Administrative Team Meeting

My afternoon was filled with administrative team meetings. I am not a big fan of meetings – sometimes it takes hours of discussion to end up with just a few minutes on paper. Often the agenda is filled with administriva and action items that fail to lead to any action at all. One of my mentors challenged me to always approach a meeting with preparation; be sure to get rid of your “stinking thinking” and be ready with your “A-game.” I sometimes fall short of my mentor's exhortations and he would probably be disappointed in my lack of effective “meetingology.”

Today's meeting was a little different. Beside having some Christmas goodies to snarf during the times of discussion, there was a good attitude of collaboration and team spirit. It hit me today, how fortunate I am to serve in a Christian organization. Not only did we start our meeting with a devotional thought from God's word, but as we shared about the good things of the school, several administrators communicated, with tears in their eyes, about a recent elementary Christmas program where a special needs student was so lovingly supported by his teacher and fellow classmate. Half way through devotions, the Superintendent was called out for a conference call concerning the difficult financial situation facing the school system – the rest of us paused and prayed for the phone call and the critical needs facing our organization. What a great place to work!

It was somewhere in the middle of the meeting that I realized, in a fresh new way, that I am so happy to be in the midst of kindred spirits that, even though we do not always agree with one another, have the shared desire to minister to kids and their families. The politics that often exists in organizations does not seem to be a major issue within our team. Part of the devotions of the day focused on the humility of Jesus and our goal of reflecting that humility in our lives as leaders. As I looked around the table at the other 14 members of the team, I saw the faces of very talented and very humble people. I saw friends and colleagues that support and encourage one another. What a great place to work!

I can't say that attending meetings is one of my favorite parts of my job; I can't say that I look forward to the next opportunity of spending hours around the table of administrative discussions; but I can say that my attitude is a key to appreciating the experience. As a wise professor of mine once said, “Get a check up from the neck up!” I believe that it is my mindset and my heart's attitude that determines my effectiveness in the setting of a team meeting.