Walking into the office on his first day George was met with two very valuable surprises. The first was a phone message from a local doctor saying she wanted to somehow be involved in the organization not knowing in what capacity a non-medical facility could use a medical doctor. The second was a business card that was given to him by the organization’s client services director, Val. She had heard this man speak at a conference from which she had recently returned and thought that he may be someone that could be helpful. His name was Bob. As George read the card he realized that he knew this man. Coincidentally, eight years earlier his wife had once worked for Bob in a CPC in the southeast as a counselor coordinator.
Wasting no time George made the call. “Hi, Bob? You may not remember me but my name is George Knight. My wife . . . .”
With that Bob interrupted saying, “Oh, yes, George, how is your wife, Linda? I really appreciated her servant’s heart. We miss her around here.”
Surprised by the immediate and warm reception of this most certainly very busy man, Bob asked George to explain the events that led to his being hired as the Executive Director of a CPC in the northeast. George described how after finishing their master’s degrees in Chicago they moved to Florida so that he could take a position as the pastor of a small church north of Tampa. George describes, “Bob, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. The church was fraught with issues including moral ones that needed to be addressed. When I attempted to address some of those issues, the people that held most of the influence pushed back telling me to leave things alone. Finally, it became clear to me that at the next church business meeting I would have to make a decision about my tenure there. One of the hot button issues was going to be decided upon and if the church voted the wrong way I would have to choose to either stay and look the other way knowing that something was gravely wrong or take a stand and ultimately resign my position. The church business meeting was scheduled for the next Wednesday. That Monday, just two days before, I received a call from the interim executive saying that the board of Crisis Pregnancy Services had received and reviewed my resume wondered if I was available for a conference call interview that same day. In describing the situation to the interim executive saying that my preference was to remain as pastor bBut if the situation did not change I could not in good conscience do so. We both agreed that a board interview would not hurt anything. To make a long story short the board unanimously decided to extend an offer to me that evening should God free me from my current situation. Two and a half weeks later we had moved.
With that Bob exclaimed, “George, welcome to the club. How can I help you?”
“Well, here we are in a medium size town with a small operation. Furthermore, I know virtually nothing about running a pregnancy center. What do you think is the first thing I should do?” asked George.
“First let me take a minute and applaud the fact that you are seeking wisdom. In the Bible the book of Proverbs 4:7 says, ‘The beginning of wisdom is: Acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding.’ George, to me the fact that we are even having a conversation says that you are off to a great start. Keep seeking understanding about what it is you should do and you will be rewarded. Never stop seeking wisdom because you will never have enough. The world continues to change around us and the understanding you had yesterday will not be enough to handle tomorrow.”
“Thank you for your encouraging words, Bob. But you know, I truly feel at a loss as to where to even begin.”
“Well,” began Bob, “your staff are key to your organization’s success and there are two things you must never fail to do for them; a) provide them with the resources they need to do their jobs and b) provide them with clear direction. You can start by spending a little money on showing them how much you appreciate them. Do you have any money in the bank?”
“A little.”
“If your organization is anything like the other organizations I’ve seen in the past the staff does not get paid very much. So do whatever you can to thank them for their dedicated service. It is they who will be accomplishing the mission. Give them bonuses, buy Christmas gifts, and take them out to lunch. Do as much as you can within reason to show them you really appreciate the sacrifices they have made for the organization. It will be worth every penny in the moral boost you will gain from it.”
“O.K.,” George scribbled down another note on a piece of paper a little reticent about spending the precious dollars he new they would need in the not-so-distant future. “What next?” asked George.
“Then,” said Bob, “you need to start digging. If you are going to provide direction for your staff you need to know more about what it will take to get where you want to go. Do your homework about what it will take to add a medical service to your operation in your State. It would be good to locate a doctor that would be willing to work with you.” George smiled at the note on his desk from the doctor offering to volunteer. “Other than that, just settle in and start to get to know some of your donors. You’ll need money pretty soon in order to sustain a more professional service like medical care.”
After a few more miscellaneous questions the conversation ended with Bob expressing confidence in George’s ability to accomplish the lofty task of moving toward a medical model of service leaving the door open for George to call again any time. George new that the wisdom he had just received was solid gold and he wanted more. He looked down at his notes after he hung up the phone and reviewed what he wrote.
See the post next week for Executive application of Wisdom virtue for a linear service model or click HERE to go to the CompassCare Training website for a suggested reading list.
