Tim Spencer

Serve. Grow. Lead.

Set SMARTer Goals

Leave a Comment

light_bulbMany goals fail because they aren’t clear, don’t seem important or aren’t likely to happen when you need them to. The solution is to use SMART criteria to make goal setting, well, smarter.

SMART goals use a mnemonic acronym to guide the setting of objectives:

  • S = Specific
  • M = Measurable
  • A = Achievable
  • R = Relevant
  • T = Time-Bound

The first use of SMART criteria to describe goal-setting occured in the November 1981 issue of Management Review in George Doran’s article, “There’s a SMART Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives.”

Doran wrote that objectives should be:

  • Specific – They should target a specific area for improvement. Exactly what do you want to accomplish? Who, what, when and where?
  • Measurable – They should quantify or suggest an indicator of progress. How will you track your progress? How much and how many?
  • Achievable – They should aim for a realistically achievable result. Do you have what you need to achieve your goal? Is your goal too challenging? Is it too easy?
  • Relevant – They should be goals that matter. Does your goal matter to your supervisor, team and organization? Is your goal aligned with organizational vision and values?
  • Time-Bound – They should specify when the result can be achieved. When will you achieve your goal? What is your time limit?

How do your 2016 goals stack up against the SMART standard?

Make your goals specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. It’s a fact: SMART goals make goal setting smarter.

And that’s the Big Idea.

Resources


Source

“SMART Criteria,” Accessed August 20, 2015, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria.

Energize Your Daily Routine

Leave a Comment

alarm_clockIn recent weeks as my family has moved from one city to another, my daily routine has been thrown completely out of sorts. Thankfully, that period is ending and I’m finally able to reassert some positive order on my schedule, my morning routine and my daily priorities.

I’ve already written about questions I ask myself every day, but there’s more to my schedule than that. So let me detail some personal growth steps I’m committed to take in my daily and weekly routine. Perhaps there’s something here that resonates with you. If not, brainstorm some ideas of your own.

Some intentional daily habits I’m building include:

Beyond those habits, I’m working on some vertical and horizontal focus points.

On the vertical side, I’m praying that God will:

  1. Fill Me (Control Me) with the Holy Spirit Each Day – Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. – Ephesians 5:18 (NIV)
  2. Lead Me to Rest Fully in Him Each Day – I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. – John 15:5 (NIV)
  3. Guide Me to Live Worthy of His Name Each Day – Live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. – Colossians 1:10 (NIV)

On the horizontal side, I’m asking God to help me:

  1. Love Others Each Day – A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. – John 13:34 (NIV)
  2. Value Others Each Day – Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. – Philippians 2:3 (NIV)
  3. Give Freely to Others Each Day – And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. – Hebrews 13:15 (NIV)

So what’s the Big Idea?

Build intentional daily habits with a personal growth plan and both vertical and horizontal focus points.

Resources

Ministry Interviews and the 5 C’s

Leave a Comment

candidateMaking good ministry hiring decisions is both an art and a science.

On the subjective side, you have to discern whether a candidate has the intangible likability, relational skills and emotional intelligence to succeed in ministry. On the objective side, you have to be satisfied that a candidate can do what needs to be done with the requisite skill, integrity, energy and team chemistry.

Ministry interviews are unique in their requirement that both the interviewer and the candidate seek God’s will throughout the process. Since calling is essential for any ministry hire, both parties have to exercise spiritual wisdom, discernment and prayer at every turn.

After initial resume screening, the first two candidate steps in a ministry interview process often include an initial phone call and a formal phone interview.

The interviewer does most of the talking on the initial phone call, and candidate questions are usually limited. A typical initial phone call follows this pattern:

  • Introduce the church and community.
  • Preview the ministry department and team.
  • Profile the position.
  • Understand why the candidate is interested.
  • Ask the candidate to pray about the opportunity.
  • Confirm the candidate’s desire to enter the process.

Consider using a rating system to score ministry candidates on the first phone call. This mitigates against becoming too attached to a particular candidate too early in the process (the “halo effect”). It also helps prevent emotion from driving your hiring decision.

If the candidate is interested, and scores well on your rubric, then the second step is a formal phone interview. This is the time to have a prolonged first conversation with the candidate. It’s usually the first opportunity to ask significant questions about the full range of issues that determine ministry effectiveness.

James Emery White’s 5 C’s remain the gold standard for evaluating potential staff members:

  1. Called – Is the candidate called to ministry, your position and your church?
  2. Character – Does the candidate exhibit a habitual pattern of integrity?
  3. Competence – Does the candidate have the essential skills needed to get the job done?
  4. Catalytic – Does the candidate bring energy and create activity to make things happen?
  5. Chemistry – Is the candidate likable and a team fit?

I ask candidates a series of questions in all five categories with a phone interview Q&A worksheet. The goal is getting answers to important questions about calling, character, competence, catalytic energy and team chemistry.

So what’s the Big Idea?

Make good hiring decisions with initial phone calls and formal phone interviews. Then use the 5 C’s to evaluate a candidate’s calling, character, competence, catalytic energy and team chemistry.

Resources


Sources

“Six Steps to Smart Hiring Decisions” by Max Messmer, Business News Daily (March 20, 2013), http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4181-hiring-tips.html.

“The Five C’s for Picking Staff and Volunteer Leaders” by James Emery White, Church & Culture (March 10, 2014), http://www.churchandculture.org/blog.asp?id=5645.

6 Steps to Better Staff Meetings

Leave a Comment

staff_meetingA few of my favorite demotivators from Despair, Inc. are the ones describing the pointlessness of meetings, committees and teamwork:

Meetings. None of us is as dumb as all of us.
Teamwork. A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction.
Committees. Just like teamwork. Only without the work.

All sarcasm aside, the laughter in those statements belies an underlying truth about meetings. You’ve probably been a part of meetings that obscured the solution and created more, not less, confusion. If your meetings resemble those statements, then you’re not alone.

I have a confession to make. I’ve been a bad meeting leader. Whether it was meeting too long or too frequently, ending without a next step or attempting to do too much, a share of my meetings have been ineffective. But while I’ve made every mistake in the list below, I’m learning to make the right adjustments to become a good meeting leader.

Consider a few lessons that I’m learning:

  1. Make it fun. Praying for personal needs, recognizing important life moments and celebrating team wins are all part of healthy staff culture. Make staff meetings as much about motivating and encouraging people as about the meeting’s agenda.
  2. Be prepared. Set a clear agenda and focus the meeting. It can be frustrating to attempt to do too much in a meeting. Limit the scope of the discussion and save “rabbit holes” for sidebars or e-mail.
  3. Be efficient. Everyone should know what’s expected of them before they set foot in the meeting. Communicate a meeting’s purpose in advance so the team can be prepared. And don’t be afraid to cancel a scheduled meeting when it isn’t needed or when the team just needs to take a break.
  4. Keep it moving. Meetings should be brief, lasting only as long as needed to accomplish their purpose. Manage the length of meetings and consider ways to maintain forward momentum. Scott Dobroski, community expert at Glassdoor, advises: “If you’re going to meet in person, determine how much time you need and then challenge yourself to slice it by 50%.”
  5. Detail the action plan. Making assignments to team members (and the team leader) reduces the length of meetings and provides accountability for next steps. Identify items and ideas that require follow up and clarify who’s responsible for making it happen.
  6. Encourage your team. Did everyone leave with a sense of accomplishment? You may not have all the answers you were looking for, but you should have a takeaway. Summarize what was accomplished so everyone leaves the meeting encouraged, motivated and satisfied.

So what’s the Big Idea?

Make the right adjustments to become a good meeting leader. Make staff meetings as much about motivating and encouraging people as about the meeting’s agenda. Be prepared and efficient, maintaining forward momentum. Encourage the team with a summary of what your meeting accomplished.

Resources


Sources

“Demotivators,” Accessed May 4, 2015, http://www.despair.com/demotivators.html.

“Say No to Meetings” by Andrea Murad, Fox Business (April 29, 2015), http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2015/04/29/say-no-to-meetings/.

Create a Culture of Accountability

Leave a Comment

magnifying_glassPeople and churches respond to accountability in one of two ways. Either they pull back from the prospect of increased attention or they embrace the opportunity to reach their potential and achieve better outcomes.

Many of us don’t have effective mechanisms for accountability in our personal and ministry lives. For one thing, accountability is difficult. We would rather not push people and staff—paid or volunteer—to go further, do more and be more strategic. Most people don’t naturally seek to do more than standard operating procedure requires.

It’s also true that accountability requires hard decisions and choices that many church leaders don’t want to make. It’s easier to kick the can down the road and hope for the best. But it usually doesn’t work out for the best.

A real culture of accountability can’t skip over any of the truly important things. It has to be practiced regularly and cover vital parts of Christian life and witness. Churches need staff ministers who are accountable for:

  1. Personal Spiritual Growth & Family Time
  2. Professional Growth & Development
  3. Organizational & Ministry Objectives

Consider whether ministry leaders in your church are held accountable for those things. If not, it may be time to consider a few adjustments.

How can you build traction for a culture of accountability? Start with:

  • Clear Vision and Values – Each staff member knows who you are and who you want to be. There’s no substitute for being on the same page. Accountability begins with clear vision.
  • Global Objectives – Each team member knows what you’re trying to accomplish and how you plan to get it done. With clear global objectives, the team is rowing in the same direction.
  • Ministry Objectives – Proper accountability can’t happen unless departments harmonize their plans with “big picture” vision, values and strategy.
  • Realistic Goals – Ministry goals should be achievable with available resources. It’s futile to expect outsized outcomes from insufficient resources.
  • Regular Interface – Ministry staff and volunteers need honest feedback and coaching. A coaching discussion with accountability should happen at regular intervals.
  • The Freedom to Make Adjustments – Ministry plans are written in pencil not pen. Because plans are adjustable, fear and anxiety about accountability is reduced.
  • The Freedom to Fail (and Succeed) – New initiatives and ideas are encouraged, even when they might not succeed. Expect that a certain percentage of new plans won’t go as planned.

So what’s the Big Idea?

Church leaders should be accountable for personal spiritual growth, family time and professional development, as well as church and ministry objectives. Build a culture of accountability in each of these areas with clear vision, realistic goals and regular interface.

Resources