"Good employees are everything in business..."

January is the time when I conduct staff reviews for the previous year and report the information to the elders and administrative council in February for goal setting, celebration and to aid in the recall process. Even though I have not formally begun the review process for 2009 I know a great deal about the performance of our pastoral staff over the past 12 months and the statement "good employees are everything in business" penned by Mark DeMoss in "The Little Red Book of Wisdom" (pg. 62) rings true in my mind regarding their performance. All of our staff have taken their calling and goals serious and worked tirelessly to create greater health and growth at WHFC and the greater community in which they serve.

DeMoss obviously puts substance to his words and does place high value on his employees at the DeMoss Group because the Gallup Management Journal recently ran a study that placed his organization in a small minority of American workplaces (27%) whose employees are "engaged," that is passionate and profoundly connected. Gallup is not alone in this finding ... the Atlanta Business Chronicle also gave the DeMoss Group an A+ rating as an employer. They also recently received special notation in Christianity Today magazine and from the Church Management Association as well. Something seems to be working at the DeMoss Group. What is it?

DeMoss writes, the "key to our success is our employees. They are our organization's best asset. We have learned that how you treat your people trumps what you do with your clients, schedules, output and spreadsheets. Happy employees affect everything else" (pg. 65).

DeMoss lists four motivational factors that contribute to employee retention and motivation with in their organization. The first motivator is mission. The DeMoss Group is more than a job description with a dollar sign attached. He says , we help our employees see where their employment is a mission to do something that matters beyond the bottom line (66).

The second motivator is a good leader. We do not look for the smartest or the brightest but people who are committed to the mission of the organization and to the people we employ. We find that people have an easier time serving a leader who is wholeheartedly serving them (67).

Third, we focus on the corporate culture at the DeMoss Group. Every company has an unwritten code for work environment, people chemistry, traditions and management style. Ours is focused on collaboration and teamwork. We preach and practice open-door management with the underlying assumption that each employee adds value and must be heard (68).

The fourth motivator is compensation and benefits. We compensate our employees according to industry standards, reward them with raises and profit sharing opportunities each year, and require them to take a four week sabbatical every five years. During the paid sabbatical employees are required to be unplugged from company phones, emails and computers. They are not permitted to do work of any kind for the company. We want them to rest and be refreshed (68).

Heavenly Father,
Help me to be a good leader for the staff at WHFC. Impart to me Your wisdom and attitude that will increase my sensitivity to their heartfelt needs and add value to their life and ministry. Please place a hedge around each one and their family at this time. May they feel You close by all the days of their life and know they are needed, loved and appreciated by the people they seek to serve at WHFC. In Jesus' name. Amen