Leading Well on the Last Lap

It's been a busy week at the church. 63 volunteers PAID to come out and spend a week on our campus to participate in several remodeling and upgrade projects. It's been an incredible experience, but yesterday afternoon, I noticed that the staff was getting a little weary.

This morning, I came in early and fired off an email of encouragement to them. I've included it below, so let it be an encouragement to you as well, as you prepare for your weekend services.

Just a quick word of encouragement to each of you regarding these closing hours of the Extreme Makeover Project:

As the project winds down, we can easily find ourselves assaulted with little details and we know we're going to have a lot of volunteers at the same time. If we're stressed by the details and not utilizing the volunteers well, this project can reflect poorly on us and may cause people to not volunteer again, plus, we won't be ready for Sunday.

So, here's my quick bullet list:

1. Make a list. Nothing becomes dynamic until it becomes specific.
Simply write out a to-do list.
2. Keep your energy high. Your followers will typically assume a lower energy level than you because you're the leader.
3. Encourage and thank people. Remember, they're not getting paid for this. In fact, they paid to do this! Thanks and praise from a pastor is a powerful motivator.
4. Think: What would Tim say? Seriously. Consider every speck of dust, misplaced scrap of wood, carpet stain, etc. Hundreds of "guests" will be visiting our "house" on Sunday and (judging from Wednesday PM) their expectations will be rather high.
5. Smile.
6. Find an excuse to throw a party.
7. Finish well. Even if you have to keep people late today and tomorrow, finish the job.

Thanks, and I love you guys so much!

Tim