I’m sure many people today wish that they were full-time employees over at Apple… Steve Jobs announced yesterday that they were giving all full-time employees free iPhones. How’s that for treating your employees well!!
I’ve been thinking about this in light of the church and staff. I have a little document I keep in case of the traumatic event God would want me to be a lead pastor where I put things I think should be done, and this action by Jobs got me thinking about adding another line item.
Over on John Moore’s blog, Brand Autopsy, he had some great thoughts today about the Apple iPhone giveaway that I think we could lift some ideas from:
- I am a huge proponent of companies spending marketing money on employees. It’s simple. Astonish employees and they will, in turn, astonish customers.
- Giving every full-time employee a $600 (retail value) iPhone is an astonishing act that will only help to feed the already vibrant evangelical corporate culture within Apple.
- At Starbucks, we would also spend marketing money on employees. We knew if we could get Baristas jazzed, they would get customers jazzed.
- I applaud Apple for taking a strong financial stance in showing how much they appreciate employees by giving them a super-spendy iPhone. That says a lot!
I think these are some great thoughts, John. And it brings me to some strong comparison regarding the men and women that give their lives to serve in ministry.
- If I’m ever a lead pastor, I hope I place a high value on paying my staff well (our pastor here does).
- Lead Pastors, you need to see your staff as your primary investment outside of your family. These are the men and women that are walking out the Gospel every day under your helm.
- If you’re not jazzed, don’t expect your staff to be jazzed. I’m not saying you have to be spaz personality, but you need to be excitement. People respond to passion and excitement far more than kicking their tails and “whipping them into shape”.
- You need to look at your staff for who they are as a person and for how they are uniquely wired AS MUCH as you look at the product of what they do. I mean don’t just look at your music guy as the guy you need to get through 4 songs and prep some creative stuff here and there, see him WHOLISTICALLY as an asset to the Kingdom. Know what’s going on in his life. Know his wife. Know his kid’s and his dog’s names. (now if you’re the pastor of a church with a very large staff, obviously I’m not saying know everyone that well, but definitely your inner circle.
- If you create an environment where you are celebrating what God is doing through your staff, people will stay. People will not want to leave, they will want to stay and walk this thing out long term.
- Your staff needs to know that you are their biggest fan, that you support them and are willing to go to bat to give them the tools they need to succeed at what you asked them to do.
- Astonish your staff, model the goodness and abundance of God, and they will model the same all the way down to the last person through the door on Sunday, the last person given food and clothing throughout the week, etc.
Steve Jobs rocked his employee’s world yesterday when he gave them free phones. I’m not saying we need to give our staff and volunteers free iPhones (although that would be freakin cool!!). I’m saying they need to know we care, that they are more than just someone who performs a service for us, but they are appreciated and celebrated. I’m preaching to myself here. I need to do a better job of this, but dream of a time when the staff and volunteers under my area feel that way with no doubts about where I stand. And if I’m ever a lead pastor, I hope I remember to open that little document and lavish it on my staff.
Man, I’d really like an iPhone…
Larry Boatright's Blog 
