Dean Radke, leader of a CEO training workshop has been teaching our staff and other ministries around our state for the last couple of days on leadership and team building. It is his second stop in Iowa, and our church has hosted both times. He has a wealth of knowledge, and he is an advocate for effective, no nonsense leadership. There has not only been theory, which we all have, but systems and processes to help build teams and ministries.
I have to admit, I was quite skeptical when he came the first time. I wasn’t sure how much military and corporate training would transfer into ministry. It is fascinating how much better corporations are than ministries at building teams and addressing problems. I am impressed with his message, and his heart for pastors and leaders. A couple notable quotes:
- experience is the currency of leadership
- issues and problems need to be turned into opportunities
- celebrate noble failures…but not chronic failures
- encourage calculated risk taking
- average national church retention of 10-15% is an 85-90% opportunity for growth
- honesty is not mental gymnastics, it’s just yes or no
He has my indorsement…if that matters at all.
Your quote “It is fascinating how much better corporations are than ministries at building teams and addressing problems” is both troublesome and very true. Corporations understand the weight of money gained and lost is on their shoulders…. and we have a bigger mission, but perhaps take it less seriously?
Very true, I think we can tend to downplay the importance of doing our jobs well by not staying focused and honest with ourselves.