You aren’t invited to meetings. You feel like people are going around you.
You are left out of major decisions and are pretty sure the Executive Pastor is actively ducking you.
Friday, November 02, 2018
6 Ways Church Techs Inadvertently Blow it with Leadership
You aren’t invited to meetings. You feel like people are going around you.
You are left out of major decisions and are pretty sure the Executive Pastor is actively ducking you.
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4 comments:
The title has church in it, but I believe this is an article about how to deal with any kind of leadership. When you don’t navigate carefully enough in any institution, it can slowly put you in a silo, like in churches. All five bullet points are valid advice about working with leadership, but number 4 ‘Not knowing how to deal in the hidden currency’ really got me thinking about what is the hidden currency in the organization I am in. The article gives examples of frugality, overseas mission, and going above and beyond. It also tells you to listen to the hero stories to find out the hidden currency. I have heard many stories in School of Drama about going above and beyond--students who sacrificed everything in their personal lives to deliver results and make the show happen are praised. This is something I have never actively thought about but I can already see that it’s going to be a valuable tool to evaluate the culture of the organization and to figure out how to put myself into the organization.
Much of this falls easily under the phrase, “check your ego at the door.” DB might say “don’t be an angry TD.” There are some good things worth pulling out, though, like the point about thinking tactically instead of missionally. Every so often (or perhaps more often than I think), a technician or designer will need to be reminded that the set, lights, audio, etc., are there to serve the show. It’s easy to get bogged down in the things that don’t ultimately matter, or to make decisions that work great technically, but don’t serve the show (or worse, interfere). As for “not knowing how to deal in the hidden currency,” I suppose I’d say that this article somewhat paints church techs as scheming/ladder climbing. There’s a lot directed at people who push their own agendas and pursue political capital. I’ve never worked in a church, and likely never will, but this has not been my experience of people in the entertainment world. Sure, there’s a certain amount of transactionality happening, but not to the degree that this article seems to be addressing within church tech. I’m curious.
I do not agree with this article. While someone working tech should be easy to work with, and not be egotistical, this article basically just tells lower level employees to allow themselves to be stepped on. It also encourages management to not communicate well with their employees. It also paints all church techs as ambitious ladder climbers instead of what they usually are, which is volunteers, giving their time to benefit a cause or their community. Also the idea of “hidden currency” is fundamentally flawed. One should not be forced to analyze every minute idea in order to get ahead even a little. Overall, I think that this article sends poor ideas when it comes empowering workers, allowing them to thrive, and working in a functioning environment. This article encourages a very dysfunctional work environment, which is good for no one. Neither the worker, nor the employer.
I agree with the people above who have expressed distaste for this article for a lot of reasons. I think the idea of not using your leadership positions to bring those below you is really indicative of the place or the larger organization that you work. I agree with Willie that this seems to me like it is a blown up picture of a very dysfunctional working environment. I believe so completely that if you are in a leadership position you have the responsibility to make sure you are including the people below you in what is going on. I hope that this article coming out changes the way that churches and other religious events look at the people who do their tech because they are a vital part of what the organization is preaching or selling.
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