In today’s rapidly changing healthcare landscape, small- and mid-market private employers often feel pressured to compromise on their health plans. They accept one-size-fits-all solutions that don’t align with their values, thinking they have no other option.
But what if they do?
Meet Ericka McPherson, Esq., executive director of Covenant Choice. Her organization offers a transformative alternative that gives even small-sized employers the same control, transparency, and cost-containment strategies enjoyed by larger corporations. These innovative healthcare plans allow for:
Tailored benefits that align with Christian values, ensuring that one’s business supports what matters most
National health plans, including PPO, HDHP, and HSA options
Transparent structure and costs
Multiple choices for individual company flexibility and member-owned status.
Covenant Choice for Small Groups specifically provides a unique opportunity to offer employees a health insurance plan that reflects commitment to faith and values. Exclusively available through the Christian Employers Alliance, this self-insured product provides protection against large claims with various options for deductibles, drug cards, and stop-loss insurance.
Join host Mark Griffin as he and Ericka discuss the intricacies of running smaller businesses while properly insuring their employees – without breaking the bank or one’s morals. As challenging as it may have felt in the past, it really is possible to find a plan that works for you!
Want to contact Erika or meet with a member of her team? Simply text“Broker” or “Employer” to 28323.
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Concerned about your organization’s as-is HR programs? The benefits of having a trusted partner guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable.
Contact us today. You and your employees will be glad you did. Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people! E-mail us here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.
If I asked you where you see yourself in five years, could you give me a good answer? Or any answer at all?
Do you have a clear vision for your personal growth and the goals necessary to make it happen?
If the answer is no, don’t panic. It’s not the end of the world. But you do need to take the time to rectify that mistake and embrace strategic planning if you want to be in a different place going forward.
Many people think about personal visions and goals, but very few actually have them. Yet if you have one and focus on it often, you will ultimately steer your life toward obtaining it.
For years, I floated around with no real direction. I said I wanted to advance my career, get in shape, and be happier – but had no concrete plans to do so. That all changed, however, when I started doing intentional strategic planning for my life. Mapping out my vision, mission, and goals transformed everything for me personally. And the same can and should be true for organizations.
Without strategic planning, it’s far too easy to drift along aimlessly. But with a clear strategic plan, your business or nonprofit can thrive like never before. In this post, I’ll show what a total game-changer it is for both personal and organizational success.
So let’s dive in!
Let Yourself Dig Deep
Think of your vision as your compass, your GPS, or, my personal favorite metaphor, a lighthouse at the beach designed to lead you through the storms, past the rocky ocean waves toward your final destination. Regardless, it all begins with a basic but crucial question.
“What do I want?”
And don’t stop at a surface-level answer. Don’t go easy on yourself. What do you really, really, truly want for yourself? If you could have the kind of life that would make your heart sing, what would it look like?
At this point, your heart may be beating a bit faster at the very idea. And the doubts might be rising up fast. Can you really have that kind of life?
I believe you can. I’ve done it myself, and I’ve helped an ever-expanding number of clients lead passionate and fulfilling lives as well. Could you be the exception? Maybe. But you’ll never know if you don’t try. And, in my opinion, the rewards of success overwhelmingly outweigh the risks.
The Goals to Get There
Now let’s talk goals – the steps you need to take to get where you want to go, as outlined in your vision. As an example, here are some parts of my growth vision in the past, all in a given year:
Start a business that will assist organizations in achieving high performance through their HR practices.
Finish and publish another book.
Grow my social media presence by 20%.
Manage time more effectively to end my workday by 6 p.m. in order to spend more time with my wife.
Spend quality time with my wife by planning two weekends away together.
Do a five-night backpacking trip.
Attend at least one in-person seminar or conference to further hone my skills or personal growth.
Expand my prayer life by surrounding myself with prayer experts.
Hopefully that gives you an idea of where to start. If needed – and if nothing pops into your head right away – set aside time to dream about your ideal life. Even if you spend just five to 10 minutes a day on this project, ask yourself:
What is my true relationship with God? Have I put my full trust in Him?
If I could have more of something in my life, what would it be?
What could I eliminate from my life for good?
Which relationships do I need to nurture and/or which ones should I release?
What is my relationship to money?
What is my secret passion or dream?
What am I most afraid of?
What habits should I quit?
What can I do to bring more joy into my daily life?
What am I grateful for?
These questions are just a starting point. There are plenty of others to choose from. Take into account all major aspects of your life – your friends and family (both immediate and extended), church, charity work and, of course, fun and recreation. Also, examine your honest thoughts and assessments of your daily career, activities, spending habits, personal wellness and fitness, spirituality and, last but not least, your spouse.
Whatever goals you come to, you’ll want to like them. Really like them, in fact, since you’re going to be doing a lot of them!
This is particularly true about work-oriented goals. According to statistics from research firm Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, the average American works 1,788 hours per year. Over 40 years, that adds up to over 71,000 hours!
Take a moment to let that staggering number sink in. It means you probably spend more time working than sleeping, eating, or participating in your favorite recreational activities throughout your life!
As such, I have to assume you’d prefer to enjoy the company you work for, no matter how long you’re with it. Longevity for employees is now increasing, with recent statistics showing people stay at their jobs an average of 4.6 years. While that’s nothing compared to the kind of commitment workers showed 50 years ago, it’s still a sizable fraction of an adult life.
This is why it’s so important to know exactly what you want to do before you start doing it: so you can end up in the most ideal situation possible. Beginning a career in a field you love and sticking with it can make all the difference in your future.
Let’s Talk About Your Voice
Now, in order to enjoy a career you love, you need to have, know, and exert your voice. A voice shapes the culture of an organization and serves as a guide to employees and management. All successful companies have one, and successful workers do as well.
Organizations with a well-thought-out voice have direction, purpose, and achievement in the workplace. They know where they want to be (the big picture) and do the appropriate things (the details) to get there. And every step of the way, employees who align with that voice enthusiastically project that message to customers, vendors, and their local communities. Otherwise, it’s impossible to align their goals and objectives to create success.
A person or organization’s voice is a combination of their personal mission, vision, and values. Values, of course, are the principles or standards you believe should be most upheld. But let’s dig into the other two more closely.
An organization’s (or person’s) mission statement is a concise, meaningful sentence or two that represents its purpose: the goal it strives to embody or provide for its consumers. Mission statements are often action-based, explaining the central objective at hand. For instance:
LinkedIn: “to connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”
Amazon’s is to be “Earth’s most customer-centric company, Earth’s best employer, and Earth’s safest place to work.”
Nike’s is to “bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”
If you’re an individual, your personal mission statement would be similar in its straightforward style. It should define who you are as a person and identify your purpose, whether that’s on the job or simply in life. It’s supposed to explain where you see yourself in the future, how you plan to pursue that future, and why it matters so much to you.
Like an organizational mission statement, a personal mission statement should be clear and concise – a soundbite or quick elevator pitch, if you will. Something, perhaps, along the lines of: “To use my writing skills to inspire and educate others around the world to make a change.”
An organizational vision, meanwhile, is an ideal or model statement. While a mission statement defines the strategy for reaching a final goal, an organizational vision is that goal. It’s the world the company envisions for the future. Tesla, for instance, uses this: “To create the most compelling car company of the 21st century by driving the world’s transition to electric vehicles.”
Lastly, an organizational value statement defines what is important to a company and its employees. For instance: “We believe food has the power to change the world. We do it by being real.” Or, if a person was writing one, it would define the values most important to him or her, such as: “To be a respectable employee, friend, and member of the community, and to make a positive impact on others by being honest, fair, and reliable.”
Some other notable value statements to inspire you include Hobby Lobby’s, which reads:“Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating in a manner consistent with Biblical principles. Offering customers exceptional selection and value. Serving our employees and their families by establishing a work environment and company policies that build character, strengthen individuals and nurture families.”
And Interstate Batteries goes like this:“LOVE. Treat others like you’d want to be treated. SERVANT’S HEART. Lead with what people need. EXCELLENCE. Do great things with the gifts you’ve been given. COURAGE. Learn, improve and boldly drive change that matters. FUN. Work hard, laugh often. TEAM. Together, we’re better. INTEGRITY. Be who you are and live up to your commitments.”
All put together, your voice – composed of your mission, vision, and values – tells the world WHO you are, WHAT you believe, and WHERE you want to go. And though I’m emphasizing certain words in that last sentence, the “you” is equally important. No two people share the exact same voice.
Your voice is unique only to YOU.
As an organization, you can impress future customers by fine tuning this voice. As an individual, you can impress future employers. Either way, the intent should be to let recipients see who you are and what you want.
If this sounds intimidating to put together, fret not. You can begin by grabbing a piece of scratch paper and writing out your thoughts. Maybe start out scribbling a few adjectives that describe you best. Then think about what you value most.
Is it integrity? Reliability? Honesty? A combination of the three or something entirely different?
Lastly, determine what it is you really want and how you plan to get there. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?
Don’t worry if you don’t have it all figured out, but this exercise can get you a lot further than you otherwise would be. By perfecting your unique voice, you will set yourself apart from the rest when it comes to competitive opportunities, big or small. After all, confident people and entities who truly understand themselves have a tendency of standing out in all the best ways.
Once you come up with your full voice, start reciting it to your friends and loved ones. Say it with confidence and a smile. By the time you land an interview at your desired company or find yourself in a boardroom convincing potential clients, you’ll have it down pat!
My Personal Strategic Planning Journey
If this all sounds like something you figured out a long time ago and therefore don’t need to do again, I hope you’ll take a moment to reconsider. Remember that you’re not the same man or woman you were 10 years ago or even 10 months ago. You’re changing, hopefully in good ways but sometimes negatively too, perhaps weighed down by past disappointments.
Therefore, reminding yourself of what you really care about can be exceptionally helpful.
Not long ago, I know I felt stuck. I wanted to make changes but didn’t know where to start. I had big dreams but no strategy to get there… until I rediscovered strategic planning. That changed everything!
Here are the steps that put me on an amazing new path:
I wrote down my life vision. This captured where I wanted to be in five to 10 years. It was the dream-future state I envisioned. Defining this vision gave me hope and inspiration.
I clarified my mission. This one-sentence personal mission statement explained my core purpose. It helped me make decisions aligned with my values. Now, my mission keeps me focused on what matters most.
I set SMART goals. Using the methodology on this graphic for a S.M.A.R.T. framework, I set specific, measurable goals in key areas like career, health, and relationships. Breaking the vision down into concrete objectives was crucial.
I documented plans and resources. For each goal, I wrote down how I’d achieve it and what resources I needed. Putting the plans on paper held me accountable.
I told others. Sharing my plan with family and friends generated encouragement. Their support has been invaluable.
I reviewed and adapted. I now make sure to revisit my strategic plan – often – to update and adjust it as needed. Regular reviews keep me on track.
In all of this, I take inspiration from Habakkuk 2:2-3 (NIV), which reads:
“Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false.”
God says to write things down on tablets. Writing goals is doing just that.
The results in my life have been nothing short of life changing. I’m healthier, happier, and feel much more fulfilled. I’m closer to my wife, advancing in my career, and making a bigger impact on the world.
For instance, prior to setting goals, I had never been on a mission trip. Since putting it down in clear, concise writing, I’ve traveled the world over, sharing Christ’s love through business and personal trips. I’ve been blessed to have served in Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, India (from top to bottom!), Nepal, and Ukraine.
My fitness has also increased dramatically, allowing me to:
Climb to the Mt. Everest Base Camp (17,598 ft)
Climb Mt. Baldy in California (4,193 ft)
Climb to the top of Mt. Bierstadt in Colorado (14,065 ft)
Lead a team to summit Mt. Washington in New Hampshire (6,288 ft )
Compete in a Sprint Triathlon.
And it doesn’t stop there. At the time of this writing, I’m planning to tackle Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,341 ft) in the spring of 2025.
Look what God has inspired me to do because I was willing to tap into who He created me to be! Moreover, in the midst of these accomplishments, I have an even bigger one to celebrate. My beautiful wife and I will be celebrating 40 years of marriage in 2026. Forty years since we said, “I do.”
It’s been an amazing journey, to say the least.
How did we do it? Well, I won’t go into all the details for brevity’s sake. But I can tell you the past decade has been especially momentous since we started setting goals together, and achieving them! We’ve been disciplined in maintaining that focus, making time for each other in both big and small ways for our benefit, the benefit of our children, and now our grandchildren as well.
All in all, strategic planning gave me a blueprint to get unstuck and live with purpose. And while I knew it would be worthwhile, the results have been better than I imagined, both in personal ways and in my career.
Energizing Teams Through Vision
I’ve been on both the employee side of the business equation and the employer side. And I can attest that it’s often hard to see the other’s perspective either way due to misunderstandings, miscommunications (or lack of any communication at all), and oversights.
Imagine you’re an employee showing up to work each day. You complete tasks as told but don’t know how it’s contributing to any larger goal or vision. Before long, boredom and disengagement set in, and you feel adrift in the organizational sea.
Unfortunately, this is the reality for too many workers. And it most often happens when their leaders haven’t mapped out an inspiring vision and steps to achieve it. It’s not until organizations engage in strategic planning that amazing things start to happen…
Employees feel energized and motivated.
They understand how their role builds up to big goals.
They feel purpose and direction in their daily work.
“Research shows [that] organizations with a clear strategic vision have 29% higher employee engagement,” according to Business Insights, Why Is Strategic Planning Important? | HBS Online. By articulating an exciting vision of the future, leaders ignite their teams’ passion and performance.
Strategic planning also allows you to infuse the organization’s values into the planning process itself. This ensures alignment between actions and principles, and fosters a flourishing culture.
Long-term success of your organization depends on how engaged your employees are. A highly engaged staff can boost profitability by 21%, claims research firm Gallup. Or, as Kate Gibson writes in her Harvard Business Reviewarticle, The Role Core Values Play In Strategy Execution, “Core values are vital to strategy execution because they guide your organization and employees’ behavior.”
Essentially, people love being part of something bigger than a paycheck. And strategic planning provides greater meaning through an energizing vision and values-driven goals. When executed thoughtfully, it catalyzes your people’s purpose and potential, bringing them together.
By this, I mean that leaders can incorporate their teams into the strategic planning process instead of dictating plans in isolation. When a broad group participates, they take ownership of the plan together, giving them a shared enthusiasm and devotion to the collective mission.
Everyone emotionally buys in because they co-created the plan. It’s theirs to support instead of something foisted on them from the top.
Setting Your Eyes on Achievable Goals
Once you have all of this established, your next step should be to set goals. RASM goals, to be precise, where you make them:
Realistic – Acknowledge constraints in areas like resources and capacity
Achievable – Make sure you have the capability and commitment necessary.
Strategic – The goal in question should always ladder up to your core strategy and mission.
Measurable – Make sure you track progress quantitatively or qualitatively against the goal.
I often add a T to this acronym for Timebound. By assigning a specific timeline to each goal, you can prevent them from dragging on indefinitely. But even without that extra consideration, research confirms that organizations with strategic RASM planning are far more successful. The discipline to focus on concrete, achievable goals pays dividends.
So set aside fantasies of instant 10x growth or dominating the universe. Effective strategic planning grounds you in reality, which then helps you get to the next level you really want to reach.
Driving Efficiency through Prioritization
Speaking of fantasies, the unfortunate truth is that there are always more great opportunities than bandwidth and resources to pursue them. That’s why one of the most powerful benefits of strategic planning is the prioritization of what matters most.
Leaders must make tough choices about what not to pursue. Saying no to less critical initiatives and collectively agreeing on 3-5 goals that will have maximum impact frees up resources to achieve strategic goals. It:
Directs funding, talent, and technology to enable those priorities
Aligns the whole organization around the priorities
Executes relentlessly on the strategic goals.
In Strategic Planning, S. Ghosal writes, “Research shows organizations that take this focused approach improve efficiency. Doing less but better is my point. By keeping the team focused and avoiding the “rabbit trail” projects that tend to pop up at every organization, you’re sure to accomplish so much more in the end.”
Of course, leaders must still consider other opportunities and challenges that inevitably emerge. But a clear strategic plan provides the filter to determine what deserves resources and what can wait.
The result is an empowering sense of focus and a rapid boost in productivity.
Enabling Clear Communication
All of this inspiration, productivity, and team spirit can only endure, however, if communication remains strong after planning concludes. Fortunately, strategic planning, done right, is supposed to handle this aspect as well, serving as a living document that drives ongoing alignment.
By clearly capturing goals, roles and responsibilities, assumptions, and progress, it reduces ambiguity and enables crisp communication and transparency around what matters most. It provides a single source of truth that keeps everyone aligned. And even as plans evolve, updated documentation maintains that unity of purpose and action.
Effective communication throughout the strategic planning lifecycle boosts organizational performance by 20%. Assuming communication occurs without documentation is a recipe for misalignment. So invest in it throughout and even after the strategic planning process. Keep the plan top of mind through constant reinforcement.
This pays enormous dividends – both in the moment and further down your organizational road. It’s not just the current project that gets impacted. Strategic planning is supposed to have lasting effects on everyone and every part of a business or non-profit. It helps align leadership and team members around the same priorities and resources, allowing them to act more quickly, rationally, and efficiently when conditions shift.
Moreover, it allows everyone involved to better anticipate future needs and help organizations get ahead of the curve with early hiring, budgeting, and capacity expansions.
Harvard Business Review writer Roger L. Martin, a former dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and strategy adviser to CEOs, advises that developing strategy means going outside of an organization’s comfort zone while still:
Keeping the strategy statement simple
Recognizing that strategy isn’t about perfection
Making the logic explicit.
You will run into problems eventually. Those are inevitable. But you can make yourself stronger and smarter at handling those when you have your strategic plan properly thought out and in place.
Give It Time – and Commitment – to Make It Work
Whether you’re a corporation or individual, strategic planning can bring purpose and gravity back into your life. But you only reap those rewards if you approach the process with complete commitment.
The results are long-lasting but can also take a long time, a lot of effort, and even significant money to accomplish, especially in the beginning.We’ve examined why strategic planning is such an effective means of getting organizations where they want to go. But it’s also important to acknowledge that designing and implementing a strategic plan can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’ve never been through the exercise before.
Fortunately, if you work step by step, you can develop a robust strategic planning process that will last for years. Even decades! So let’s move on now to those all-important first steps for structuring your strategic planning journey.
I’ll show you how to make the process incredibly doable. In our next post we will be navigating bringing the strategic planning process to your organization, and the steps you will need to take to achieve high performance at your organization.
For further actionable insights, reach out to In HIS Name HR right here. We help organizations build high-performance human resource programs designed to build your workplace into the engaging, effective, integrity-filled space you want it to be.
Contact us today! You and your employees will be grateful you did.
HR professionals are supposed to strategically manage staff members in accordance with a list of intricate and constantly evolving legal rights for both employers and employees. It’s a tough task with potentially severe penalties for any failures – real or perceived.
Legal action… financial losses… a damaged reputation.
It literally and figuratively pays to know your HR rules and regulations.
Beyond the Bill Of Rights
The creators of the United States Constitution memorialized citizen rights in a series of 10 amendments, collectively known as The Bill of Rights. This was a revolutionary document, made more impactful still since our founders had the foresight to make the list adaptable for a changing future.
The power to expand, create, and enact legislation was granted to the dual (and sometimes dueling) houses of Congress. And our representatives have definitely acted on that power ever since, impacting citizen rights in so many ways.
All of them put together, for better or worse, make an organization’s human resources agenda a lot more challenging. The topic is multilayered, but here are the biggest pieces of federal law your HR team needs to know about.
1964 Civil Rights Act
The U.S. Declaration of Independence stated that the new nation was being formed on “self-evident” truths “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” and “that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Yet it took until the 1964 Civil Rights Act to legislatively prohibit employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in hiring, promoting, and firing.
As a legal benchmark of modern civil rights, it has since been used as precedent for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights as well.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act
The OSH Act of 1970 created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Under OSHA, businesses are mandated to provide safe working conditions that are devoid of recognized hazards. Its objective is to regulate, inspect, and prevent unhealthy and unsafe working conditions.
This includes guaranteeing that workers are properly trained in their jobs and provided proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize worker exposure to hazardous environments and tasks. As a regulatory agency, OSHA seeks to prevent employment-related illness, disabilities, and death.
The National Labor Relations Act
The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935, also known as the Wagner Act, protects workers’ rights in the private sector. It gives them the right to free association in forming trade unions and to seek collective bargaining for fair wages and better working conditions. This includes protections against unfair labor practices and reprisals against labor organizations and their representatives.
There have been three significant amendments to the NLRA over the decades. In 1947, the Labor Management Relations Act – nicknamed the Tafy-Harley Act – removed some labor union privileges and gave the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) authority over determining unfair union practices.
Next, the 1959 Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act banned unions from expanding strikes to companies not directly involved in a labor dispute. And finally, technical amendments were passed in 1974 to cover healthcare workers in the private sector sphere.
The NLRA is the subject of two current (2024) Supreme Court cases. Since both challenge perceived NLRB overreaches, we could see further changes still.
Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) forbids discrimination on the basis of disability.
Expanding on and clarifying the Civil Rights Act, the ADA added persons with disabilities as a recognized and protected class of citizen. It states that reasonable accommodations for equal and non-discriminatory access must be provided – regardless of whether a company is private or public. This applies to educational and transportation capabilities, as well as healthcare, housing, and employment.
Since its enactment, numerous court challenges have risen up to determine what constitutes “reasonable” accommodation. More recently, some of these challenges have asked whether mental disabilities are covered.
Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967 prohibits discrimination in the workplace against individuals who are at least 40 years old. As with ADA, it expands on the Civil Rights Act – which inherently should cover age discrimination but does not specifically name it.
ADEA mandates advancement and training based on age, as well as hiring and job interview equality. It continues to be amended as younger and older workers alike become affected by changing demographics and technological advancements.
Living Rights
As initially stated, the Constitution was crafted to be a living document addressing living rights.
The Bill of Rights alone could not address every issue concerning citizen rights, local and state government responsibilities, and private sector fairness and balance. So acts of Congress seek to address the needs of a changing citizenry.
Employment laws were developed to give structure, standards, and safeguards for both employers and employees. This is an important task, to be sure, since the very foundation of the U.S. economic system is our labor force.
However, this does mean that HR professionals work hard to stay current with laws at every level of government: municipal, state, and federal alike. Breaking these regulations can have disastrous repercussions, so always strive to stay compliant in how you handle your organization – inside and out.
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Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable. Contact us today. You – and your employees – will be glad you did.
Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people! E-mail us here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of IHN HR. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Let’s face it: We all know being a leader is tough.
That’s why it’s so crucial for leaders to understand their capabilities in relation to leadership competencies. There’s a lot going on in those areas, from directing teams to energizing them and accomplishing your goals – each of which can be a challenge.
I’ve found that breaking down leadership into a series of competencies can help extensively. That way, you can think of each skill as its own separate task, making developing each one easier.
Here’s a look at the 10 key competencies of outstanding leaders… along with tips for you to excel in them no matter your field!
Leadership
This first competency might seem like an obvious and even all-encompassing aspect of being a leader, but hear me out. Developing all the other competencies we cover requires authentic leadership. Team members won’t believe in your vision until they conclude that you’re worth following.
That begins with proper communication. The best communicators explain their ideas with power and conviction. They speak to overarching organizational objectives and primary strategic priorities. And they articulate how each person’s work cascades up to higher-level goals.
When priorities are clear, teams can really buy in.
Great leaders also bolster morale through hard work, modeling how they want their teams to behave. They roll up their sleeves to show what they want the rest to do, raising everyone else’s energy levels by personally demonstrating diligence, focus, and persistence.
Or, to use the definition we use at IHN HR, leaders show everyone else how to “deliver on the mission, achieve the vision, and reflect the organization’s values.”
Delegation
From there, you should understand the importance of delegation to leadership success. Don’t try to do it all yourself; instead, assign tasks to the people best-suited to handle them.
Effective delegation begins with putting people in jobs they can do, so carefully consider each team members’ capabilities. Do they have what it takes to get a particular task done?
For those who can handle more, give them stretch assignments: projects or accounts with a bit more complexity. The employees who can do these without problems or mistakes should be developed further and rewarded appropriately since their chances of success are high.
This isn’t playing favorites; it’s playing to people’s strengths.
In thinking about who can complete a task, think about treating people like people. They’re individuals capable of handling appropriately assigned tasks, so be careful not to overwhelm them while also seeking to avoid automatically limiting them. Learning can and should happen at any time for any one person, irrespective of their experience.
Good delegation allows employees to thrive and often includes using tools to discover their strengths. When you do that and act accordingly, everyone wins.
Finally, go in with a clear intent; people respect leaders who avoid ambiguity. Set goals for when you expect someone to do something. Fully contextualize the work by stating what you’re trying to achieve and what the desired outcome will be. Be specific about the requirements for the task, at what point it’s considered complete, and how you’ll evaluate successful performance.
As we say at IHN HR, delegation means assigning “tasks and responsibilities to the appropriate team members”… and with the clearest instructions possible.
Professional Maturity
Professional composure might not be the easiest state to achieve, but it is a hallmark of mature leaders. The best of the best learn to keep cool with the chaos. They think calmly and clearly before reacting, refusing to take things personally even when that’s the natural human reaction.
Keeping cool in the face of fire helps to keep teams steady.
Great leaders are also active about checking their biases. They use appropriate language, base their decisions on data, and actively seek out diverse viewpoints.
At our firm, we define professional maturity as “interacting with people in a manner that reflects the values of the organization and cultural norms.”
Administration
Leaders should “systematize” additional activities. For example, if employees have to perform the same task repeatedly, managers should help develop protocols and workflows for it.
Documenting routines helps minimize employee error and confusion, especially when employees change and workers have to pick up where others have left off. Yet the majority of organizations don’t implement this strategy. And without basic working instructions or standard operating procedures, they run the risk of never improving.
Since the best leaders are always looking for ways to improve, they provide central access to templates, manuals, databases, and shared drives so workers can easily find what they need to do their jobs. Organized systems don’t waste time by forcing employees or underlings to find what they need.
This includes by way of available advancements. Leaders should always look to leverage technology to speed up manual processes, such as scheduling apps, task-trackers, file-sharing programs, and so on. A well-chosen tool can minimize waste in your work process.
At IHN HR we define administration as “having effective systems in place to manage workflow and projects.”
Training
Investment in employee training is also part of the leader’s role. The best leaders invest their valuable time in helping their team develop important skills by getting them ready for their tasks as early in the project process as possible.
Admittedly, not everyone enjoys these activities. So to make learning engaging for everyone involved, vary your approach. Use presentations, manuals, videos, and coaching. Provide materials that cater to different learning styles. Allow people to preview your expectations for them, and make it as hands-on an experience as you can.
And remember: Good-quality programs give context. Let trainees practice or simulate what they’re expected to do to prime their skills and build their confidence.
At IHN HR, we define training as “providing direct instruction or appropriate resources to impart information.”
Mentorship
Besides formal training, strong leaders seek to mentor emerging talent by offering one-on-one development support. High-performing organizations invest heavily in mentorship programs; consider doing the same for your employees.
Regardless, you can accelerate high-potential team members’ development by leveraging your own experiences and encouraging authenticity. Find out their strengths, interests, and opportunities for growth. What are their preferred learning styles? Where do they want to see themselves in five years?
Even better, put a system in place for mentor and mentee check-ins. Consistency provides continuity, and processes offer the flexibility to respond to changing needs. But also let your mentee know you’re available for in-the-moment questions.
At IHN HR, we define mentorship as “developing people by sharing their expertise, experience, and influence for the purpose of learning and growth.”
Communication
Leadership is about communication. And in order to be heard, you have to know your audience, use the right medium, and constantly seek feedback.
We advise first considering the communication styles (e.g., formality, preferences for email or phone) and terminology (e.g., vocabulary, level of detail, and depth) that are appropriate in various departments and functions. You need to understand your audience and tailor your message to fit specific recipients.
Also, keep in mind the timing of your messages. And be purposeful in your choice of communication channel. You can make broad announcements via email, but avoid sending other kinds of messages that contain sensitive material.
Try to match the medium to the meaning. Texts may attract more attention, but use them sparingly. The urgency diminishes with use.
At IHN HR, we define effective communication as “written and verbal communication that’s timely and effective with an appropriate tone.
Team Environment
Leaders shape the team’s culture by facilitating interaction between members, allowing them to bring out the best in each other. The deeper the team members’ camaraderie and engagement, the higher their satisfaction and performance.
Begin with bonding. Off-site team building and leadership development programs can do wonders. Getting people away from their desks and participating in fun activities can go far in creating stronger relationships. And if you can incorporate activities that address differences in personalities and strengths, that’s even better.
Trust improves with personal connections.
Collectively develop rules for openness, debate, and conflict resolution. And encourage respect for each other even during disagreements.
At IHN HR, we define the ideal team environment as “a culture that unifies a high-performance team to effectively deliver on their goals.”
Approachability
Leaders should also be approachable, encouraging their followers to seek them out with questions and concerns. Maintaining an open-door policy in the office, setting aside regular office hours for impromptu visits, and/or keeping instant messaging open for remote teams demonstrates your presence and accessibility to your followers.
In addition, make clear the best persons or groups to contact about any given issue and how best to reach them – whether email, chat, phone, etc. Be clear about expected response times, and consistently state your routine response process so that employees know they can rely on you.
Finally, pay attention when speaking to others. Listen carefully, and let the other person finish before you speak. Maintain eye contact, keep an open body posture, and minimize any signals that suggest you’re not interested.
Set specific S.M.A.R.T. goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound.
Plan thoroughly. Delineate all the steps, actors, resources, and contingencies. No surprises.
Agree on the measures. Agree on what will be measured and how the measures will be reported, ensuring they’re as quantitative as possible.
Break down long-term goals. Divide larger goals into smaller ones. Maintain motivation with checkpoints.
Be flexible; change timetables or plans if called for, but if you stay on track, that’s discipline enough. Gravity and grace balance each other.
Treasure your wins. Celebrate each victory as you head toward your goal. Count the wins.
We believe that S.M.A.R.T. goals not only improve the lives of employees but also contribute to the success and longevity of the organization they’re designed for.
At IHN HR, we define approachability as “being available for questions, instructions, and input (i.e., open-door policy).”
Execution
Of course, all of this leads to execution. At the end of the day, the key to leadership is getting things done efficiently and effectively.
Here are some tips for effective leadership execution:
Lead With Confidence
If that seems like a very long and even daunting list, don’t feel overwhelmed. Rather, focus on just one or two competencies per quarter and work to enhance those areas. Then make sure to regularly review your progress.
Over time, these capabilities compound to make you the inspirational leader your team needs.
For further actionable insights, reach out to In HIS Name HR right here. We help organizations build high-performance human resource programs designed to build your workplace into the engaging, effective, integrity-filled space you want it to be.
Contact us today! You and your employees will be grateful you did.
Employers lose a lot of productivity from employees who are struggling in their marriages or going through a divorce. The Marriage Hub can help you support your employees who are struggling with their marriages. This is a benefit to them, their children, and to you as the leader of your organization.
Meet Dr. Bruce R. McCracken. Bruce has been leading the Marriage Hub for over 17 years. Bruce has been focused on doing marriage intensives for over 10 years, helping couples save their marriages from the devastation of divorce. The Marriage Hub has an 85% success rate. Meaning that their couples are still married a year after their intensive.
Downsizing can be daunting, to say the least. Many of us have been let go ourselves over the course of our working lives. But even if we haven’t, we understand the obvious that it’s not a desirable experience.
When the economy turns though, almost every industry gets hurt. In which case, these trying times have had an impact on a wide range of organizations – and will no doubt continue to do so from here. So, sometimes, letting workers go is a necessity.
Yet, believe it or not, there are Bible-based ways to handle such situations, designed to make it easier for everyone involved. Meet Karmae Fahr, who says she’s seen it all… including downsizing done incorrectly. As she tells Mark, however, employers can learn how to:
Plan for notification day
Have a strategy in place for employee engagement afterward
Compile services for exiting employees to utilize.
Karmae is an executive search and recruitment expert, business consultant, entrepreneur, executive coach, trainer, and mentor with 30+ years’ experience. As principal executive of The Fahr Group (TFG) since founding it in 2007, she brings depth and breadth to organizations by successfully selecting candidates for positions from vice president through the C-suite.
Early in her career, Karmae helped build family businesses before transitioning into a recruitment position in the ‘80s. Today, she and her Fahr Group team serve clients nationwide and across industries in their quest to find top-notch management members. They currently boast a 100% fill rate for all searches – an unbeatable track record they proudly uphold and protect!
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Concerned about your organization’s as-is HR programs? The benefits of having a trusted partner guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable.
Contact us today. You and your employees will be glad you did. Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people! E-mail us here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.
We all have our own opinions of health and wellness based on our own unique experiences. Yet it’s essential to have a unified understanding in any workplace that creates a specific culture of wellness.
This isn’t supposed to be a token effort or Band-Aid treatment. Christ-centered wellness – living fully the way God intended – must become our new employment and employer norm: one that is so effective, it follows workers from the office to the home.
And yes, that is possible.
Meet Dr. April Jones, a healthcare leader with over 20 years of experience in optimizing and creating innovative processes. As CEO and founder of Storehouse Wellness, she champions a holistic, faith-based approach to health.
Dr. Jones spent years in traditional healthcare, where she helped people find the right medications to manage their disease symptoms, created pathways for easier and safer medical journeys, and helped to remove barriers to accessing necessary medication and proper education about these drugs. That’s how she came to realize the stark truth that providers don’t focus nearly enough on…
How to be well without medical intervention.
She now leads a premier, integrated, Christ-centered comprehensive wellness solution that removes fragmentation from well-being efforts. Dr. Jones’ program has four pillars at its core: nourishment, physical fitness, mental wellness/stress management, and financial health. It seeks to transform mindsets and strengthen internal motivation through a biblical perspective and focus on spiritual relationship.
Dr. Jones’ firm offers wellness navigation for accountability support and resource coordination, as well as 24/7 chaplaincy.
An accomplished consultant, board member, mentor, and coach, she blends hands-on healthcare experience with strategic business acumen. Dr. Jones also authored “No Mess, No Message,” a Christian motivational book on overcoming adversity; founded The Drifted Drum Co., a faith-based publishing and events company; and is a sought-after speaker. She holds degrees from Union University, University of Tennessee, University of Memphis, and Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry.
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Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner to guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable. Contact us today. You – and your employees – will be glad you did.
Rise with us by implementing our high-performance human-resource programs to help find great people! E-mail us here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Many workplace issues occur due to problems that could be avoided – if management was only properly educated.
For example, common allegations revolve around poor management, bullying, harassment, and spiritual abuse. These might seem like obvious issues to the employees experiencing them. Yet supervisors are often unaware of the drama.
That’s why the 360⁰ Leadership Assessment exists. This preventative tool has multiple benefits, starting with its ability to educate members of management to the reality around them. Once successfully implemented, it helps avert personnel headaches and accompanying legal problems from coming up in the first place.
Meet Theresa Sidebotham, a former missionary kid, full-grown missionary, homeschool mom, and now attorney. Her firm, Telios Law, focuses on legal solutions that bring life and healing to situations involving “people problems.” Theresa’s practice specializes in employment law, both for business owners and non-profits, and conducts workplace investigations nationally and internationally alike.
Theresa herself is an expert in helping faith-based organizations build the kind of culture and environment that’s a true testimony to their faith. At Telios Law, she leads businesses in policy development, manages employee concerns, negotiates contracts, and investigates misconduct. The goal is always for clients to better carry out their calling to serve God and bless the world through ethical business practices.
Listen in as Theresa and host Mark Griffin discuss using the 360⁰ Leadership Assessment program to gain greater insight into your team’s competency level. The confidential, anonymous, aggregated, and meaningful feedback you can get from your employees might surprise you!
Concerned about your organization’s as-is HR programs? The benefits of having a trusted partner guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable.
Contact us today. You and your employees will be glad you did. Rise with us by implementing our high-performance remote human-resource programs to help find great people! E-mail us here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.
When was the last time you really thought about the importance of caring for yourself and others in the workplace?
Too often, the answer to this question is a blank stare. Yet discussing a healthy work-life balance and finding tips for dealing with stress and burnout can be extremely helpful. And no, it doesn’t have to be filled with pointless complaints.
Instead, begin by acknowledging the obvious: that work can be hard, and it’s easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of the day-to-day grind. Next, emphasize the importance of taking care of yourself both physically and mentally in order to be productive and successful.
Finally, conclude the conversation by emphasizing the importance of a healthy work environment. You might be shocked at how much more you can accomplish after you’ve taken the time to evaluate all of this.
Karl Brummer has made a career out of encouraging purposeful, untroubled living as president and CEO of Messiah Lifeways. Before taking on that role in 2021, he served as the organization’s senior VP for eight years, where he oversaw human resources, enrichment services, and community support services. Karl holds a bachelor’s degree in HR management from Messiah College and an MBA from Kutztown University, and is a Certified Aging Services Professional (CASP), a Senior Certified Human Resource Professional (SHRM-SCP) and a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).
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Concerned about the HR programs at your organization? The benefits of having a trusted partner to guide you and your team to excellence are invaluable. Contact us today. You – and your employees – will be glad you did.
Rise with us by implementing our high-performance human-resource programs to help find great people! E-mail us here.
Mark A. Griffin is president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.
In HIS Name HR LLC Welcomes Christine Chapman as New Human Resources Partner
Lancaster, PA, US – June 27, 2024 – In HIS Name HR LLC, based in Lancaster, PA, is announcing that Christine Chapman has joined the company as Human Resources Partner.
Chris is an experienced and certified human resources and coaching professional who is passionate about helping individuals and organizations realize their full potential through strategic HR solutions and impactful coaching methodologies. Her diverse and accomplished background spans both public and private sectors, from startups and non-profits to large-scale global enterprises.
Chris’ journey into human resources began in higher education, where she worked for public and private institutions as a leader in residence life. She next transitioned to recruiting and then again into broader human resources roles, spending over a decade at a global pharmaceutical company. There, she supported business teams in North America and Europe in strategic HR initiatives.
In HIS Name HR has been implementing high-performance HR programs for Christian-value-based organizations, including Christian owned for-profit companies, colleges, ministries, camps, and churches, since 2011. With her many years of experience in employee relations investigations, Christine will help support Title IX administration, policy development, and investigations for In HIS Name clients nationally. In addition, she will deliver Bible-based diversity, equity, and inclusion training.
“We are excited to have Christine join our team to help take this HR organization to the next level,” says Mark A. Griffin, president and founder of In HIS Name HR LLC. “Christine’s depth of experience, knowledge, and Title IX administration capabilities complement our growing team of seasoned executives.”
More information about Christine Chapman is available at In HIS Name HR.
In HIS Name HR is guided by Christian values and strives to reflect Christ in all areas. This begins with the view that everyone should be treated with dignity and respect, and that employees are the most important part of any organization.
