The Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast

What leadership practices in Christian organizations are having a positive, dramatic impact to effectively address a huge global problem? And how does an organization's staff culture impact its ability to change our world? Our guest today has an answer. He leads an organization that's addressing one of our world's greatest problems: poverty. We're talking with Peter Greer, President and CEO of HOPE International, a global nonprofit focused on Christ-centered job creation, savings mobilization and microenterprise development. HOPE International takes a holistic approach to help families in poverty by investing in them. And what's more, we are convinced that their genuine care and compassion for their own staff is a huge part of the solution to poverty overall. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/58-peter-greer-hope-international.

Seven years ago, you probably wouldn't have wanted Tom Bennett's job as Interim Director at Santa Fe Christian Schools in Solana Beach, California. Sizable debt and red ink had delayed accreditation. They had no leadership team in place, no effective organizational structure and virtually no reporting lines in effect. Plus, two weeks before the school year began, the previous Head of School resigned. When Tom stepped in, his first response was to create a new strategic plan that could turn the school around. They began by finding an objective measure of their workplace culture. The strategic plan took two years to create – a process that was both hard, yet necessary. Today, Santa Fe Christian's Employee Engagement Scores— indicators of overall employee satisfaction and organizational effectiveness—have increased to be in the top 20% of Christian schools. Executive leadership is solid, finances are sound and enrollment remains strong. The commitment to involve everyone and make the needed, time-consuming course corrections were worth it. Tune in to today's interview to hear the whole story and learn how Santa Fe Christian's sustainable strategy helped create a flourishing workplace. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/57-tom-bennett-santa-fe-christian-schools.

I'm often asked two questions: What do we need to do to improve our culture? And how long should it take to improve our organization's culture? While there's no cut and dry answer for every organization, our guest today can attest that it takes two things: surveying your employees consistently over time, and then taking action on the results. Today we have the privilege of talking with David Pickering, the Director of Business and Human Resources at Olivet Nazarene University, who has personally seen the improvement of his organization's culture. For the last 12 years, he has surveyed the faculty and staff each year and helped to facilitate one of the best cultures among Christian higher education institutions. Olivet has been an innovator in the application of our engagement survey, and the results speak for themselves as engagement scores have improved significantly. Tune into our conversation today to hear Olivet's step-by-step action planning process, which takes their survey results off the page and into action in their workplace. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/55-david-pickering-olivet-nazarene-university.

Several studies indicate the use of 360-degree feedback helps improve performance because it provides not just one perspective of a supervisor, but rather multiple perspectives needed to identify a leader's strengths and areas to improve. No wonder there is universal agreement that 360-degree feedback is far more credible and valid than a single-rater system. At BCWI, we have developed a competency-based 360 Review for Christian leaders. Why? Because our engagement research proves that the Christian character of leaders is a key element of employee engagement and productivity in faith-based organizations. Our guest today knows how true this can be for leaders and their organizations alike. As a leader of one of the best-known Christian colleges in the United States, he has leveraged the benefits of the 360 for his leadership team. Here to talk with us about 360 degree feedback is Todd Hubers, the Vice President of People, Strategy & Technology, and a member of the president's cabinet at Calvin College. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/54-todd-hubers-calvin-college.

Are you experiencing a siloed culture where fruitful communication between departments is minimal at best? In his 17 years as president of Lancaster Bible College, Dr. Peter Teague has worked to overcome this very challenge. Today, their culture is marked by transparency, openness, honesty and collaboration. Join us as Peter shares the unique DNA at the heart of their flourishing culture. Lancaster Bible College exists to educate Christian students to think and live in a biblical worldview and to proclaim Christ by serving Him in the church and society. Peter is one of the most influential leaders among Bible colleges and has played a key role in Lancaster Bible College's growth. He has also played a broader role on the board of the Association of Biblical Higher Education and in mentoring other leaders. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/53-peter-teague-lancaster-bible-college.

Leading a Christian university has got to be one of the most challenging jobs in our changing society. Innovative and inspirational leadership is certainly critical for these Christian higher education institutions to not only survive, but thrive and develop the next generation of Christian leaders. So what are some of the breakthrough strategies that are working? Today, we have the pleasure of talking with Dr. Roger Parrott, who is in his 20th year as president of Belhaven University, located in Jackson, Mississippi. Being a university president was like joining the family business for Roger. He is a third-generation college president, and was one of America's youngest college presidents at age 34. Belhaven has received some of the top scores of any Christian higher education institution to take the BCWI Employee Engagement Survey. Tune into today's interview to discover the secrets to fostering an engaged faculty. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/51-roger-parrott-belhaven-university.

Cross-cultural mission workers are some of the hardest-working people in the world, facing challenges such as living overseas in a very different culture, often with a family and responsible for raising their own support. And that's just the start. All of this raises the question, how can we provide the organizational support necessary to help these Kingdom workers and their ministries thrive? Now, with new research from GMI and BCWI, Ken Harder and James Nelson join us today to discuss simple but powerful leadership practices to overcome these challenges. James has an extensive background in statistics and analytics, dedicating himself to provide ministries with actionable research. He has also served overseas as a missionary. Ken is the co-author of the book Help Your Missionaries Thrive: Leadership Practices That Make a Difference. Ken serves as a consultant to leaders in missionary-sending organizations, and he has been the project leader as we customized the BCWI staff survey for cross cultural missionaries. He has served all over the world and lived in Kenya and East Africa for a time. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/50-ken-harder-james-nelson-gmi.

What is the role of the Board of Directors when it comes to stewarding the health of a Christian non-profit's employee culture? To help us with this question, our guest today is board governance expert Bob Andringa. A respected leader in Christian higher education, Bob was president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities for 12 years and had a significant impact on governance in Christian higher ed. CCCU is the association of 175 distinctly Christian colleges and universities in 24 nations. Some would say he retired 10 years ago, but Bob says he has "refired" as he coaches nonprofit CEOs and their boards. Adding to his "refired" life, he has also founded a new organization called Network Life, which is fueled by his passion that Christian students in secular universities to live and learn together as Christ-followers. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/49-bob-andringa.

How do we develop the kind of Christian character that builds a healthy, even flourishing, organizational culture? This is the question we are often asked by executives in Christian organizations who want to build their ministry's inspirational leadership. Today, we're going to talk with a leader who looks to answer that question every day. Doug Nuenke is the U.S. President of The Navigators, a large ministry known for establishing life-on-life discipling relationships and equipping people to make an impact on those around them for God's glory. He's also the author of the books Making Waves: Being an influence for Jesus in Everyday Life and Five Traits of a Christ-Follower. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/48-doug-nuenke-navigators.

John Maxwell says the true measure of leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. Have you ever wondered how leaders generate influence – the kind of influence that goes into a healthy, thriving culture and drives an organization to fulfill its mission? Today, we are not only going to talk with a leadership author, but an experienced and successful leadership practitioner with a Ph.D. on quality student outcomes among today's Bible colleges. Join us as we talk with the President of the Association of Biblical Higher Education, Dr. Ralph Enlow. Ralph is also the author of the book, The Leader's Palette: Seven Primary Colors. Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/45-ralph-enlow-abhe.