Friday Finds - Squeaky Wheels, End of Culture Fit, & Leading Creatives
This week has found me with meetings in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Houston, Los Angeles, Palm Springs and Seattle. A busy week! I especially enjoyed talking about staffing at a workshop at the Thrive Conference in southern California, where over 2,000 church leaders gathered to be inspired and learn. I'm always jazzed to be around leaders who want to learn.
And if you are one of those, here are some articles to help you be a better leader this week:
It can be tempting to gloss over a blog post like this and think "another post about millennials," but I urge church leaders not to do so. Not only do I think it is extremely important for church leaders to understand and mentor this generation, but Carey Nieuwhof also offers up some fresh insights about them: "Here’s the bottom line with young leaders: If you help Millennials win, you’ll both win. If you merely want them to help you win, you’ll lose."
The Client Is Never The Problem by Kevin Hart via Entrepreneur.com
Though this article is written about clients, I encourage you to read this as "The Church Member Is Never The Problem." We all know what it's like to deal with complaints from people in the congregation, and sometimes it's easy to write them off as "squeaky wheels" who are never content with anything. Kevin Hart offers a perspective the combines empathy and firmness that we would do well to apply to similar situations.
The End Of Culture Fit by Lars Schmidt via Forbes
I'm a big proponent of hiring for culture fit, so this article is me playing a bit of "devil's advocate." Lars Schmidt asserts that the idea of culture fit is abstract and biased - meaning it can be used as an excuse for hiring people who are all similar, resulting in a "homogenous culture." What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with Schmidt? How do you define culture fit when staffing your church?
Whether you are a creative or you lead creatives, this is a must-listen. Stephen Brewster gives us wise insights into the creative process, as well as how to effectively lead creatives and mentor young creatives. We are in an era of the Church where creativity is more and more celebrated - let's continue that trend!
What are you reading this week? Let me know in the comments.