Administrative Lessons from Esther 8

Over at my Break Time Bible Study site, we are going through the book of Esther. Chapter 8 is fantastic for noting the value of teamwork and effective administration so I am sharing the content here that will appear there later this week. Enjoy! - Beth

In chapter 8, some excitement occurs in the story of Esther. It is at this point that the king makes a decision to "approve" Esther's request that her people, the Jews, be saved from destruction. Isn't that great?

Yes, but...

What if the king's scribes didn't respond quickly to write the edict? (v. 9)

What if people didn't know all the individual languages, to be able to write in that language, for all the various provinces? (v. 9)

What if the "sealing" of the edict hadn't happened properly, to affirm the authority of the command? (v. 10)

What if the person who "wrote in the name of the king" didn't accurately portray what the king wanted? (v. 10)

What if the mounted couriers didn't speed to deliver the news? (They didn't have email or Facebook back then.) (vv. 10, 14)

For that matter, what if those who took care of the horses did a sloppy job, resulting in sluggish, overweight horses that couldn't gallop? (It is noted that these horses were of prime pedigree.) (v. 10)

What if a specific date (the thirteenth day of the twelfth month) hadn't been specifically chosen? (v. 12)

What if copies weren't quickly made (they didn't have copiers) so all provinces could get the same message? (v. 13)

The Jews would have died.

Do you see how important good administration, training, and teamwork is?

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There is No "I" in TEAM, Or Is There?

There is a well-known quip that there is no "I" in team. After all, team is spelled  TEAM. One catalog for team building materials uses TEAM to mean "Together Everyone Achieves More." Ain't that special?

In real life though, quips, mugs and posters don't automatically lead to a team working the way a couple of employees of a local firm described their team to me, as running "like a machine." It takes time, effort, and understanding to truly relate as a team. Because of that, yes, there is an "I" in team, because teamwork starts with YOU.

Teams are only as good as the individuals that make them up. Yes, the whole is greater than the parts, but if the parts are defective, the team will be affected. (Hey, that sounds like another quip! "Parts Defective Means Teams Affected." Where's my button machine?)

So, the place to start with team building is you. Here's an assessment to help you determine what type of a team player you really are.

• Do I enjoy working with other people? (Some personalities would rather be in a corner doing tasks all day.)
• When I meet with other team members, do I contribute to the conversation? (Or do you sit and say nothing?)
• When I share my ideas, do I limit my words so others can contribute too?
• Do I want people to carry out my idea in exactly the way I envision it?
• Am I willing to ask questions to learn from others with a different expertise that I  have?
• If I'm naturally a take-charge person, do I encourage those less inclined to exercise leadership skills too?
• Do I feel I am more experienced than the others on my team and they should listen to me most of the time?
• Do I note what is going on with others by truly listening, acknowledging events like birthdays or accomplishments?
• Am I quick (but not insincere) in giving thanks an praise to others in the way they would most enjoy?
• Do people come to me to ask for help? Am I approachable?

If you are really brave, after answering these questions, give them to your coworkers to answer anonymously on your behalf. Do the answers match up? Be prepared to make changes without defensiveness if something surprising is revealed to you. In the long run, that will be for your good and the good of the team.

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Teambuilding Activity: I Scream Day

Part of teambuilding is having fun together. From time to time I will give you a suggestion for a team building activity to do with your staff.

You'll need:

• Pre-scheduled visit from an ice cream truck
• Cards and pens
• Covered box to drop cards in

Give each team member a card and ask them to complete the sentence"I scream inside when..." on the card. Allow them to anonymously write out a pet peeve such as

"I scream when Joe listens to his voice mail messages using the speaker phone."

"I scream when the AC is set too high and I have to wear sweaters all summer."

"I scream when I have to fill out three forms just to have some staples ordered."

You get the idea.

After the employees have put their cards in the box, invite them outside to get a free treat from a visiting (pre-scheduled and kept quiet) ice cream truck. Arrange ahead of time with the truck to offer one treat per employee at no cost to them, and the company will pay for it. Allow some time for fellowship. Do not talk about the cards.

After the exercise, have appropriate leadership look at the cards and carefully consider what, if any action, needs to be taken. It is important to be discreet as some people may have actually named names in their card. If you go to an employee, do it quietly and if possible, deal with the issue in this case without having to write up something for their personnel file. Try to handle everything within a week.

About a week later, bring in the makings for a sundae bar and surprise the employees with another treat. Announce that you have read the cards, dealt with appropriate issues (be specific with "how" if it will not embarrass an individual), and if they have any other concerns, your door will be "open" (with no ramifications) the rest of the day. If your culture feels right, you might even encourage employees to speak up about any changes they've noticed within the last week and say "thank you" for them.

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