I was stopped in mid-stride the other day to help solve and issue that was both web and IT related (at the same time apparently) and it reminded me of something I learned a long time ago in terms of hiring.
You see, there are essentially 2 types of employees that a church and ministry (and any organization actually) hire:
- Ministry professionals that are hired because of their gifting and skills with computers/technology.
- Ministry professionals that are hired for their gifts and skills that use computers to do their job successfully.
The former are a godsend because they essentially know what they are doing with their IT resources (laptops, computer, telephones, devices) and don’t cause as many problems. The latter create a lot of trouble tickets.
But, instead of complain about the chasm that seems to separate the two distinct groups I’ve come up with a simple mental system that I try to apply whenever there’s an issue:
- Listen – Listen to the person’s issue.
- Smile – Smiles make everything better.
- Teach – Teach them about the solution rather than just giving it.
- Fix – After teaching (and only after) them about the issue, solve the issue.
- Thanks – Thanks them and then give thanks to God that I have a job doing this type of stuff.
I’m not sure when or where I got this from but it was probably created in my head after I worked for a few places that did none of these, especially the “smile” part (IT grumps!).
The most important part is the teach portion as education can go a long way in being proactive to solve future problems; the hope is that they fix it themselves knowledgeably! Of course, it’s the most time-consuming part too.
Be encouraged and be thankful for the wide-variety of gifting that He’s provided in the church… and, to be quite honest, thank goodness everyone isn’t a computer whiz.
Stuart says
Teaching *is* important but personally I think smiling and genuinely so is far more important.
I purchased a new pair of trainers this morning and the girl servig me had a face like a ‘slapped dap’. The thing is she was (is) a very pretty girl and a smile would go a long way to make her customers day better and in return she’d get a better response from her customer.
Simple stuff really, I often wonder why we christians don’t get some of it 🙂
RevRod says
Wish I had read this just a few hours earlier. It’s a pretty well known belief around here that the height of my hair determines one’s approach on how to ask me for something. If my hair is high, it means that I’ve been running my hand from forehead upwards through my hair … and I’ve been doing that for awhile.
I’m forwarding your article to my staff and am going to stick a copy of it on my desk blotter. Good reminder. Thanks.
Jordan Wiseman says
This is a great post, John. I feel this way with presentation softwares and such, as well, when helping volunteers who don’t completely know what they’re doing. 🙂