I think everyone's day is improved by some mediocre humor, and I hope that many of you agree with me. ReverendFun.com is my favorite source of churchy puns, and you may be seeing a few more of them in the weeks to come.I suppose I could read into this cartoon something profound about appreciating all gifts brought to the gathering, etc. But really I just wanted you to smile. And to think about your staff meetings.
When the boss or head of staff calls a staff meeting, is the announcement met with a chorus of groaning? Is everyone stuck in the same pre-meeting routine? (Take your notebook to the meeting room; make a pit stop; grab a Diet Coke; take your seat.) Do you feel like you're talking about the same things every day/week/month?
Then maybe it's time for a change. And a change could take many forms. Maybe you need to have a lunch meeting instead of an after lunch meeting (yawn). Perhaps you could change the venue--even a different conference room could shift the mood enough.
Maybe it's time to change topics, time to look at those big issues that have been staring you down for months. If this is the case, then you might want to look into a staff retreat. In this case, "retreat" can mean many different things:
- Meeting in your office for a longer time, without email/phone distraction.
- Meeting at a different venue for a few hours to discuss regular business.
- Spending a day at or away from the office focusing on an underlying topic, such as communication or leadership.
- Taking two or more days to look both at the underlying issues mentioned above, and at a larger task or project, such as long-term planning.
For those smaller or shorter meetings, do some local research to see what kinds of venues might be available. You might be able to rent out the back room of a restaurant or a small meeting room at a hotel. Many public libraries have community classrooms available, although some of them might not let you bring in snacks (and we know how important that is to the brainstorming process). Ask local churches or civic groups with their own buildings.
Of course, for those larger or multi-day meetings, retreat and conference centers are ideal. After all, that's what we're here for. Montreat and many other conference centers often do day meetings as well (and can provide the Diet Coke), so don't be afraid to give us a call to explore the possibilities.
Mix it up. Think about throwing a long stick into your gathering of staff(s), and see how some variety can spice up your conversations.
Comments