Creating Policy is More Fun Than It Sounds
By Jon Nicol
A few posts back I explained why I'm giving in to creating a policy and procedure handbook for my worship team. Much of it came out of my work with Creating a Culture of Preparation seminar and other related writings.
I realized that I can't just say "arrive on time and come prepared." There needs to be something to measure against -- a standard to hold others (and myself) to. Enter "the handbook."
As I mentioned in the "giving in" post, I'm working on this manuel piece by piece. I've recently completed this section on preparation and am in the process of finalizing it as "policy" with the team. Here's the steps the I've taken in writing this:
- I wrote a first draft and submitted to leaders on the team for their opinions and questions.
- I rewrote another draft, cleaned it up and mailed it along with a brief letter of explanation.
Don't discount the power of snail mail. Email is cheap and easily ignored. A real stamp and envelope say this is important enough use postage, paper and time.
- The letter invited feedback via phone, email or meeting in person. I got some feedback, but not much.
- I sent a follow-up email (with the policy draft attached) stating we were going to adopt this soon and invited any last minute feedback.
- Currently, I'm in the process of discussing this at rehearsals for the next month or so. I'm using the first 10 minutes or so to hit the highlights and invite any concerns, opinions or questions.
- Once that's done, I'll ask my team to commit to this by signing off.
Can I be honest? A few years ago I would've rather gouged my eyes out with a Wookie action figure than walk through a process this slow and deliberate.
But I've learned that a team doesn't latch on to new ideas just because the leader writes them on a piece of paper. Buy-in takes time and the investment of inviting feedback - good or bad. Andy Stanley says this well, "People will buy-in if they have a chance to weigh-in."
So take a look at my soon-to-be-adopted team policy. It's as is and I also included the letter I sent to the team. You're welcome to use it for inspiration or outright rip it off.
But I've gotta tell you - doing the work of writing it for YOUR ministry is worth it. If you borrow someone elses, it will never ring true for you, or your team. Trust me, I know. I've done my share of ripping off other ministries' materials in the past.
Download or view Heartland's Preparation Policy.
I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences with this kind of stuff. If you'd like to share your policy, let me know. We'll make that happen.
post image: stock.xchng
March 27, 2012
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