The Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast

You only have one chance to make a good first impression. And nowhere is that more true and relevant than in onboarding new employees. Research has proven that an employee's first impression of an organization has a significant impact on their future engagement and commitment to that organization. In addition, it's important to the organization's performance to get new hires up to speed in their job as soon as possible. Our guest today knows this by heart. Today we have the pleasure of visiting with Cate Given, Vice President of Human Resource Services at Joni and Friends in Agoura Hills, California. Joni and Friends reaches out around the world to people and families affected by disability with the love of Christ and the practical help they need. Listen in to this conversation to learn Joni and Friends' impressive step-by-step onboarding process. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e28-cate-given-joni-and-friends.

Have you ever had a conflict with another person in your organization? Well of course; we all have. But how can a leader effectively manage conflict? We have found it is especially difficult in Christian organizations because people are so often afraid to face conflict directly. So today, let's talk about key ways to look at conflict. To help us address this topic, we're talking with our very own Giselle Jenkins, BCWI's Human Resources Consulting Director. Giselle is a conflict coach and board member with Peacemaker Ministries, as well as a former Vice President for People Development with Prison Fellowship. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/encore-giselle-jenkins-bcwi.

In this episode, Al has the great pleasure of talking with longtime friend, colleague and board and leadership consultant John Pearson. Join us for this fun and far-reaching conversation that covers everything from great leadership books, to board governance best practices, and even how to infuse fun (or as John likes to call it, "hoopla") into your workplace culture. John's fingerprints are all over the founding of the Best Christian Workplaces Institute. Yet, he's known for so much more than that. For 25 combined years, he led Christian Camping International/USA (now Christian Camp and Conference Association), the Willow Creek Association, and Christian Management Association (now Christian Leadership Alliance). Today, he's a management and board governance consultant whose clients read like a who's who of respected ministry organizations. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e26-john-pearson.

Every once in a while, we run across a leader who has helped create such a remarkably flourishing culture, that we have to ask, "How did your people pull it off? How did you do it?" Our guest today is Paul MacDonald, Headmaster of Crossings Christian School in Oklahoma City. He's worked incredibly hard to diagnose and improve the organizational health of the school he runs. As a result, the school you're going to learn about was already in top 10th percentile of comparable organizations from the get-go on our BCWI Employee Engagement Survey. Crossings Christian School's mission is to partner with parents and the church to develop students into Christ-centered servant leaders who are academically and spiritually prepared for college and life. In addition to his responsibilities at Crossings, Paul has also shared his experiences in a variety of leadership capacities, including service on the board and accreditation commission with the Association of Christian Schools International, also known as ACSI. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e25-paul-macdonald-crossings-christian-school.

How can you transform a workplace culture from healthy to flourishing in the course of just one year—and experience organizational growth at the same time? Today, we'll hear some practical tips from a leader who's had his hand on the culture levers at his church with over 100 staff. We have the pleasure of visiting with Jeff Abshire, Executive Pastor and Elder at Antioch Community Church in Waco, Texas. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e24-jeff-abshire-antioch-community-church.

One of the top drivers of organizational success is the quality of your employees. But how do you attract and select outstanding talent that will be successful in your organization? Wouldn't it be great if we could predict hiring success? Today we are going to address this very topic with Chad Carter, the chief human resources officer at The Gideons International. For the past five years, Chad has instituted a predictive hiring process that has significantly improved the quality of their new hires. In this episode, Chad shares both what to look for in your next hire, and how to go about the process. Chad has also written a helpful book called The Five Attributes: Essentials of Hiring For Christian Organizations. Let's get started on today's important conversation. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/encore-chad-carter-gideons-international.

There is little question about the significant influence Willow Creek Community Church has had on leadership development in the Christian world. A key to Willow Creek's healthy, flourishing culture has been developing outstanding talent. How do they do it? The answer just might benefit your organization. Today, Tara VanderSande, Willows' Staff Development Director, will give us the inside scoop on their leadership development strategies. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/encore-tara-vandersande-willow-creek-community-church.

Jesus calls us to be all about love. But how do we practically live this out in our workplaces – in what we believe about others, how we treat others, who we hire, and so on? In January 2014, Cherry Hills Community Church faced the reality of a weakened and toxic staff culture. How did they go from siloed teams, low trust and suspicion of motives among staff members to a "flourishing culture" in the top 10% of churches that have surveyed with BCWI? Here, to tell us about this remarkable transformation is Executive Pastor Rebekah Layton. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e22-rebekah-layton-cherry-hills-community-church.

How can you make significant changes in your workplace culture? Action planning and follow up is one key element. One action planning strategy is to designate individuals – called Engagement Champions – who can take ownership for your culture at the departmental level. This is where the rubber really meets the road if you're serious about building a healthy, flourishing culture. But not too serious, as today's podcast is not only informative but fun too. First, we're going to introduce the Engagement Champion concept and listen in as Sue Hood from Willow Creek Community Church explains their approach to it. Then we'll hear from Jenn Repaci at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale as she introduces seven rules and tools to equip and empower Engagement Champions. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e21-jenn-repaci-calvary-chapel-fort-lauderdale.

"It's great to work in your area of passion, but it can become toxic if you don't have some boundaries." These are the words of today's guest, Dave Ferguson, the Lead Pastor of Community Christian Church, with 10 locations across the Chicagoland area. Often ministry staff are deeply passionate about their organization's mission, and they're willing to work so hard toward it that life can sometimes get out of balance. Tune in to this conversation to hear the innovative ways Dave and his leadership team are encouraging and even incentivizing healthy habits. When Community's staff are able to flourish at home, their ministry outcomes have soared as well. The evidence? In 2016, they celebrated more baptisms than ever before. Dave is the author of five books, including Finding Your Way back to God: Five Awakenings to Your New Life, and his most recent book, Staring Over: Your Life Beyond Regrets. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e20-dave-ferguson-community-christian-church.