The funeral last weekend was harrowing. An energetic young mother of two little girls, struck down by cancer. I have no idea how her husband was able to stand at the front and speak. Trying desperately to hold himself together, he recounted how his wife had a four-word motto she lived by – “Find joy […]
Rick James
So much depends on the people we hire. I find it amazing that we usually judge on the basis of such limited information. We need to look beyond competence and look more at the inward qualities of people. I’ve also found it valuable to include: Chemistry – How will they fit into the existing team? […]
Rick James
We want to bring the best of ourselves to work. We want to help those we work with perform to their full potential. We know in our hearts that it is not simply about putting in more and more effort. Apparently those who work more than 60 hour weeks are the least productive of all. […]
Rick James
Radical change is possible in Christian NGOs. In 2003, Mzima was in crisis. Fear, division and apathy were endemic; staff demoralized and demotivated; leadership threatened and defensive. Yet within three years Mzima had transformed. Trust, openness and commitment became more the norm. Income had quadrupled. Its impact and influence had [...]
Rick James
Not forgiving someone is like drinking poison yourself and expecting the other person to die. It will slow you down and hinder everything you do. One of our learning-group members from South Sudan, Bishop Isaiah Dau, shared his challenging personal story about forgiveness with me in an interview recently. He shows how such a difficult [...]
Rick James
I’ve really enjoyed reading this fascinating new book called Rest, by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang. I was intrigued to learn “why you get more done when you work less.” He points out that rest is not the opposite or a competitor to work, but an equal partner. Deliberate rest plays a central role in stimulating our […]
Rick James
The funeral was harrowing. An energetic young mother of two little girls, struck down by cancer. I have no idea how her husband was able to stand at the front and speak. Trying desperately to hold himself together, he recounted how his wife had a four-word motto she lived by – “Find joy in everything.” […]
Rick James
We all know about Founder’s Syndrome – where a successful leader is unable to let go and move on. Politicians, CEOs, and NGO directors are all susceptible. Christian leaders are in no way immune. It’s so rife and destructive, it sometimes seems like a disease. But leadership change is completely normal. Leadership transition is a [...]
Rick James
Hiwot’s “Follow to Lead” thought reminded me of this wonderful three-minute TED talk. It’s called “How to Start a Movement” by Derek Silvers. I learned so much about change and leadership in those three minutes and all with a broad smile on my face. I learned that: The first followers are as important to any change as […]
Rick James
Organizational change is highly stressful – especially if we are at the center as leaders or change agents. Our normally busy lives become even more (over)loaded. We find ourselves having to work longer hours. And perhaps even more costly, we have to deal with a lot of stress and insecurities of those around us. It […]
Rick James
Frustration and fear feature strongly in change processes. Churches and Christian NGOs are no exception in my experience. Not surprising I suppose, given they are staffed by humans, not angels. But left undealt with, frustration and fear give rise to mistrust and effectively block efforts at change. It may not be as extreme as one [...]
Rick James
I knew from the very start that it was not a rational decision to accept the consultancy with the Tangababwe Evangelical Fellowship (TEF) [1]. The off-hand mention in the terms of reference that the secretariat “was closed about three years ago due to resource constraints, weak leadership and lack of a clear direction at the time” [...]
Rick James
We all put off difficult decisions. It’s part of human nature. Churches and Christian organizations and leaders seem particularly prone to this failing. We want to appear loving. We want to be nice. But the consequences of delay may prove disastrous. I know too many Christian organizations who have gone into crisis because they did [...]
Rick James
