From 'Overlooked' to 'Essential': Creating a Culture of Appreciation

Ever wonder what it takes to feel like you're truly part of a team, where your contributions are not just acknowledged but celebrated? That's exactly what we're unpacking in the Healthy Church Staff Podcast, where your host Todd Rhodes, co-founder of chemistrystaffing.com, delves into the transformative power of feeling valued in the workplace. We're drawing from our Healthy Church Staff Assessment to highlight strategies that can uplift and integrate every team member into the heart of their church's mission. Leaders and team members alike, get ready to transform your workplace dynamics into a realm where each individual is seen as the MVP they are.

This episode will leave you equipped with the tools and knowledge to foster a team culture rich in morale and productivity. We reveal how 72% of church staff members surveyed feel recognized and the practices that lead to such positive feedback. But it doesn't stop at the good news; we also tackle the challenges faced by the 15% who feel overlooked and the 13% teetering on the edge of dissatisfaction. Whether you're steering the ship or rowing alongside, this is your call to action to build a workplace where everyone's role is not only essential but also honored. So tune in, and let's create a church staff environment where everyone thrives.

Have questions or comments? Send to podcast@chemistrystaffing.com

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:07

Hey there, welcome to this episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. My name is Todd Rhodes. I'm one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffingcom. Today we're diving into a topic that really hits close to home for many, and that's feeling valued at work. It's one thing to be a part of a team, but it's another thing to feel like an indispensable part of the team, and that's what we're going to explore today.

Speaker 1: 0:32

Actually, this is part of our series, our multi-week series here on the Healthy Church Staff podcast, on church staff health. Last week we talked about communication. This week, all week, we've been talking about job satisfaction and some of the things that we learned from our Healthy Church Staff Assessment last year and some things that we're hoping to learn in the 2024 edition of that assessment. So if you've missed any of the series so far, please go back. Wherever you listen to podcasts, listen to those and I think you'll get up to speed very quickly. We're here every day, monday through Friday, with topics that interest you. Hopefully, they interest you as a church staff member. So today let's explore what makes staff members feel valued and how we can enhance that across the board. This whole series is about how do you take where you first of all, how do you identify where you are and as both an individual and as a team leader, and how do you improve that? How do you make it better? All right, so last year, on the Healthy Church Staff Assessment the 2023 edition we said this statement and asked for feedback whether the person responding was totally in agreement or totally disagreed. So here's the statement we asked them Very simple I feel like a valued part of the team. I feel like a valued part of the team. Let's kick things off with some good news. So, 72% of church staff we had over a thousand people take the assessment last year A good chunk 72% said yeah, I do, I feel valued and I feel considered, that I'm considered important in my role, and that's a solid majority 72% and it really does speak volumes about the health of our team cultures. In many churches Now some churches that 72% is much higher because you have a really healthy church staff. In some churches that 72% is much lower, so you need to find out exactly where your church staff is. But on average, about 72% of church staff people said, yeah, I feel valued and I consider that my role is important and that's great. However, it's not all celebratory right. 15% responded that they feel overlooked, they're dissatisfied in this area, and another 13% are on the fence, possibly waiting for a sign. Any sign? Please, god, give me a sign that says yes, we see you, you're valuable here.

Speaker 1: 2:59

So let's start with analyzing a little bit of the positive responses. Okay, so what are we doing with the 72%? How are they feeling? For those feeling the love, it's likely thanks to some internal things that leadership is doing, including maybe some recognition programs, maybe the style of communication they use, maybe it's the staff person feeling like they're being included in decision-making. All these things are really important. And when staff feel acknowledged, not just as workers, not just as a cog in the wheel, but as vital contributors, as co-workers and co-leaders and vital contributors, it really does boost morale and productivity. And that's what we found with the 72% of church staff that said that they did feel very valued. It's kind of being handed the MVP award. It just makes you want to keep playing the game with all of your heart. And that's what we heard from the 72% of the people that were.

Speaker 1: 3:57

But let's talk about those maybe that aren't in the 72%. First of all, those that are in the 15% that said that they feel more like background actors than leading stars, and really the question there, if you're in leadership or if you're one of these people is in this category. This is how you feel is like what's missing. If you're a leader, what's missing for them? And this is really if you're in leadership. This is a call to action really for leadership to step up. Maybe it's time to revamp some of the things you're doing. Maybe you need to make sure that you are giving positive feedback, and sometimes it's just the hey, you're doing a good job. Hey, we're glad you're part of the team.

Speaker 1: 4:39

Maybe it's making sure that everyone has a fair shot at leading projects. Maybe you take a chance on somebody that you think maybe is a little bit on the bubble and give them a shot at leading a major ministry or a new project and helping them to feel more and more a part of the team. It's really about making sure that nobody feels like they're just along for the ride. If they feel like they're just along for the ride, they're going to get dissatisfied and just not feel like they're a part of what's happening at your church. Okay, so those are the people that maybe are feeling undervalued. Okay, but let's talk about those that are in the neutral group and that was about 13% that are just stuck in that yeah, some days. Yeah, some days. No, perhaps they just need some more opportunities to shine, and that could be just maybe inviting them to give their opinion, maybe inviting them to steer some decisions, or even just making a big deal out of their daily wins of something that you see that they did really well. This is something that is missing in a lot of church cultures Just the pat on the back, the attaboy saying hey, good job on that, because saying hey, good job on that could be the difference, really, between an employee feeling okay, just okay, or feeling great, okay.

Speaker 1: 6:00

Part of what I'm hoping to encourage you to do through this series is recognizing that, wherever you are today, if you are in a very healthy place as a staff person or as a leader leading a staff, there's room to grow. If you're in an unhealthy place as a staff person or as a church leader over a staff, there's room to grow. How do you do that? It's really as simple as and I realize when I say it's simple it's not that simple, but it's making people feel like they're a valued part of the team. Maybe you do some team building activities. Maybe there's some leadership training or some empowerment that you can do with some of your staff members. Maybe it's just fostering a feedback culture, a feedback rich culture that can make everybody feel heard and appreciated. Maybe you've not done that at all, you know. Start with baby steps. That's fine, but make sure that you get input that people feel heard, they feel appreciated, and that's really the name of the game.

Speaker 1: 7:01

Matter of fact, here's what I would encourage you, if you are a leader of a staff, is first of all establish a really I say here in my notes a robust system. But at least establish a system, even if it's not robust initially, for recognizing and rewarding contributions. We don't as a whole in the church celebrate wins nearly as much as we used to, so consider ways just to, like I said, those pats on the backs to reward contributions and just say, hey, good job here, celebrate those wins, and maybe even consider a mentorship program. If you've got some people on your team that are just really striving to connect and be a part of the team, you can do so much as a leader to help them. But also sometimes you just need to maybe contact an outside coach or a mentor and we can help with this. If you need help, we've got people on our team that can come alongside maybe a worship pastor or a youth pastor that's struggling or somebody that you feel just could use a little bit of mentorship. We can do that. Just reach out to me anytime. I'd love to talk with you and find out what you need and see if we can help. You can reach out to me anytime. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom.

Speaker 1: 8:16

That's just one of the things that we offer here at Chemistry, but really, wrapping up, the goal really has to be every staff member should feel like they're a critical part of the team, and what happens is if people don't feel like they're a part of the team, they don't stick around, and the results of our survey show that many people do. They do feel a part of the team and good work you. And if you're one of those that feel a part of the team, how exciting and how great that can be to be a part of a team that's making a difference. But not everybody's there and there's still work to be done to make sure that everybody gets there. It's really about creating a culture where appreciation is as common as the morning coffee. We got to celebrate the wins, guys, and we need to make sure that people feel like they're a part of our team and they want to be a part of our team.

Speaker 1: 9:09

That's it for today. Thanks so much for tuning in. Hey, if you have not taken the 2024 Church Staff Health Assessment, I would please do that for me today. As a favor to me for listening to the podcast, you can go over to churchstaffassessmentcom. It's churchstaffassessmentcom. It's churchstaffassessmentcom. It doesn't cost you a dime or even a penny Even a penny. It's absolutely free. You'll get a free report. We'll ask you about 50 questions on communication and job satisfaction and compensation all different kinds of things. You'll get a report afterwards that will tell you how we think you're doing on a scale of 1 to 100 on how healthy you are as a church staff person and some ways that maybe you can move the needle and get a little bit better. So again, you can do that at churchstaffassessmentcom. Reach out to me anytime with any feedback as well on this podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. Thanks so much for listening. I appreciate each and every one of you that listens to the podcast. We'll talk to you again right here tomorrow.