How You View Volunteers Determines How You Lead Them
How you view volunteers will determine how you lead them. In 1957 Douglas McGregor spoke at a conference about two different types of employee motivation. He hypothesized that worker motivation could be broken into two broad categories: Theory X and Theory Y. Those associated with X believe workers are generally lazy, selfish, and difficult to motivate. Those associated with Y believe workers want to work and can be self-directed if properly motivated. When it comes to leading volunteers, how do you generally view people? Do you believe they're lazy and aren't interested in serving (Theory x)? Or do you believe ...
Exercise Room Closed Due to Wall Hole at Thorne Inc.
A mysterious wall hole has temporarily impeded exercise at Thorne Inc. Management is currently taking steps to rectify this situation. A recent memo from management addressed mysterious hole situation directly. The Butt-shaped Hole Signs had to be put in place during repairs Signs to keep employees off exercise equipment during repairs Thorne Inc. would like thank employees in advance for their cooperation during repairs and ask in the future they keep their butt under control during all exercise.
Living Life to the Full
My junior year of college was amazing in many ways. I lived in a great dorm with incredible friends. It felt like I was hitting the peak of the college experience. But, there was one area I was falling behind: dating. All of my close friends were dating. I don’t say that to be dramatic. Literally every one of my close friends was in a serious relationship for most of the year- except me. As evidence, here are a few snippets of my journal that year: 4.4.02 I think I am literally the last single junior guy. I can’t think ...
3 Essential Leader Types for a Great Team
It Takes a Team There’s something about leadership teams. Whether in cartoons, sports, or in real life, we somehow instinctively get that we need the various gifts and strengths of others to succeed as a leader. It may be easy to understand this need as an essential concept, but it’s a lot harder to think through in real life. In real life we get annoyed that more people don’t think like we do. In real life we are naturally attracted to those who get what needs to be done organizationally in the same way we do. In real life we ...
Why Can’t Everyone Lead Like You
Law of the Hammer Have you ever noticed how easy it is to view your leadership style as superior to others? If you lead with your gut and make quick decisions, it’s difficult when others take their time. But, on the other hand if you lean towards facts and figures, it’s frustrating when those around you want to move quickly before having all the pertinent information. We sometimes struggle with those with a different leadership style than our own. There’s a good reason for this. In the 1960’s, famed Psychologist Abraham Maslov saw a pattern of behavior in humans he ...
The Easter Candy Contract
It's been a good year for employees at Thorne Inc. This Easter employees enjoyed a sizable "Easter bonus". Two Thorne Inc. employees decided they wanted to pool all their candy into one large pile, in order to better benefit from their bounty. Management did not think this was a very good idea. The potential threat of future employee conflict was too great. Soon sides were taken and a peaceful resolution seemed all but impossible. But, then something happened. All parties began etching out the framework of what would soon become known as, "The Easter Candy Contract". The paper went through ...
Thorne Inc. on Employee Creativity
Recently an employee of Thorne Inc. decided typical places to express creativity were not sufficient. So, the following memo had to be issued to all employees in hopes of deterring future inappropriate creative expression. Here's what caused the necessity of the memo to be written and distributed amongst employees: An important lesson was learned by all. Management learned to hide all permanent markers. Employees learned how to use a magic eraser. Soon, certain employees will also learn how to paint. To catch up on the story of "Thorne Inc." check out the following posts: https://davidthorne.online/what-is-thorne-inc-from-my-weird-family-to-yours-part-1-3/ https://davidthorne.online/what-is-thorne-inc-from-my-weird-family-to-yours-part-2/
When You’ve Known Your Kids Longer than You Knew Your Dad
Yesterday, I watched my two oldest children walk towards their last day in third and first grade. To them it was just another last day of school as they excitedly told me they were, "smart, talented, good-looking and loved," which they do every morning before scurrying off to school like squirrels chasing the wind. But, for me, this day was different. Yesterday was May 25th, the anniversary of the day my dad died in 1990. Although I'm vaguely aware of this date every year, it holds a special significance this time around. The reason being that, as of this morning, I've ...
How Dropping Your Phone in the Toilet Makes You Reconsider Priorities
Yesterday, my wife had a great day. We've been working on our health as a family and I bought her a Fitbit. But, where there were rays of sunshine spilling into the windows of her life, there seemed to be a small grey rain cloud following me. My middle son had an indoor soccer tournament on Saturday, so I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about soccer. Having trouble sleeping, I decided to head downstairs to think. So, I grabbed my glasses and phone and went to the bathroom......and promptly dropped my phone in the toilet! I ...
The Spiritual Discipline of Chaos pt. 2
I've thought a lot about successful spiritual formation in the midst of of surviving parenthood. Last week I acknowledged the value of escaping to some far-off mountain to be with God, but immediately recoil at the very thought of fitting long periods of quiet into my often chaotic life. You can catch up on the first part of the post HERE. But, then I take a look at the life of Jesus. Would anyone dare describe his life by using words like tranquil, quiet, silent, or solitude? In the book of Mark, one of the first items on Jesus’ ministry agenda ...