value of meetings February 22, 2012
Posted by thehutch in thoughts.Tags: meetings
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“let’s have a meeting” are words that can inspire some people but for others it can lead to frustration or even fear. Meetings are an important part of life, they cannot be avoided and if organisations are to run smoothly they are necessary.
Meetings that are led well, have good action points and lead to progress are meetings that we all would enjoy. If we are responsible, we need to take time to make sure this happens – plan, prepare, produce……then maybe meetings could change the world.
give it time? February 16, 2012
Posted by thehutch in thoughts.Tags: fortune, hard work, luck, management, time
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Many people point to Manchester United and their loyalty to Alex Ferguson as manager, so that they can say longevity brings results. After 20 years of unparalleled success it is easy to forget that ‘Fergie’ was one match away from the unemployment statistics.
Was longevity the answer? Was the threat of losing the job alongside a couple of fortunate results the catalyst? What is the secret?
The truth is that most managers have what it takes….the difference is that run of good fortune, the timing of good things and the need for consistency are all necessary to achieve long term success. Timing and good fortune are not always within your own control but consistency usually comes from hard work and a one track mind that never loses sight of the winning post.
As Jack Nicklaus once inferred – it is amazing how lucky you get when you work hard for it.
Which road to choose? February 12, 2012
Posted by thehutch in thoughts.Tags: Choices, road
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The road that seems smoothest, most comfortable and with the least obstacles is not always the best road to choose.
The hurdles and troubles often strengthen us so that we can achieve greater things. Be strong and courageous, choose the right road.
delegation, control or balance? February 10, 2012
Posted by thehutch in thoughts.Tags: control, delegation, leader, leadership
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Leaders claim to be good delegators, followers claim that leaders are too controlling but, in truth, what is the place of balance?
I believe that the best leaders provide boundaries yet allow complete freedom within those boundaries. The point of control is the boundary line, the place of delegation lies within the boundary line. If people work at the appropriate place, there should be balance.
what are you thinking? February 9, 2012
Posted by thehutch in church, thoughts, youthwork.Tags: clothes, hoodies, parents, values, youth, youthwork
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“You know you will be ok, look he is wearing a hoodie so he is cool and so the group will be fine.“
This statement was made in front of me and I was not sure whether to be happy or upset that such a comment was made. Initially, I was quite pleased that a parent was encouraging their child to the youth group that I lead on a voluntary basis, but as the statement sunk in, I realised how poor a statement that it was.
1) wearing a hoodie does not determine the value of anything. All it says is that the individual is wearing a hoodie.
2) being ‘cool’ was an expression from the 80′s, I am in my 40s’, being ‘cool’ is not even close. Makes me want to puke!
3) the value of the group is nothing to do with the clothing choices of the members/leaders – it is based on the quality of the relationships that the group develops
The list could go on – the utterances of this parent make me shudder – the good news is that the member settled in well, contributes to the group and has strong relationships with others. On the other hand, my hoodie tops do not get worn as often!
odd one out February 7, 2012
Posted by thehutch in thoughts.comments closed
Do you remember those childhood games, such as ‘piggy in the middle’ or ‘odd one out’? There was always one child who was marked as different, being singled out and having a different experience to everyone else. In these games, it is difficult to keep a balance in order that nobody feels separated or treated badly, yet the whole point of the game demands that someone is isolated.
As adults, we can play this type of game where we isolate others – yet as adults it is called something different, we call it ‘life’ or excuse the behaviour as acceptable ‘business practice’. As adults, the potential for fun is removed and as a result we can see that individuals can be hurt, discouraged and knocked down.
In truth, we should always seek to be inclusive, something that, in theory, we would all agree with – in practice though, things can appear very different.
content or context? January 26, 2012
Posted by thehutch in thoughts.Tags: content, context, control, leadership, style
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A great deal of time can be spent by leaders in an attempt to control the content of peoples daily work. Perhaps time would be better spent by shaping the context for our workers and allowing their creativity to determine the content. If, as leaders, we do a good job shaping the appropriate context and provide good boundaries, we may be surprised by what ensues.
job titles and our responses January 19, 2012
Posted by thehutch in personal, ponderings, thoughts.Tags: control, names, power, title
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Have you ever thought about the job title you possess and how others interact with it? Does the title we possess matter more to us than our own integrity, the way we live or how we behave? In conversation this week, I have heard various comments regarding titles and how the title conveys power or control to others and how we can use title, or ‘people of title’ to our benefit.
In youth ministry appointments, people may spend longer debating whether the job title should be ‘youth pastor’, ‘youth minister’, ‘youth worker’ or some other derivative. The conclusions usually relate to how people view the title rather than the role that needs to be fulfilled. When looking for speakers at events, we look for the ‘high powered’ or the ‘celebrity’ as they can provide an extra endorsement, in business we love the titles to demonstrate our impressive abilities – President, Vice-President of Operations, CEO, CFO, Director, Principal and so forth and so on.
Titles can be necessary and important but, in my opinion, we need to be careful that we do not hold these things in awe, rather in humility. The badge that we wear can easily be removed, the person that we truly are can never be taken from us. Are we people of integrity, working for truth, humility and justice? Or are we those that are seeking the best seat in the house, with the ‘best’ company? How do we view our own title? Certainly some questions that leave room to ponder.
surfs up November 29, 2011
Posted by thehutch in church, question, thoughts.Tags: advent, church, life, season, surf, wait, waiting, waves
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ever get one of those days when you are ready to surf but the waves are just not there?
It can be most frustrating….the waiting. That is the advent season…..a time of waiting.
Be patient, the waves will come!
not as many on twitter as we think! November 23, 2011
Posted by thehutch in thoughts.Tags: bacm11, gyktc, popularity, twitter, youth workers, youthwork, ywc11, yws11
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Being on twitter with lots of youthwork type folk and it feels as if lots of people are on twitter. However, last week, I was at a conference where there were over 50 attendees and no-one else tweeting from the 4 day event. Last night in Cambridge (see previous post) there were few ‘tweeters’ active in the 800 or so attendees. All this is a far cry from the plethora of folk at yws11 and ywc11 – to be honest, it was a surprise.
The truth is, there are not as many people on twitter as we think!
