The Called to Flourish Podcast

Is your organization facing a major leadership change on the horizon? How can you create a healthy transition at the CEO level? And how might having a flourishing culture help in the process? Today's guest is Vince Burens , the new President and CEO of the  Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO) , one of the most respected organizations involved in student ministry on university campuses. Over thi...

You only have one chance to make a good first impression. And nowhere is that more true and relevant than in onboarding new employees. Research has proven that an employee's first impression of an organization has a significant impact on their future engagement and commitment to that organization. In addition, it's important to the organization's performance to get new hires up to speed in their j...

Have you ever had a conflict with another person in your organization? Well of course; we all have. But how can a leader effectively manage conflict? We have found it is  especially difficult in Christian organizations because people are so often afraid to face conflict directly. So today, let's talk about key ways to look at conflict. To help us address this topic, we're talking with our very own...

In this episode, Al has the great pleasure of talking with longtime friend, colleague and board and leadership consultant  John Pearson . Join us for this fun and far-reaching conversation that covers everything from great leadership books, to board governance best practices, and even how to infuse fun (or as John likes to call it, "hoopla") into your workplace culture. John's fingerprints are all...

Every once in a while, we run across a leader who has helped create such a remarkably flourishing culture, that we have to ask, "How did your people pull it off? How did you do it?"  Our guest today is  Paul MacDonald , Headmaster of  Crossings Christian School in Oklahoma City. He's worked incredibly hard to diagnose and improve the organizational health of the school he runs. As a result, the sc...

How can you transform a workplace culture from healthy to flourishing in the course of just one year—and experience organizational growth at the same time? Today, we'll hear some practical tips from a leader who's had his hand on the culture levers at his church with over 100 staff. We have the pleasure of visiting with Jeff Abshire , Executive Pastor and Elder at Antioch Community Church in Waco,...

One of the top drivers of organizational success is the quality of your employees. But how do you attract and select outstanding talent that will be successful in your organization? Wouldn't it be great if we could predict hiring success?  Today we are going to address this very topic with Chad Carter , the chief human resources officer at The Gideons International . For the past five years, Chad...

There is little question about the significant influence Willow Creek Community Church has had on leadership development in the Christian world. A key to Willow Creek's healthy, flourishing culture has been developing outstanding talent. How do they do it? The answer just might benefit your organization. Today, Tara VanderSande , Willows' Staff Development Director, will give us the inside scoop o...

Jesus calls us to be all about love.  But how do we practically live this out in our workplaces – in what we believe about others, how we treat others, who we hire, and so on? In January 2014,  Cherry Hills Community Church faced the reality of a weakened and toxic staff culture. How did they go from siloed teams, low trust and suspicion of motives among staff members to a "flourishing culture" in...

How can you make significant changes in your workplace culture? Action planning and follow up is one key element. One action planning strategy is to designate individuals – called Engagement Champions – who can take ownership for your culture at the departmental level. This is where the rubber really meets the road if you're serious about building a healthy, flourishing culture. But not too seriou...

"It's great to work in your area of passion, but it can become toxic if you don't have some boundaries." These are the words of today's guest,  Dave Ferguson , the Lead Pastor of Community Christian Church , with 10 locations across the Chicagoland area. Often ministry staff are deeply passionate about their organization's mission, and they're willing to work so hard toward it that life can someti...

If you were a new leader in an organization, what would be an important first step to create a healthier culture? Today's guest started with creating core values to take his church's culture to the next level. Join us for a conversation with Doug Sauder , the Lead Pastor of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale . Doug found himself in this role after a surprise transition and was faced with multiple chal...

Transforming the workplace culture of a Christian ministry is a challenging proposition. Our guest today knows this for a fact, because he's been a key part of transforming the employee culture of one of the largest, best known churches in the world. Listen in on this conversation with Colby Burke, the director of human resources at Willow Creek Community Church . Find the full show notes at  http...

Why does having a healthy staff culture matter? Is it really worth the effort? Does it ultimately impact your organization's performance? Today's guest has a fascinating response to this question. Today we have the pleasure of visiting with Gary Schwammlein , who is President and CEO of the Willow Creek Association  – known for helping Christians grow their leadership to maximize Kingdom impact th...

How can you make sure your entire team is aligned around the same goals and working toward your mission and vision? And why is this important for your workplace culture? Today we're talking with Roland Warren , the President and CEO of Care Net , based in Lansdowne, Virginia, which provides services for more than 1,100 affiliated pregnancy centers across the country. In the past 4 years, Roland ha...

How does a church that has a very healthy staff culture go about making it even better? There is nothing normal about Eastview Christian Church other than it's in . . . Normal, Illinois! As a growing church with nearly 90 staff, Eastview reached a tipping point where they realized their human resources efforts needed to move from a committee to a strategic department within their staff. Here to te...

How can clearly defining your church's distinct culture both transform your team and increase your ministry impact? That's exactly what happened with the 120-employee staff at Central Christian Church in Mesa, Arizona. With us today is the best person who can tell this amazing story: Kelly O'Donnell has a dual role as Executive Director of the Connect Ministry and Human Resources. Find the full sh...

What can leaders learn from "the greatest leadership role model of all time"?  Our guest today not only coined that phrase, but is also best known as one of the most influential leadership experts in the world. Today we have the pleasure of talking with Ken Blanchard . Ken's writing career includes over 60 books, including The One Minute Manager , which has sold over 13 million copies. Many of us...

What are the secrets of leaders who continue to have significant influence over long periods of time, where age doesn't seem to slow them down or see their influence diminish? Today, we're talking to just such a leader: Jerry White , president emeritus of The Navigators . He doesn't disappoint in offering sage advice for Christian leaders at any stage. With his Ph. D. in astronautics, Jerry served...

One of the most remarkable cultural transformations we've seen comes from one of the oldest and most revered Chrisitan ministries. In the past 6 years,  Craig Warner , Executive Director of The Gideons International , has moved their workplace culture from toxic to one that's very healthy. Today, we're going to learn about a few of the steps they took to accomplish this remarkable feat. Starting i...

How can leaders build a culture of trust and open communication? Today, it's our pleasure to welcome Bob Lonac , President and Chief Executive Officer of CRISTA . The number one strength CRISTA scored on the BCWI Employee Engagement Survey is trust. And right there with trust, CRISTA is also very strong when it comes to healthy communication. CRISTA is a large group of seven thriving and distincti...

Imagine, for a moment, if you could significantly improve the health of your workplace culture over this coming year and see the growing satisfaction, camaraderie and productivity of your people. Today, you're going to meet a leader who's has done just that – significantly improve the health of his workplace culture over the course of one year. Today we have the pleasure of visiting with Scott Eva...

Have you ever wondered if there's a strategic planning process that's effective, yet doesn't take months to develop? Today, we're talking with an innovator behind a proven strategic planning process that's immediately functional and operational—and that works for both organizations and churches. Here to tell us all about it is  Greg Hawkins , Minister of Ministry Development at Oak Hills Church in...

Changing your workplace culture can be a daunting task. Leaders often wonder where to start. Which areas or initiatives should you focus on to have the greatest impact? On today's podcast, we're going look into our research to highlight the top four culture drivers that have the power to accelerate the health of your culture and effectiveness of your organization. We'll look at why these four key...

What is the primary driver that differentiates a flourishing Christian workplace from others? In our research, we have found that  Inspirational Leadership  is the most important factor in creating a healthy culture. Inspirational Leadership is nothing less than the presence of Christ, living in and directing a leader to influence an organization, including its culture, to bring about a part of Go...