Common Advertising Phrases that Mean Nothing
Common Advertising Phrases that Mean Nothing Have you ever noticed how many of the phrases commonly used to advertise products mean nothing? Many common advertising phrases are meant to evoke emotion and make us feel better about purchasing their product- but carry no actual meaning. Here are a few of the common phrases used in advertising. 7 Common Phrases Used in Advertising Products Premium 100% Gourmet Pure Quality Premier Fresh 3 Questions that Reveal the Issue with Advertising Phrases When determining the value of a phrase used on any product, consider the following 3 questions: 1. Compared to what? What ...
The Problem with Defining Leadership
The Problem with Defining Leadership Defining leadership is difficult. It's kind of like defining love, friendship, or goodness. And similarly, there are almost as many definitions as there are people you may ask. One major problem with defining leadership is the term can refer to a position or a person. The function of a person in charge of a group or company is typically called the leader. However, leadership also refers to the way in which a person oversees others. This second use of the word is what we're attempting to define. I've recently spent some time thinking through the ...
3 Reasons Church Leaders Don’t Start Great Volunteer Teams
Church Leaders and Volunteer Teams Great church leaders don’t always lead great volunteer teams. In fact, some hardly oversee any volunteer teams at all. These leaders may lead a team of temporary paid workers, or work nonstop making sure nothing falls through the cracks. I believe there are three main reasons church leaders don’t start and sustain great volunteer teams. Understanding these reasons can help unlock an army of volunteer talent your church may be missing. 3 Reasons Church Leaders Don’t Start Great Volunteer Teams 1. They don’t know how Has anyone ever taught you how to recruit, train, and ...
3 Secrets to Gathering a Group
Wondering Who's Coming to Your Meeting When it comes to gathering a group of volunteers- we've all been there. You're sitting at the coffee shop and check your watch one more time while keeping an eye on the door. There's five minutes left before your volunteer team meeting is supposed to begin. You suddenly worry that no one will show up or, possibly even worse, only one person will show up leading to awkward conversation. You look back through your emails and texts finding a few who said "I'll try to make it," and "I should be there," along with ...
The Difference Between Leadership and Management
Understanding Management and Leadership Management and leadership are different in multiple ways. Understanding these differences makes a huge difference in how a volunteer administrator leads their volunteer team. John Kotter suggests, “management is about coping with complexity,” while, “leadership is about coping with change” (1995, p. 115). The idea being that managers focus on organizing the functions of an organization in order to decrease complexity while leaders look forward toward the future, inciting necessary change along the way. Hersey, Blanchard, and Johnson believe management is often associated with the skills of “planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling,” while leadership is associated ...
Leading Volunteers Through Change
Volunteer Change Management Leading volunteers through change is not easy. Those offering their time and talents to an organization tend to get used to how things are done and may not like any suggested change. Those leading volunteers may fear rocking the boat, where a suggested change may encourage a volunteer to rethink the time they spend with your organization overall. Below are 4 questions you can ask when considering change. The first two questions come from a technique called force field analysis by Kurt Lewin. This technique assumes every leadership situation contains driving and restraining forces. Driving forces represent ...
Are Volunteer Administrators Leaders?
Volunteer Administrators Amazing individuals oversee volunteers across the country every day. They consistently and creatively contribute to organizational missions through community partnerships and volunteers. They may work full-time, part-time, or are even unpaid. But are volunteer administrators leaders? Is their role valued within organizations as a leadership role? Volunteer Manager Research One of the most interesting articles I've read on this topic was published in 2016 by Nesbit, Rimes, Christensen, and Brudney. They interviewed 34 volunteer administrators from 20 different locations within a large library system. Their investigation focused on how individuals overseeing volunteers within a library viewed their role. ...
Theology and the Mandalorian
I woke up this morning thinking about 2 things- Theology and the Mandalorian. Reading the headlines I think about theology quite a bit these days. As a Christian I often think about how followers of Jesus are often faced with two perspectives on popular topics and typically use their faith (and theology) to passionately choose one, believing the other is a lie from hell itself. It’s so easy to fall into this paradigm. And this is where the Mandalorian comes in. I wonder where I fit in. Maybe you do too. There are many ways we can describe our personal ...
Chatting with AT&T
Many companies have begun to use a chat option to connect with customers. I would hypothesize that this enables companies to utilize workers from all over the world without worrying about dialect complications. The other night I was chatting with our internet provider for what felt like the 20th time. I don't know what happened, but I decided to add a little levity- for my own sake. I'm not sure my new friend Mike picked up what I was laying down. It started with a bad dad joke. Mike seemed thankful for the opportunity to sit. It seems that not ...
Idealizing the Good Old Days
The Good Old Days I grew up in the quaint town of Jacobus, a borough of York, Pennsylvania. My summers were filled with riding bikes and climbing trees. I played tag in my friend Ben’s butcher shop, pretended to be a ghostbuster with my friend Matt and wondered how much it would hurt to pee on an electric fence with my friend Jay (when we weren’t building time machines). It’s easy to idealize the good old days. These memories seem simple, innocent, and bright compared to the complex world of gray hues I sometimes live in as an adult. However, the ...