HR Best Practice #2 - Tell someone exactly what you expect from them. Everyone wants to know what they're aiming for, and what you need them to be getting after. The clearer the expectations are around someone's role - whether paid or volunteer - the better you can expect them to "perform." Also...for most (not all) people, watch how their happiness factor will increase when you give them that clarity in the form of a well-thought out JD. And conversely, watch how nervous most (not all) people get when you give them an ambiguous and immeasure description of what you want them to do. Worse yet, give them no JD at all and tell them to get after it, whatever 'it' is. This will lose you staff and, for most churches in the US, precious volunteers.

Also, it's that sense of "I know the target" that blesses people with the ability to measure whether or not they're making a difference. Which then leads us to...

HR Best Practice #3 - Applaud your people when they're making a measureable difference.

Silver Lake - Big Cottonwood Canyon - the Wasatch Mountains - Heaven.

Thought #4

HR/Leadership Clarity and Shepherding your staff go hand in hand

Often times, a church employee doesn't measure up to the expectations of their job description. Or, they don't contribute to the chemistry of the team. For whatever reason, some sort of a disconnect is happening between what we want them to be/do and what they are being/doing. (distinction on be-do to follow).

So, the question comes up, what is the most caring thing to do in this situation? How can this employee be best "shepherded" through a potentially very painful circumstance? Is there a conflict between HR best practices and what a Christ-centered, shepherding leader would have us do? I don't think so...

HR best practices and Christian Leadership (CL) best practices are in unison in this point.

HR best practice point #1 - an employee should never be surprised by a painful review. Instead, if there are issues and concerns that pop up throughout the year that concern a supervisor, then that supervisor needs to share those concerns with the employee as they occur and work to

CL best practice #1 - speak the truth in love to employees / volunteers when the opportunity arises. Don't believe the lie that NOT sharing difficult truth with someone is somehow 'shepherding' them or that it protects them. Conversely, don't believe the lie that sharing difficult truth with someone will hurt them to the point where they reject faith or quit their job. Don't shy away from the opportunity to walk someone through a potentially life-shaping growth opportunity that comes out of a weak-spot in their role. When someone has loved me enough and cared enough about the mission of the church (must have both) to initiate those difficult conversations, the inevitable result is clarity and blessing for me when I receive it with a coachable spirit.