When YOU Leave

It's hard to say "goodbye" isn't it? Last week's post was about handling the departure of a teammate. This week, let's talk about you. At some point in your career, and maybe several times, you'll be saying "goodbye" to a job and teammates. How you leave is important. The following principles apply whether you liked your job, or hated it, or somewhere in between. Give a good notice. I know, I know. Some people feel that because a company can kick you out at any time with little to no notice, you shouldn't have to give them a notice when you want to leave. Sorry folks, that's not professional. Do that, and  you are ultimately hurting yourself. You can't control the company, but you can take responsibility on your end. Give at least a full...

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When Someone Leaves

The day I wrote this was my last day on a church staff. I'd been working part-time for a large church for over five years, and full-time at my own church for ten years before that. I worked for non-profit organizations prior to that, and with only one exception (and my own business) I've been in the non-profit sector for all of my career. I'll be continuing my own business, and later this summer will be joining a firm part-time for a position related to, but different from what I have been doing. It's exciting but odd to step into a somewhat-new industry. I've been blessed with good teams at both churches I've worked for. I didn't experience the "but if you really knew him/her behind the scenes" stuff some church staff members experience....

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Peanut Butter and Honey

As I write this, I am sitting in my favorite writing spot, a coffee shop on the banks of the river in my city. Today I decided to have a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and banana. There is leftover peanut butter, so I decided to add a little honey to it, stir it together, and finish it up just as it is.  Yum! You can't see the honey in the container. But you can taste it. It's that little bit of extra sweetness that brings the peanut butter to "treat" level. That "honey" is the same thing you will find in a workplace culture that has the undeniable, indefinable feeling of "this is a great place to work." Where does that culture come from? Taking care of your employees. Your people are your teammates. One organization I know refers...

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