Lessons from Starbucks

Last year I read Howard Schultz's inspirational book "Pour your heart into it" and was inspired by the way he kept the core values within Starbucks.

Recently as part of my work with

http://www.genesistcc.co.uk

I have been working with a couple of clients regarding Culture and Values within their organisations and once again the example of Starbucks has come up. Reading their corporate values I was challenged about how these could be applied to our Church:

1) BE WELCOMING. Offer everyone a sense of belonging.
2) BE GENUINE. Connect, discover, respond.
3) BE KNOWLEDGEABLE. Love what you do. Share it with others.
4) BE CONSIDERATE. Take care of yourself, each other, and your environment.
5) BE INVOLVED. In the store, in the company, in your community.

Now that wouldn't be a bad start for most churches, would it?

PS - if you want me to do some culture or values stuff in your company, then e-mail me at: enquiries@genesistcc.co.uk or goto the contact page on the website:

Understanding self...

http://www.genesistcc.co.uk

As you all know by now, the new company is up and running and I've got a reasonable amount of work on (enough to pay the mortgage - not enough to think about retiring yet!).

One of the strings to my bow is that I am licensed practitioner of the Insights Discovery profiling system. This is a fascinating system that by some clever piece of software produces a remarkably accurate personal profile from just a few choices of words that you are given on an online form.

The first purpose of this is to understand ourselves, and as I reflect on some of the statements, I am constantly challenged by the difference between who I am and who I need to be both in work and in my social and church life.

For example - my strengths (from my profile) include the following:

+ Draws people together.
+ Forward looking, quick thinker.
+ Displays high levels of energy.
+ Outgoing and direct.
+ Frank, honest and straightforward leader.
+ Ingenious thinker with a great ability in long range planning.
+ Sees the positive in every situation.
+ Constantly strives to make improvements.
+ Constantly juggling a large number of projects.
+ Competitive and wants to win at all costs.

However my weaknesses include:

- His need for variety may leave some tasks incomplete.
- May step on the toes of others to achieve objectives.
- May ignore the practicalities.
- Judges strangers on first impressions.
- High sense of urgency can create stress for others.
- Generates so many ideas that chaos often ensues.
- Avoids showing his true feelings.
- His confidence can sometimes be interpreted as arrogance.
- Tends to be perceived as arrogant in stressful situations.


I'm troubled by the words "arrogance" and "arrogant" appearing in the final two.

The Insights discovery profile is a powerful thing - I need to use it to reinforce my gifts and to challenge myself to confront my weaknesses.

If you fancy having a profile yourself, or finding out more about it - drop me a line:

enquiries@genesistcc.co.uk

Website goes live!

My new company website has gone live! Very exciting!

http://www.genesistcc.co.uk

My new company

Still around

I really am a terrible blogger - I'm still here but active Facebooking.

My new company's website will be available soon - keep checking www.genesistcc.co.uk

Take care

Garry

My celebrity look-alikes

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New term

So my little boy is off to big school - this is him at 06:55 on his first morning (he has a c. 1-hour journey each way).

It's funny how he can look so innocent and yet so grown up all at the same time.

He had an "OK" first day (according to him) and hooked up with a couple of new mates that he made at a 10-pin bowling event we had organised on the Monday.

So far so good...