Quality People

This weekend we say goodbye to three quality staff team members at The Belfrey: Becky Tyndall. And Tom & Charlotte Clark.

Becky has worked as my Assistant for nearly three years and has been brilliant. Bright and personable, she’s been dedicated, understanding and caring. We’ve got to know each other well. She’s seen me when I’m jolly and when I’m frustrated; when I’m animated and when I’m tired; when I’m decisive and when I procrastinate. Work closely with someone and you get to know them well. And she’s been fantastic. I know she and her husband Sam have a fine future ahead and it’s good that she’s now able to give herself to dedicated study of her MA.

Tom & Charlotte are a wonderful young couple. Warm-hearted and personable they’ll be missed in their respective role as Youth Worker and G2 Families Worker. They’ve been great at getting alongside people – especially young people – and supporting and encouraging them. They are trustworthy, loyal and fun-loving. Moving to London, Tom has a great new job working with Youth Alpha in London and together they have a great future ahead of them.

Becky, Tom and Charlotte will be missed on the staff team. And rightly so. But as they seize new opportunities so they leave gaps for others to fill. And that’s good. And as we look to bring in new people, I find Bill Hybels’ 4 staff qualities really helpful. He says – hire for character, competency, chemistry and culture.

Character
That’s the main thing to look for. Someone who’s a person of substance – full of grace and love. Someone who’s honest, kind, hard-working and trustworthy.

Competence
They need to be able to do the job! This is really important – but actually secondary to character. They need skills and ability. And to be trained to keep improving.

Chemistry
This is harder to nail down, but it’s about getting on. Do you click? Do you fancy working closely with this person? Are they a good fit for the team? Do you get on?

Culture
Probably the most under-rated quality, they need to share the vision and ‘get’ what you’re trying to do and how you do it. This is more than personal chemistry. It’s about appreciating the culture of the organisation. Which is why the right person might already be among you.

These four qualities can be applied to any organisation: eg. a business, school, charity or church. They help us set the bar high, which is important. Especially in church where, of all organisations, we should be praying and expecting God to bring us great people. People like Becky and Tom and Charlotte.

These four staff qualities are good reminders to us all that we should be giving our best in the work we do. They remind me that I need to keep growing in these areas. They cause me to ask myself:
– Am I growing in character?
– Am I developing in competency?
– Am I getting to know the others around me, so the chemistry is good?
– Do I appreciate the work-culture and am I positively influencing it?

Organisations change and develop and grow. And we shouldn’t be threatened by that. New challenges are opportunities come along all the time. When they do, don’t be afraid to aim high. In your community … in your work-place … in your church … work and pray for the right staff. And let’s value quality people.