Category: eConnections

by Clare Krabill, MHS COO

I remember almost 15 years ago hearing about a leader named Steve from those who had worked with him. They all agreed they would have given their absolute best for Steve. They knew he gave his best for them, believed the best in them and invested in their best outcomes. They wanted to continue working with him and were not interested in looking elsewhere.

Their testimonies made quite an impact on me. I decided at that point I wanted to lead like Steve! I began a journey of cultivating servanthood leadership skills. I read leadership books, sought knowledge through peers and mentors, and attended leadership seminars. It didn’t take long to realize that while I could learn best practices and skills, knowing these things didn’t translate into consistently doing them.

The MHS membership network is a community of faith. It is one of the things that sets you and your ministries apart. Yet, your belief alone does not result in your being better leaders. The invitation is to take your belief, invest it with time, effort, and perseverance, and go deep into yourself to cultivate practices that arise from the Spirit.

The spiritual practice of solitude of the heart can be foundational. Through solitude of the heart, one seeks to perceive the world from a quiet inner center. It can transform loneliness and neediness to abundance and generosity.

While experienced alone or in a crowd, it is best developed in actual solitude. In speaking of this solitude of the heart, Thomas Merton wrote, “It is in deep solitude that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brothers. It is pure affection and filled with reverence for the solitude of others… There is no way of telling people that they are walking around shining like the sun.” He goes on to explain that he perceived his practice of solitude as a responsibility that he had for himself and others. That through the practice of solitude he experienced the depth of community. This is the depth that can empower you to give your best to, believe the best in, and invest in the best outcomes for your colleagues. It is a foundation that can set you apart as a leader. I suspect this is the real key to leading like Steve.

by Twila Albrecht, MHS Program Manager

My parents still get a kick out of telling their friends about the letters I used to write to the president of the United States when I was in 2^nd grade. We were learning about rainforests and deforestation and I became deeply concerned why the president was cutting down so many trees.

Fast forward.

It’s a year later and I’m watching the Twin Towers fall on the tv screen in my third-grade classroom. [Yes, we had tv screens in our classrooms when I was in third grade]. A war then ensues.

It’s 2008, Barack Obama becomes the first black president of the United States. The year 2008 will then be bookmarked by The Great Recession, where those born near the beginning of my generation were beginning to enter the workforce, or lack thereof.  

It’s 2014 and an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, is killed by a white policeman in Ferguson, Missouri.

Climate change, terrorism, and racial (in)justice are some of the movements that informed a generation of socially and environmentally conscious, purpose-driven, tech wizards.

As a generation, millennials (born between 1981-96) are commonly tagged as lazy, entitled, tech-crazed, ‘job-hoppers’. These labels are probably true on our worst days. But, as a millennial, I could think of some other ways to describe us: adventurous, interdisciplinary changemakers that believe in working smarter, not harder.

A quick internet search including the words ‘millennial’ and ‘retention’ results in a plethora of tips and tricks for retaining us. Here’s my quick summary of common themes that millennials are often looking for, and that you are likely already aware of and probably even attempting in your organizations:

• Opportunities for professional development and mentorship;
• transparent communication, particularly related to decision-making and power structures;
• opportunities that matter – some of us still believe we can change the world, and while it may seem far-fetched at times, volunteer and community engagement activities go a long way at creating community and moments of social change;
• flexibility, flexibility, flexibility – we’re in a pandemic. You’ve likely altered how you are working, so what has worked well, what hasn’t;
• Authenticity – we want to show up as we are, and we expect the programs and services we are working with to reflect the mission and values of the organization, consistently.

One strategy for taking this a step further is to begin by including millennial voices in developing your retention strategies. [We like to feel special after all.] You might consider asking the following questions of each other; without judgement, daydream:

1. What brings you the most satisfaction at work?
2. What are some things in your daily routine that, if you had the power to change, would make coming to work easier?
3. If you had the opportunity to rewrite the employee handbook, where would you begin?
4. In what ways do you think the organization needs to adapt to stay relevant, and/or to meet the changing needs of people served and people serving?

As the MHS Program Manager, I’ve really enjoyed working on employee engagement assessments with some of your organizations. MHS, together with MHS Consulting, offers a variety of tools, like the employee engagement assessment, to help leaders and organizations invest in their greatest asset – their employees! We are eager to hear what strategies you are implementing and how we can support you.