause learning in those following. The word cause means to produce, initiate, or affect. Cause is defined as; a person or thing that gives rise to an action. Our desire should be to initiate, produce, and affect the learning of our employees/volunteers.

Jesus set a prime example for us. He selected 12 men from various backgrounds. They represented a good cross-section of the culture of the day. Mostly, unlearned men, Jesus selected men because of their potential to be leaders in His Kingdom. Various backgrounds, unlearned men with all the prejudices of the day, yet, the one attribute they each had (well at least 11) was they were teachable.

Training (equipping) those who follow us (employees/volunteers) involves 3 steps, just as Jesus demonstrated with His disciples. Successful leaders assist their followers in observing, practicing what they’ve learned, and then training others also. What a wonderful joy when those we have trained and equipped become the teacher for newer employees, volunteers, or church members.

In the corporate world, we have devolved to simply finding someone who needs work (or a paycheck) and placing them in a position where they have no passion, skill, or desire to work. Unfortunately, in the church we have followed the same pattern – filling an empty slot with a warm body, any warm body. This only breeds discontent and low output.

A leader is a learner and should always be pouring into those following. It will not be at the same level for each person, but willing learners are more productive. Jesus called to few men with short statements like, “Follow me.” When He did these men dropped their workload and followed. Why? The reason is most of these men had already had some short interactions with Jesus. Jesus’ profound leadership was clearly evidenced through these early interactions. These 12 men had already observed (the first step) Jesus’ ability. He apparently demonstrated likeable leadership qualities through simple observation, to cause these men to want to learn and to follow Him in learning.

Is your leadership causing people to want to follow you? Those you lead are your disciples, if only for the job they are being paid. Treat them as disciples. Grow them to be the best disciples possible. They will be more productive and will also produce a positive, learning atmosphere for newcomers.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.

Throughout pregnancy women have cravings for particular foods. Sometimes these cravings seem peculiar to others, like pickles and ice cream, together. Truth be known, we all have cravings. Cravings for particular foods, cravings to be accepted, cravings to be the best at our jobs, cravings to have the highest skill level possible for what we enjoy.

It is these cravings that drive us forward. With the exception of the foods, these other cravings listed above propel us to improve our skills, abilities, and likeability. As leaders, we are to provide the information, resources, and tools to assist everyone in our charge in improving their personal ability assets. This will bring about effective production.

In addition, leaders should provide the source for craving. Is it possible that we are not providing the crave factor for our employees/volunteers? I believe in many instances the crave factor is missing in the workplace and in ministry. People who yearn to know a certain subject prove to be advanced learners. This yearning is a craving for knowledge and skill, a craving to be accepted and valued. This is not only in the workplace or ministry field. This craving applies to every area of life, including at home.

In the workplace and in ministry, when we, as leaders can determine the correct, needed craving and then set out to create that craving, we will see effective production from our employees/volunteers.

Too often we set the wrong craving. When we should be setting the table for steak and lobster, we are setting for bologna and cheese. Someone develops a yearning or craving for something because it is towards a goal they want, not one you thrust on them. A pregnant woman craves pickles and ice cream because the brain is reacting to the body’s need for both sugar and salty-brine. Take some time and search for the correct craving.

Oftentimes we may intend to create a craving, when in fact, we are only thrusting our demands on employees/volunteers. As a leader, be the brain that sends the impulses to meet the needs of the organization. Only be certain to send impulses that create a craving (passionate desire) to meet the needs of the organization. Remembering the craving must compel each person from the inside, not the organization’s point of view. When as a leader you can create this proper craving in your charges, you will see improved productivity and higher morale.

George Yates is an Organizational Health Strategist and coach, assisting churches, organizations, and individuals in pursuing God’s purpose for life.