A couple weeks ago, our team here at Vanderbloemen held our annual Intensive retreat, where the entire team comes together for a day to focus on how we can continually improve every aspect of our organization. Two of our core values are "Constant Improvement" and "Wow-Making Excellence," and we take them very seriously. Have you thought about how you can implement your team's values into your retreats and meetings? It makes a huge difference.

These are some of my favorite articles from this week.

5 Lessons I Learned From The World's Greatest Uber Driver by Tim Denning via Entrepreneur

My colleague Jay shared this article with me this week, and it really struck a chord. If everyone on your staff can take the kind of ownership and attitude toward their work as this Uber driver does, you will have an unstoppable team. As Tim Denning writes, "We are all entrepreneurs." I was inspired to be the best in my role that I could possibly be after reading this.

Strategic Planning Is Dead. Here are Two New Ways To Face The Future. by William Vanderbloemen via Forbes

My friend William hit it out of the park again with this article. Leaders used to have to focus on creating 3, 5, or 10 year plans. But our world changes too fast for that now. Vision is still of utmost importance, but instead of making long-term plans, you now need to focus that vision on two key things: team and culture. This is especially important if you have a millennial-heavy staffs. Read on...

The 3 Components Of Job Satisfaction by Michael Hyatt via MichaelHyatt.com

This article begins by highlighting a woman who had the opposite attitude as the Uber driver in the previous article. She had lost all passion for her job. I talk to ministry candidates all the time, and almost all of them, at some point in time, have experienced low job satisfaction in one of their roles. It's a tough place to be, but Michael Hyatt outlines the three major components of job satisfaction and why it's so important to seek fulfillment of all three.

5 Ways To Stop The Decline In Your Church by Thom Rainer via ThomRainer.com

In this insightful article, Thom Rainer presents five tough questions that every church in decline needs to struggle with and answer. There are real reasons some churches are beginning to shrink, but thankfully, if leaders can think strategically and creatively, that doesn't have the be the end of those churches. As Rainer says, "The solutions are not easy." But God will build his church, and sometimes, we're blessed enough to be a part of it.

What are you reading this week? Share your thoughts with me in the comments.