Rescue Mission Blog

Your Christmas Crew

  

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When I was a young man I was taught that "you can't fly like an eagle when you are stuck with the turkeys".  That was my youth sports coach's way of telling me to find good friends, people who wanted to be and do something with their life, and not get caught up in the wrong crowd.

Often we think we "mature" out of cliques, but we really don't.  Everyone is influenced by their support and peer group and it's critically important to surround yourself with loving, encouraging, positive, growing, life-affirming people...ESPECIALLY at Christmas!

Somehow Christmas often becomes a dread because we allow ourselves to be surrounded by people who are negative, or a negative influence.  For those who are in drug and alcohol recovery, surrounding yourself with people who will affirm your new life is critically important at the holidays.  Yet even for those who have never struggled with that challenge, it remains the same.  Who gives you life? Who brings joy and laughter to you in a positive way?  Are there people who bring out the worst habits in you?  

At Christmas, give yourself the gift of a good friend.  Spend time with those who influence you to keep growing...and toward your better self.

Who is on your Christmas Crew?  Who do you love to spend time with? 

The goal of doing good

  

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The goal of every social service, whether governmental or private, ministry or secular, should be to help improve the life of another.

Don't just help someone with their job, help them with their life.

Don't just help someone find a home, help them with their family.

Don't just feed them a meal, give them something that will nourish them.

Don't give teach a class, inspire a desire to learn.

Don't just preach a lesson, inspire spiritual growth.

Don't just babysit kids, interact with them.

If the goal is to do a task, that will leave people with the root cause of their pain. If your goal is to make a lasting difference, you will help solve their most entrenched problems.

David Curry

What creates stress?

  

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People often don't mind challenges and obstacles, yet people say that change and problems cause them stress?  We know that people need to be challenged and that learning itself is about stretching ourselves beyond what we currently believe we are capable of achieving, yet people are so stressed out that it is hard to know when to push and when to pull back. 

What is the answer?

Here's a good formula to remember to help see what might be causing stress and to create environments where people can be challenged without getting overly stressed out: 

High Demands + Low Control = Stress

When we have the demands, but no way to control the outcome we get freaked out.  For some managers it may mean that you need to make sure that those who work for you have the authority to make decisions that will affect the outcomes.  For those affected in situations where you have no control, it may mean focusing on those things you can control.

The fact is that we can't control everything, some circumstances are outside of our reach, but we can control many things and the systems which we create.  

What are some ways we can alleviate stress so that we can be happier, healthier people?

David Curry

The land of forward motion

  

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A few months back I had the opportunity to hear Seth Godin talk on the subject of adaptation in business.  His book Linchpin is must reading for anyone trying to make themselves invaluable in this new era of work, industry, technology, and art.  One thing in particular, seemingly unrelated to the other subjects, stuck out to me and I've never been able to forget it.

While speaking on Silicon Valley, the tech epicenter of the world, and how that unique environment creates so many adaptable, cutting edge companies, he made this statement, "Silicon Valley is the land where forward motion is expected." 

Think for a moment on a statement like that, "the land where forward motion is expected." 

If we had to describe the work environment that you have created, how would we honestly describe that? Based on some of businesses and non-profit's I've seen over the years, here area few silly, but valid suggestions:

The land where...

1. ...People wait to be told what to do.

2. ...people tend not to notice.

3. ...people do as little as is necessary.

4. ...we set expectations low.

5. ...people don't notice clutter and dirt.

6. ...innovation goes to die.

7. ...nothing much happens.

8. ...grumpy people go to meet.

The reality is that people often have unstated evaluations of our "land", of the places and environments we work in.  These evaluations are judgments on the world that we have created by our habits, patterns, biases and attitudes.  If we don't like the land we have created, we can reshape it with those same tools.  The most engaged people are creating dynamic, positive, loving, encouraging workplaces by bringing a sense of mission and energy to all that they do. 

These kind of environments deal with problems when they arise, they don't ignore them.  They affirm the positive and address the negative, building a sense of momentum in getting problems and challenges resolved.  

What could be the description of your work environment? Of your life? What would you like it to be?  Once we determine where we are, and where we would like to go, we can set a course to get there.

This is the land of.....

David Curry

3 Ingredients for a Dynamic Culture

  

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Everyone wants a dynamic work culture, yet one that can inspire, challenge, influence and delivery results consistently is surprisingly rare.  In my estimation, it's largely due to a lack of understanding of what makes a culture.  It's not being clever, having out-going people, or being cutting edge.  It's a mixture of just a few key ingredients, and regular nurturing.

1. Attitude. Hire for attitude and train skills. A dynamic culture demands people who want to love, influence and make a difference. They can be different personality types, have different work styles, and bring various strengths to the table, but in my opinion, they must have a positive attitude.

2. Environment. Let's face it, your surroundings matter. They can be a distraction or they can help you to focus.  Make sure that every environmental consideration is cultivated. What's on the walls? What is the first thing people see when they come in the space? Is it cluttered? Is it too empty? Is it inspiring? Is it depressing? Is it formless? Is it too cold? Most people never take the time to access the importance of environment on your work culture, especially in non-profit work. It's critically important.

3. Energy.  A dynamic culture requires that something spark movement. You can't have an exciting culture if there isn't any power, passion, youth, critical forces, or risk involved. Fortunately for most non-profits, the critical forces are there. Unfortunately, some organizations and individuals are sleep walking through their jobs; and turning their passions into quasi-governmental, social service jobs.  Boring. if your job is critical, then it's critical. If it's not, move along.

These are my top three. do you have any to add to my list? Any challenges to my theory?

David Curry.

How to Learn, Unlearn, ReLearn

  

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"The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn." —Alvin Toffler

It's not that we don't know anything, it's that we sometimes don't know enough, other times we know the wrong things, and other times we learn something after we've been tested on it.  To reach our capacity to love, influence, lead and serve we need to be learners.  

Being a learner takes a few critical characteristics, all which can be cultivated through spiritual growth.

1. Humility. You and I don't know all the answers. Even the best of us is only great in only a few areas, and even those areas of expertise we have already attained, there is much we are ignorant of.  Be smart enough to know you've got a lot to learn.

2. Curiousity.  Developing a sense of wonder and interest in others, how they think, feel and live is a great way to learn ahead of the curve.  You'll always be learning if you're a curious person.

3. Study. Most of us learn better through life experiences and everyday interactions, but sometimes you have to go deep. I regularly read, listen to audio books, watch videos, seek out experts to chat with, go to classes & speeches, attend church weekly and more - in order to get the education I need to live a happy, God-honoring life.

What are some other things we can do to develop the ability to Learn, Re-learn, and Un-learn?

David Curry

Rewards of Being Green

  

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There are many intangible benefits to doing the right thing environmentally.  You get the satisfaction of knowing you're making the world a little cleaner, a bit more sustainable, that you're being considerate of future generations.  But sometimes it's a little more difficult to make a connection to the tangible benefits of being green.  

That's why the Rescue Mission is launching a new initiative within our own walls to find ways to reward others for Being Green.  

To Help Make it Fun and Rewarding, we are offering FREE KINDLES to the work group, what we're calling a GREEN TEAM, that comes up with the best, most cost-effective idea on how the Rescue Mission can save environmental resources like energy, water, or reduce garbage.

WATCH fun video to give you and your group a few ideas on the little ways that we can make a big difference in saving resources and the environment at the same time.

We're all about making the most of every resource we have here at the Rescue Mission, every dollar and every kilowatt, to make sure that we are helping as many people as we can.

David Curry