Posts Tagged ‘organization’

Successful Businesses Don’t Really Exist

Successful Businesses Don’t Really Exist

“Great companies don’t really exist. What we have are great people whom collectively create successful businesses and organizations.” That was the heart of my presentation this week to our entire staff. As I tried to distill Jim Collins’ Good to Great into an hour lecture the bottom line because clear (Continue reading…)

Why Your Organization’s First Impression Matters

The A Group Offices

First impressions matter, whether you like it or not. They matter not only on a personal level but also on a business and even more so when it comes to a church. Our first impression of a business, store or venue sets our expectations for the type of product or (Continue reading…)

Learning vs Arrogant Organizations: A Lesson in Survival

Learning vs Arrogant Organizations: A Lesson in Survival

Learning organizations grow and live. Arrogant organizations die while looking back at the glory days. In my work as a consultant I can quickly assess if I am dealing with a learning or arrogant organization. No matter the size or age, learning organizations find themselves relevant to their audience, while (Continue reading…)

Legacy Christian Organizations and the Irrelevance Spiral

Legacy Christian Organizations and the Irrelevance Spiral

The essence of communication is to understand your product, your audience and to present your product in a way your audience can understand it. Simple, right? Well, not in my experience with legacy Christian organizations. Some are losing the battle with culture and relevance. First, let me define legacy organizations: (Continue reading…)

Are You Communicating or Trying to Impress?

Are You Communicating or Trying to Impress?

“He’s so smart. I can’t understand half of he’s talking about.” I heard that said of a speaker not long ago. I couldn’t disagree more. Good communication takes into account your target audience and tries to create a bridge between the message and the audience it’s trying to reach. Great (Continue reading…)

Selfishness: a Team Killer

Selfishness: a Team Killer

Some call it self preservation. I call it selfishness. As a consultant I see selfishness and a lack of respect for the team happen in most organizations, including in ministry. But this less-than-ideal motivation is often masked as an altruistic quality by its offender. Here are few examples of how (Continue reading…)

Are You Part of a Learning Organization?

Are You Part of a Learning Organization?

I have the privilege to work with some very dynamic organizations and one of the indicators of whether or not they continue to grow is their ability to learn–both from their mistakes as well as from others. My first consultation with a new client serves two distinct purposes: Is this (Continue reading…)

What Does the Ideal Board Member Look Like?

What Does the Ideal Board Member Look Like?

Board meetings can be either energizing or draining. The difference between the two lies whether the board is helping to fuel growth or managing decline. Those are two completely difference meetings; trust me, I’ve sat through both. However, good board meetings are mostly the function of choosing good board members. (Continue reading…)

Is Your Leadership Style Killing Your Organization?

Is Your Leadership Style Killing Your Organization?

Leadership drives everything we do. Great leaders take us into the future with their ability to see what’s not yet reality and inspire and motivate us to get there.  As a consultant who has worked with hundreds of  business and church leaders, I have noticed that often great leaders have (Continue reading…)