Positivity is not taught—it is caught. You cannot develop a better atmosphere on your staff through coercion or pressure. You have to sow it, tend it, and allow it to grow naturally. As you set a consistent example, you will find positivity blooming everywhere.
Here are some suggestions for spreading positivity among your church staff.
1. Practice thankfulness.
Thankfulness is double-edged. It builds up the individual who is practicing it, and it helps others feel genuinely appreciated. Begin by scheduling five-minute thankfulness breaks in your day. These are moments when you think about what is going on and recognize some of the work and contributions you appreciate. Then send an email—or stop by that individual’s workspace, if possible—to say thanks and specifically name the work you are acknowledging.
2. Offer sincere compliments.
Mark Twain famously said,
“I can live on a good compliment two weeks with nothing else to eat.”¹
The impact of encouragement and positivity continues to be reinforced by research: Compliments activate the reward system in the brain. When people receive a compliment, it improves their productivity and even boosts their cognition.
Avoid complimenting anyone based on their appearance. Instead, focus on their character and actions, and be specific about what you appreciate. It can be as simple as, “I can see how much volunteers enjoy working with you because of your warm, lighthearted spirit,” “You bless our team by being such a good listener,” or “Thank you for how you follow through on the things you say you will do.” These kinds of compliments help make people feel visible and noticed.
3. Consider the power of your words.
The writer of Proverbs put it succinctly: “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” (25:11 ESV), and, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (18:21 ESV). What you say can build up or tear down in a heartbeat, so choose your words carefully.
Make a habit of using words that offer grace and build people up. In the words of Benjamin Franklin,
“Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”²
4. Be mindful of written communication.
You likely accomplish much of your staff communication through emails, messaging services, and texts. Remember that tone and intention can be misread in writing. So when you receive digital communication, give the sender the benefit of the doubt—if there are multiple ways to read the tone, choose the most generous. Similarly, when you are communicating with someone else, never shoot off a response out of frustration, and do your best to ensure that it reads in the mood you intend.
5. Encourage and foster relationships.
Teams mesh well in healthy cultures, but that does not happen by accident. Your staff needs to know each other well enough to be comfortable and open. You can do this through team-building exercises, service projects, and get-togethers outside work.
Another helpful idea is to take two people to lunch. Choose a couple of people who might not have a regular opportunity to interact and facilitate a conversation where they can get to know each other a little better.
6. Focus on your mission and values.
Trust and autonomy are key elements of any amazing work environment. But micromanaging people builds mistrust, destroys morale, and puts a lid on future growth. In the end, micromanagement is what you do when you do not have confidence in your team’s ability to make wise decisions.
When you consistently reinforce your mission and vision, you give your staff a rubric, which empowers them to make their own choices. This creates a culture where people are trusted to assess a situation, make decisions, and take responsibility for the outcome.
7. Monitor your reactions.
Working with leaders who wear their emotions on their sleeve can be demoralizing. Sometimes they are in an excellent mood and the atmosphere is great, but when they are frustrated or defensive, watch out. In a workplace like that, team members spend an inordinate amount of time trying to monitor the environment and ensure things run smoothly.
To sow positivity, it is imperative that you pay attention to your attitude and become mindful of the ways you respond to various stimuli. This is a challenging task—sometimes people are simply not aware of how they come across. Find some people you can trust to give you feedback on the ways you tend to react.
8. Prioritize flexibility.
Flexibility is an important consideration when people look for a job. They need a schedule that is accommodating. Spend some time thinking about how, when, and where people do their best work. As much as it is possible, offer people more control over their work time, location, and schedule.
If staff members’ ministry takes place on Sunday mornings, then obviously they need to be present on Sunday mornings. But throughout the week, maybe it is possible for people to work some days in places that makes more sense for them and their families.
You can create a positive environment.
It is not impossible to build an atmosphere that makes people look forward to coming to work. Find things each day to laugh about, and look for ways to show gratitude. Your staff will thrive when they feel appreciated, connected, seen, and trusted, and this will foster a positive workplace environment.
Let’s journey together.
You don’t need to do ministry alone. You can find opportunities to connect, plus more content and conversations about church administration, at XP Summit: xpsummit.org.
¹Mark Twain, Letter to Gertrude Natkin, March 2, 1906, https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/3d320b60-f44c-012f-30ec-58d385a7b928?canvasIndex=0.
²Benjamin Franklin, The Art of Virtue: Ben Franklin’s Formula for Successful Living (Skyhorse Publishing, 2012).
