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Mission drift! Bad hires! Lack of vision, integrity, kindness, humility, etc…There are 8 critical things that will kill your organization faster than anything else. Join Zach this week as he equips Stephen with these eight important items to be aware of as he prepares to take over Forerunner Mentoring in another mentoring-style episode.
Show Notes
Mission drift! Bad hires! Lack of vision, integrity, kindness, humility, etc…There are 8 critical things that will kill your organization faster than anything else. Join Zach this week as he equips Stephen with these eight important items to be aware of as he prepares to take over Forerunner Mentoring in another mentoring-style episode.
Purchase the You Can Mentor book:
You Can Mentor: How to Impact Your Community, Fulfill the Great Commission, and Break Generational Curses
youcanmentor.com
Purchase the You Can Mentor book:
You Can Mentor: How to Impact Your Community, Fulfill the Great Commission, and Break Generational Curses
youcanmentor.com
Creators and Guests
What is You Can Mentor: A Christian Youth Mentoring Podcast?
You Can Mentor is a network that equips and encourages mentors and mentoring leaders through resources and relationships to love God, love others, and make disciples in their own community. We want to see Christian mentors thrive.
We want to hear from you! Send any mentoring questions to hello@youcanmentor.com, and we'll answer them on our podcast. We want to help you become the best possible mentor you can be. Also, if you are a mentoring organization, church, or non-profit, connect with us to join our mentoring network or to be spotlighted on our show.
Please find out more at www.youcanmentor.com or find us on social media. You will find more resources on our website to help equip and encourage mentors. We have downloadable resources, cohort opportunities, and an opportunity to build relationships with other Christian mentoring leaders.
You can mentor is a podcast about the power of building relationships with kids from hard places in the name of Jesus. Every episode will help you overcome common mentoring obstacles and give you the confidence you need to invest in the lives of others. You can mentor.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to the You Can Mentor podcast. My name is Stephen Murray. I'm here with the one and only Zachary Yarza.
Speaker 3:Thank you, Stephen. Why are we talking so soft? I feel like I'm in the waiting room for a doctor's office.
Speaker 2:I feel like I'm pretty loud.
Speaker 3:Okay. Well Thank you. Maybe I'm just, you know, it's it's early. Maybe that's got something to do with it.
Speaker 2:We we don't usually record at 9. We usually record at 9:30.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Alright.
Speaker 2:Few cups of coffee. Welcome welcome to the podcast. Today, we're gonna talk about things that will kill you. Not snakes, not spiders. Even though I did see a spider today, it scared me.
Speaker 2:But what are the things that kill your organization? Things to watch out for, avoid at all costs.
Speaker 3:That's right. Yeah. So just to kinda give you guys some backdrop on why we're doing this. As we've talked about, I am handing over the reins to 4 Runner Mentoring Program here in Dallas, Texas to our main man, mister Stephen Murray, aka the Murdog. And so as I've been preparing for this, I've just kinda created a couple things that I believe that Steven needs to know so that he can continue to lead this org in the name of Jesus.
Speaker 3:And so this this today, these are the 8 things that it's like, hey, man. I know that you have to, you know, do all of these things, and there's a ton that is going on, but you've gotta make sure that these things so I am gonna kinda take the lead on this, and then, Steven, feel free to ask any questions when they pop up.
Speaker 2:I'm glad that you're adding these to our list because for the longest time, we've just said that organizations die because of podcasts. But I'm glad there's a little more definition
Speaker 3:Yeah, man.
Speaker 2:To the list.
Speaker 3:No. So that's actually funny. Whenever we started the You Can Mentor podcast, I was adamant. I was like, guys, look, we can start this thing, but if we start spending too much time on it, then we're gonna get distracted from the main things. And that's actually going to lead us to our first thing that can kill us, and that is vision drift.
Speaker 3:So you guys might be asking yourself what is vision drift? Well, the vision is what the Lord has called you to. Right? For some people, it's feeding people who are hungry or it's people who don't have homes. For us, it's mentoring kids who don't have father figures, predominantly children who are in poverty and things like that.
Speaker 3:So that's that's our vision. And how we serve them is through mentoring. And so, like, there's a lot of great things out there. Like, there's so many great ways to serve the people of God. But for us and for our org, God has called us to do one thing and that's build relationships in the name of Jesus through mentoring.
Speaker 3:So anything that takes us away from that, well, that is what we like to call vision drift. So yeah.
Speaker 2:It's like McDonald's selling lawnmowers.
Speaker 3:Exactly. Like, hey, you guys stick with cheeseburgers. Those cheeseburgers are good Just, you know, occasionally, you might be able to toss in some chicken nuggets, maybe the McRib, but stop selling lawnmowers, guys.
Speaker 2:But but for real, it's it it might not be that. It may be subtle. Mhmm. And when when you talk about change, I don't know if you you read James Clear's atomic habits of, like, if you make a 1% change, you'll end up in a completely different place. The same is true of vision drift, is that if if you go 1% off of vision, 10 years from now, you're way off course.
Speaker 3:Exactly. So, like, what does this mean? It means that there's a potential to have minimal impact over numerous areas. So, like, what what we wanna do is we wanna make a massive impact in mentoring and building relationships. Like, that's our jam.
Speaker 3:Right? So here's a great way to think about it. Right? Like, we're a laser. Like, we are focused.
Speaker 3:We are, like, aiming in one specific spot, and we are gonna make a tremendous impact in that one spot. We are not a shotgun. A shotgun is with one shot, it makes a lot of little, you know
Speaker 2:Oh, I know about shotguns.
Speaker 3:Lot of little BBs, minimal impact but in a but in a bunch of different areas. And, like, why why we wanna stay laser focused is so we can avoid distraction. Because if we're focused in on, you know, like providing our kids with food, providing our kids with post aware, like, those are great things. But that's not our call. And so why I I love staying focused on our call is because I'm not passionate about about a food pantry.
Speaker 3:That's a really good thing. There isn't anything wrong with that. It's awesome. Everyone needs food. Right?
Speaker 3:But I'm not passionate about it. But there is someone out there who is. Yeah. So what I wanna do is instead of creating something that I'm not passionate about, I'm gonna partner with someone who is passionate, and I'm gonna let them do their thing in that area.
Speaker 2:That's really good.
Speaker 3:So it's like 1, if I'm not passionate about it, I'm not gonna create an excellent product. But 2, I'm also taking away the opportunity for someone who is passionate, maximize their impact. So, like, I'm all about instead of us starting something new, instead of us seeing a need and be like, man, we have to do something about that. Well, first, let's go find out who is doing that. Because I promise you, in most places, there's someone who is providing the solution to some of the needs that we have.
Speaker 2:Which I think is why you started your organization to begin with because you were looking to see who else is doing this in this area.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:And the answer was no one.
Speaker 3:Right. And then one more thing that whenever you drift off of your vision that it can do is it confuses your team. Right? So, like, what I found is there's lack of a buy in from your team due to the lack of clarity. It's like, hey hey hey, boss.
Speaker 3:Like, tell me what we're focused on. Tell me what we're super passionate about. For us, it's kids who don't have dads. Right? And, like, it's pretty easy.
Speaker 3:Like, hey, whenever I hire someone, it's like, hey, either you care about this or you don't. And if you don't care about this, it's gonna be kind of a hard job because, like, we're gonna talk about this every single day. And so, you know, when you're focused on the vision and you're not drifting off of it, you're giving your team something to something to fight for. Right? So
Speaker 2:Yeah. It defines who you're looking for.
Speaker 3:Most definitely.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't say it'd be difficult for them. I would say that they probably wouldn't get the job.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Most definitely. So number 1, vision drift. Avoid vision drift. Stay on vision.
Speaker 3:Stay on vision. Talk about it. Scream it from the hills. Right? Write that vision on a tablet, Habakkuk 2.
Speaker 2:So you're saying you're saying that vision drift kills because it decreases impact in a focused area because you're trying to do all the things, and then also your team has no direction, which leads to, I mean, just toil and and frustration with the staff. So that's huge. What's the next one?
Speaker 3:The next one is this is a big one. Just straight up outright sin. So unfortunately, you are in charge. Right? Like, you are, the person that everyone is going to think of when they think about your nonprofit.
Speaker 3:And because of that, the enemy is probably going to come after you. In fact, I would say if he's not coming after you, then you're not doing something right because he wants to take out people who are advancing God's kingdom. And unfortunately, like, there are sins that you can commit that can torpedo this thing. It might not take it out completely, but it is definitely going to keep it from advancing God's kingdom. And the first thing that I think of is pride.
Speaker 3:It's just me thinking that I'm awesome, me thinking that this nonprofit has everything to do with me, and without me, it's just not gonna work. It's focusing on self. It's being entitled. It's thinking that, like, people owe me something. Right?
Speaker 3:It's thinking that the good works that are taking place is because of me and my actions and my skills and how smart I am instead of on God. And so I have found that pride is the number one sin that can take out a nonprofit. And this is what's so crazy about pride is pride's kinda subtle. Right? Like, pride isn't a one time fits.
Speaker 3:Right? But it's it's kind of it's a it's a heart issue. And the Lord takes out the prideful, but he exalts the humble. And so who is this nonprofit built around? Is it built around you and your skills, or is it built around the Lord and his call?
Speaker 3:Right?
Speaker 2:That's really good.
Speaker 3:Other sins that come to mind is lying. You know, like, not being honest. I just like, hey. Like, not being honest with your donors, not being honest with yourself, not being honest with your staff, saying that you're gonna do something and not doing it. Like, the Lord promotes those who are faithful.
Speaker 3:Faithful with the little, master over much. Faithful with the little, master over much. And if God can't trust you to tell the truth and to do what you say you're gonna do, then why in the world would he give that person more? I think about stealing. Right?
Speaker 3:One of my good friends. This, you know, just happened this past year. Awesome person, ran a great non profit. We found out that this person was and had been taking funds, just small amounts here and there over the last 10 years. And small amount here, small amount there, added up to a pretty large amount.
Speaker 3:And now that person, fortunately, they the board didn't prosecute them, but that person doesn't have a job now. And and that's just something that could have been avoided.
Speaker 2:Right? Yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Just like, you know, being in charge can be stressful. And whenever you're under stress, I have found for me, I am more likely to sin. So it's like, man, I'm stressed out. Wow.
Speaker 3:I have a lot on my mind. I'm gonna go sit at my computer when I'm tired at, you know, 10 o'clock at night. Well, you're probably not gonna be checking out stuff that's super positive whenever you're tired. Maybe I'm exhausted, so I've had a couple of drinks. Right?
Speaker 3:Like, oh, man. I I just have to have a drink tonight because I'm tired, because I'm worn out, because I can't stop thinking about it. Right? And just, man, like those small little compromises
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:They can end up they can end up and get you. Yeah. So, like, that's why the number one thing that a leader needs to have, it's it's a nonnegotiable. It's Jesus Christ has to be at the center. Yeah.
Speaker 3:I know for me, I it's not that I want to. It's not that I feel like I, I should. It's I I have to spend time with Jesus because if I don't, then I'm not filled up. And if I'm not filled up, there's no way that I can do what he's called me to do. Yeah.
Speaker 3:So, like, spending time with the Lord each and every day, taking time out of my day, and just going for a walk, and just asking God to move and to give us what we need in this nonprofit. It's surrounding myself with people who fill me up, like, having godly friends who encourage you and don't take away. Man, that's huge. Because all day you're just pouring out pouring out pouring out, having good mentors, having a good church, like, this keeps us from committing those massive sins.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Well, I I think that I'm super challenged by the thought of the hidden things, like, there's things that that we would want to hide and humility is revealing those things.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:And then also, I I love how sin causes us to hide and that Jesus calls us to hide and seek after him. I love that really all of those things you just listed out, they are a progression that leads somewhere to where sin becomes your coping mechanism for your stress. Mhmm. Which I'd never actually thought about that before. I mean, because we're we're living at the heat of cancel culture right now.
Speaker 2:And so anytime a pastor falls, we're usually like, how the heck did they let that happen? How did they sleep with the secretary?
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:And recognizing that that was a coping mechanism for all the stress that they were put under leading an organization
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it led to death Right. Of their reputation and possibly their ministry. And that's that's very humbling to think that what are the coping mechanisms Yep. That you lean toward? And could they be relationships?
Speaker 2:Could they be substances? Could they be entertainment? And I I think that that's that's a huge warning.
Speaker 3:Well and, like, for me, I have found that there's a couple of things that's really important to keep me from coping with things that are bad. And that's for me, it's I gotta have fun.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:And so it's like playing golf? I know it sounds dumb. Playing basketball? Like, that is essential to me being able to fulfill God's goal.
Speaker 2:Isn't it crazy that we are enraged by presidents that play golf
Speaker 3:What?
Speaker 2:And yet they well, they have the most stressful job in the world.
Speaker 3:And, like, I I have to have fun. And I'll be the first to say, since I have been in charge, I almost feel bad for having fun. Like, I have forgotten how to have fun. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:But
Speaker 3:it's important for me to have friends who it's like, hey, like, this is my guy who I don't wanna talk about work. I don't wanna talk about things that are I just wanna talk about football. Like, I just wanna go play golf. I just wanna, like and what that's doing is that's recharging me so that when, you know, an issue does pop up on a Tuesday, I'm filled up. Like, I have to work out.
Speaker 3:I have to work out. Like, you every person in my office knows at 4 o'clock on Monday, Wednesday, and on Friday, I go to the gym. And And that does a couple things. 1, that helps me with stress. 2, I can think about work while I'm, you know, exercising, and that's where I come up with some of my best ideas.
Speaker 2:You're also on Slack sometimes when you're on the Stairmaster.
Speaker 3:And I'm just podcasting like crazy, just like sending y'all all sorts of stuff. But like, also, I just need to let go. Like, I am I have a lot going on at work. I have a lot going on at home. Right?
Speaker 3:But like, that's my time. And that's where I can, you know, talk to God. I can pray. I can worship. I can listen to a podcast.
Speaker 3:I can call a friend. I could just unwind. And so all of those things help keep me from sin. I it sounds crazy, but, like, I need to have fun. I need to surround myself with fun people.
Speaker 3:I need to be with Jesus. I need to rest. I need the Sabbath. And all of those are protection mechanisms to keep me from sin. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Which leads me to kinda the next thing which the first one is vision drift. The second one's outright sin. But the third one is family dysfunction. And so this is something that I didn't know whenever I first started that it's more than just me.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:But I have a wife. And if my wife's not on board with what I'm doing, eventually I won't be on board. And sometimes, the enemy won't go after you, but he'll go after your spouse, and he'll go after your kids. Wow. And so, like, I need to know that, and I need to know that there's an order to things that are of priority in my life.
Speaker 3:The number one thing is God. Right? The second thing is myself. I have to take care of myself. Self care is not selfish because if I'm not filled up, I have nothing to give.
Speaker 3:The most important person besides myself is my wife. And if, you know, my marriage isn't thriving, then eventually that is going to play a part in my work. The next one's my kids. You know, if I'm neglecting my children, then Satan wins. I could build a mentoring org that serves 1,000.
Speaker 3:But if my kids, whenever they're older, say my dad cared more about those kids than me, I've lost. Right? Someone once said this, you can tell what kind of leader a person is not by looking at the size of their organization, but by looking at his wife and kids.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 3:And then it's God's self, wife, kids, and then my job and then my job. Like, you you know this. I take my kids out on dates every Tuesday Thursday morning. Don't schedule anything with me between 8 and 9 cause that's time for my kids. That's that one on one time.
Speaker 3:I can't work past 6 cause my wife needs me to be home. Cause my kids go to bed at 7 and I need to spend time with them. Right? I don't work on the weekends. I don't take my computer home.
Speaker 3:Cause I know that I have a job from 9 to 6. And I also have a job from the time I wake up till 9, and I have a job from 601 till the time that I fall asleep.
Speaker 2:That's really good.
Speaker 3:And those jobs are not the same. If you have family dysfunction, if you get divorced, if you don't pay attention to your kids, if your spouse isn't happy, if she's not filled up, that's going to negatively impact your ability to lead in any org that you're with. So just know that, like, God, self, wife, kids, and then your job and then your job. Your job is not the most important thing. Your wife and your kids need you more than the kids that you serve do.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 3:Because that is your first priority. So that's gonna lead me to this next thing. Alright? Number 4 is burnout. Mhmm.
Speaker 3:So it's like, you know, you've got your vision drift. I'm gonna do all the things. Right? And then you've got your outright sin. It's because I'm doing all the things, I'm tired and I'm stressed and I'm more likely to commit those sins.
Speaker 3:Because I'm trying to do all the things and because I think I'm the solution, not God, and because I out of fear, I'm not trusting him but I'm trying to do it all, that's gonna hurt my family. And I promise you, if you're trying to do all the things, and if you're tired, and if you're stressed, and if you're not resting, and if you're working on the weekends, and you're working at night, and your wife's unhappy, and your kids, you're gonna burn out.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:And it's just like you're gonna lose passion, you're gonna lose a vision, you're gonna not be motivated to come to work, you're not gonna like coming to work, if you don't like coming to work, if you're tired, you're not gonna be a good boss. You're not gonna have joy. People aren't gonna want to follow you. And, you know, I've seen this happen. People who do ministry are depressed and they're filled with anxiety and worry and they're just there's burned out, man.
Speaker 3:And we don't want that to happen like that. There's so many pastors out there that get burned out. And it takes an extreme amount of intentionality and hard work to keep those things from happening.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:That's why I that's why I talk to you all the time about your schedule, about your calendar, about saying what being super careful about what you say yes to and saying no and, you know, how to delegate. Because I don't know about you man, but I I wanna see a mentoring movement happen for the next 50 100 years. And I wanna be around for that. I don't wanna get knocked out at the age of 40. I don't wanna get knocked out at the age of 55.
Speaker 3:I wanna be in it for the long haul and I want you to too. And these are the things that I know it doesn't seem like a big deal. Like, I know having a super fixed schedule isn't doesn't seem like a big deal but it is. Because it keeps your wife happy, it keeps your kids feeling loved, it keeps you filled up, it keeps you, you know, to have time with God so that you are focused on Him and not you, and focused on His call. You know, He's faithful to those who he calls.
Speaker 3:And, like, it's almost like, am I okay with the call that he has for us? You know, but but man, like, I I just don't wanna see burnout. And you've got I mean, you are pouring out all day to your staff, to donors, to supporters, to kids, to your board, to your wife, to kids, like, you've gotta get filled up.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:And that goes back to the whole fun part, man. Yeah. That goes back to rest.
Speaker 2:Well, and the the family dysfunction one, I think, relates because I've had I've had days where I give it all at work. And when the second shift starts, the the home shift, I have nothing to give. Yep. But there's something that's still required of me, and that wipes you out if you do that too many days
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:In a row or in 1 week. And and I think that's what leads to burnout because then you show up to work and you don't have anything.
Speaker 3:Right. It's like, what are people gonna talk about whenever you die? You know, 98% of what they talk about at your funeral is gonna be relationships. Your kids aren't gonna be like, man, my dad killed it at work. He didn't have time for me, but I but I sure do.
Speaker 3:You know? Mhmm. Like, the kids are gonna talk about relationship. Your wife's gonna talk about relationship. The most important things in your life are people, you know.
Speaker 3:Then that kinda leads us to the 5th thing that can kill an organization, and that's culture. And that's if you're distracted, if, you know, you're tired and walking out in sand, if things aren't going awesome at home, if you get burned out, you know, you're in charge of the culture. Like, the people that you lead on staff, the volunteers, everyone, they're looking to you. And how are you leading? What kind of environment are you creating?
Speaker 3:What do people feel when you walk in the room? For a long time, we had a pretty bad culture here. And ultimately, I had to take a look in the mirror and say, man, who's responsible for this? Well, it's me. Because when I walked into the door every day, I was laser focused on doing work.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:And I didn't care about people. All I cared about was the bottom line, and I cared more about what you did than who you were. And I didn't have fun. I didn't celebrate because I was like, that's what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to grow.
Speaker 3:We're supposed to, you know, dah dah dah. And I lost a lot of good staff people. I mean, I had high turnover, man. Like, people wouldn't stay with me for longer than 18 months. And there's a reason why.
Speaker 3:It's because I didn't care about them. It's because when I walked into the room, there was stress. There was anxiety. There was, he's about to tell me what I'm doing wrong.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:Right? And I had to learn like, it's about relationships. Relationships change lives. Right? It's culture.
Speaker 3:Culture of honor. Like, I would talk bad about people. I would talk bad about kids. I would talk bad about I would complain. I would focus on what they're doing wrong instead of what they're doing right.
Speaker 3:That's a hard place to work. Like, you spend the majority of your hours at work. You better create a place where people love to be. Because if not, they're gonna go find some place to work where they like to be. Right?
Speaker 2:And that's not just like cool couches. That's
Speaker 3:Even though that helps. But it's like people wanna be invested into. Create a culture that you develop leaders. Like, you don't go out and find good leaders. You develop leaders.
Speaker 3:You develop leaders. Like, a main part of your job, boss, is to develop the next leader, the next group of leaders. Because I don't know if you have found this out yet, but your job isn't really to do a lot of stuff. Your job is to remove the obstacles and to help your team do a bunch of stuff. Like, you're only gonna go as far as your team does.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Like When you started to see the culture change, did you enjoy coming to work?
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, man. Like, I can't tell you how much I love my job. Like, I I love coming to work. Why?
Speaker 3:Because we have fun, because we laugh, because we share stories, because we have great people who work here, because we love Jesus Christ, because we celebrate, Because I actually like you. Because I get so much like, I'm kinda starting to get a little bit tearful here, man. But I love watching y'all grow. Like, there's nothing that makes me more proud than to watch you step into this role. Like, man, like, to see the people on our staff grow in confidence and grow in maturity and to really embrace all that God has for me.
Speaker 3:Like, I love Beth. Like, Beth, I swear to you, in 20 years, she's gonna have made a tremendous impact for the kingdom of God. And I feel so honored to have a little part of that.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:Right? It's the same thing with you. Like, it's the same thing with all of our staff. Like, I don't care about you staying here forever. What I care about is you impacting the kingdom.
Speaker 3:I want everyone on our staff if if they want to and if it's God's call, I want them to start their own nonprofits. Wow. I want them to impact the kingdom. Not just here, but I just want them to impact the kingdom period. And so it's like, I just wanna invest into my leaders because that's what you do as a shepherd, as a father, as someone who's in charge.
Speaker 3:Right? But, like, you can't do that if people leave every year because of high turnover. Like, if people are gossiping, if there's negativity, if there's complaining, if people don't feel valued, they're out, man.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:Like, if there's no opportunity for growth, if people think that you care more about what they do than them as people, if you don't go out to lunch for fun or just, you know, have people over to your house Mhmm. For dinner and things like that. If your culture is negative, it's not it's just not gonna advance the kingdom with as much, you know, with as much power as if it's positive. Culture of Honor by Danny Silk helped me out a lot. But, I mean, you've just gotta have a good culture.
Speaker 3:And you have a good culture by you yourself being filled up, and you yourself being intentional about being joyful and understanding how people receive you. Yeah. Like, how do people feel when you walk into the room? How do people feel when they're in a meeting with you? Do you talk over them or do you ask questions?
Speaker 3:Do you celebrate them or do you focus on the one thing that they aren't, you know, doing well? Do you invest into them? Do you send them to different courses? Do you give them books? Do you give them podcasts?
Speaker 3:Or do you just expect for them to, you know, just figure it out on their own? Do you encourage? Do you can you provide tangible examples of how they are doing well? Right? I I
Speaker 2:wanna come against something that someone might be believing when they hear that. When you say encouragement, it's not this fluffy, like we all know people that are searching for an encouragement to give when they recognize something that's wrong, but they just say it to make you feel better. And I think Zach does a good job of finding actual things to encourage, but then also recognizing areas of growth and encouraging growth in that area Mhmm. Which people don't usually recognize that as encouragement, but I do think that that I've heard from multiple people on our staff that you've been the one to say the thing that no one else is willing to say. And because you say that, they grow in that area.
Speaker 2:And and so if if the fruit of encouragement is growth or it it's not just happy feelings, it's growing. Exactly. Like and and that's that's huge.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So, like, culture isn't just like, oh, everything's great. Like, no. It's it's like, hey, we're on a mission, and I can't do it without you.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:And we gotta figure out a way to make that mission happen and make this an awesome place to work. 90% of being a good leader is saying what needs to be said in the right way, you know. And so
Speaker 2:That's really good.
Speaker 3:Here's something that my my friend, Tim Katuriac from Next After, wrote that I think is amazing. Do I matter? If I truly matter, then I will be provided with the tools, training, and resources I need to do my job well. I will be compensated fairly. I will be provided opportunities to learn and grow.
Speaker 3:I will have the overwhelming sense that I do not work for my manager, but that my manager works for me. I will be set up for success not destined for failure. I will be provided benefits that give me and my family peace of mind. I will have a clear career path and a manager that helps me to consistently move forward. From time to time, my company will even provide opportunities for me to just have fun.
Speaker 3:Does what I do matter? If what I do truly matters, I will be missed when I'm not around. I will feel safe and free to speak up and provide my opinion. I will receive help when I need it without feeling threatened. I will freely give and receive trust.
Speaker 3:I will not live in fear of making a mistake. I will be able to easily draw a line between what I do and how it creates impact. I will be asked what I think about policies, processes, procedures, and people. I will be respected for my unique contribution for the team. I will be surrounded by people I genuinely like and who genuinely like me.
Speaker 3:I will receive public recognition for a job well done and private redirection for a job not so well done. I will know what success looks like and how I can obtain it. Does our organization matter? If our organization truly matters, people will donate, want to work here, and will want to be involved in our program. Our our competition will know us and study us.
Speaker 3:Our product or services will get results. Industry leaders will apply within, not have to be recruited. Other companies will try to copy us. The way our industry, vertical, sector, or even the world works will be different because of us. We will be seen as forerunners and pioneers in our sphere of influence.
Speaker 2:Let's go.
Speaker 3:All that has to do with culture. You're in charge of that. Make it happen. Make it happen. Wow.
Speaker 3:6, a bad name. A bad name. Right? It says in the Bible, good name is worth more than gold.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:If you have a bad name, you're not gonna get volunteers, you're not gonna have staff, you're gonna have when people think about you and think about our org, they're gonna think bad things. Right? That's why it's so important to say thank you. So that's why it's so important to apologize. Even if you didn't do anything wrong.
Speaker 3:I apologize. Inability to hire will, you're not gonna be able to recruit. Like, I mean, how many people want to work for us? Right? That's because of our culture.
Speaker 3:There was a time when we couldn't find anyone to work for us. Why? Because of me. Mhmm. It was because of me.
Speaker 3:Right? Because people are like, oh, that's Garza. He drives hard, and he doesn't say thank you, and he won't ever celebrate you. But man, like, now I I think we can say the opposite. I think, Oh, there's Garza.
Speaker 3:He's going to develop you, he's going to encourage you, and you're gonna have a great time doing it. I think people can say that. Lord Jesus, please help people say that. Right? I've been working my tail off for it.
Speaker 2:Have you told the thank you story?
Speaker 3:Which one?
Speaker 2:About The podcast.
Speaker 3:About The lady. One of my friends. Okay. So I said this earlier, but I just I think how we grew was because I said thank you every time someone met with me, every time, someone did anything for me, I would write them a thank you note. And all that started from my best friend Brandon Horn, his mom.
Speaker 3:One day I was in 8th grade, 9th grade. We would go over to his house every day after school and we would do 2 things, eat Rudy pebbles
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:And play double 07 James Bond Nintendo 64. Every day.
Speaker 2:Goldeneye? Goldeneye. Come on.
Speaker 3:So good. And we would eat all their food and it was it was awesome. Well one day Brandon's mom came in and she was mad at him for some reason and she just started wearing him out right in front of me. And she's going off on Brandon. And then all of a sudden she turns to me.
Speaker 3:And she says, and he comes over every day, and he eats all our food, and he never says thank you. And I'm just staring at her like, what is going on? And from that moment, that's when I learned to say thank you. And everyday since, I say thank you no matter what and it's all because of that. So say thank you.
Speaker 3:Thank you is huge. But yeah, like that's a big deal though. Like if you don't say thankful, if if you don't say thank you, if you're not thankful, people are gonna think that you're entitled and a jerk, and they're not gonna wanna volunteer, they're not gonna wanna give, like, have a good name. Last 2 are things that we have talked about on our podcast. We talked about this one and that's safety.
Speaker 3:You know, if a kid gets seriously injured, if a volunteer or staff member acts inappropriately with a child, you might survive, man, but for the most part you're done. And so, like, I'm not real, like, it's not in my nature to be, like, super concerned with, you know, all of the details. But this is an area Yeah. You know, it's like if a kid gets hurt under my watch, if a kid gets inappropriately something happens inappropriately under my watch, that's on me. That's 100% on me.
Speaker 3:It doesn't matter if I don't like to do it. Doesn't matter if I'm good at it. I gotta learn. Yeah. Because the Lord has put me over this organization.
Speaker 3:The Lord has now put you over this organization, and it's up to you to figure it out.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I I just read a statistic. I was I was renewing my Ministry Safe sexual abuse awareness training, and they said that in the US, there are over 730,000 sex offenders. And if you if you look at how many people on an annual basis are in a mentor relationship, it's less than that. So there are more sex offenders in the US than mentors of kids from hard places.
Speaker 2:And so that begs the question of really what we're dealing with when it comes to a safety issue. That that's profound to me. And creating a fence of safety to prevent the grooming process and and all of those things, yeah, you have to be passionate about building that fence because they're gonna go where the fence is lowest.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:And sometimes mentor organizations, the fence is fairly low.
Speaker 3:Right. It's a big deal, man. It's a huge deal. So the Lord has entrusted us to care for this kid. The mom has entrusted us to care for this kid.
Speaker 3:We better do everything that we can to take care of that kid.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:The last one, number 8, it's just got it got to do with money. And there's a couple of different things here. Right? 1, just not being a good steward. You know, like, God has entrusted you with some stuff.
Speaker 3:And that's even like everything from our chairs to what the you know, all of our soccer balls. Like, I know it sounds dumb but, like, people have given money to buy those things and God expects us to be a good steward with it. Like, how we treat our office space, how we pick up after ourselves, what our desk looks like.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:We just gotta be good stewards. And then 2, we gotta guard against people stealing. Right? Like, we gotta be a good we just gotta keep up with our finances. Like, whether it's you or, you know, we have a person who's on our staff, you know, we gotta be on top of that stuff.
Speaker 3:And then lastly is just the lack of funds. Right? And that's like fear of fundraising, fear of asking.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:Right? Not focusing on it because you just don't like to do it. Or this is one that I think it's like too much dependence upon one thing, whether it's a person or a foundation or it's like, you don't ever wanna put all all of your eggs in one GameStop. Thing. Because if that thing goes away, then you're in trouble.
Speaker 3:So it's like you gotta diversify. You have to be smart. You gotta ask people to help you. You know, it can't just be you. Like, here, we don't have a person on our staff whose main job is to fundraise.
Speaker 3:And so it's up to you to do that because if we don't have funds, if we don't have mentors, you know, which funds is what I'm talking about right now, mentors is having a bad name. If we don't have those two things, then we're done. But, yeah. So, like, be a good steward. Safeguard your money.
Speaker 3:Protect it. And you gotta focus on it. And we talked about, you know, how to fundraise in a couple different episodes, but yeah, man.
Speaker 2:Why why would you say people gave to your organization?
Speaker 3:People give to people. So they gave because they trust us, and they gave because they know ex they know exactly who we're helping, you know, which that goes back to what's our vision.
Speaker 2:Mhmm.
Speaker 3:You know? Like, people know exactly what they're giving to. It's to building relationships through mentoring. And people give because they trust us because, you know, they know that the Lord's in this because we share stories and so and because we gave them the opportunity which is big. So so those are the 8 things, Steven.
Speaker 3:We got 1, vision drift, 2, outright sin, 3, family dysfunction, 4, burnout, 5, culture, 6, having a bad name, 7, safety violation, and 8, money. Those are the things. Dude, you've got this. Alright? Those things should always be in the back of your mind.
Speaker 3:I'll say this, man. All of this begins and ends with you. And so spending time with Jesus is by far the most important thing that you're gonna do. And then taking care of your family is second. And then if you can do those two things, and if you can be humble and surround yourself with good staff members, a good board, if you can submit and be humble, the sky is the limit.
Speaker 3:And I got faith in you, bro.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Well, thanks for sharing, Zach, and I'm gonna revisit this podcast on a regular basis because there's so much good stuff here, good caution, warning, and encouragement. What was that thing you shared? The guy from Next After?
Speaker 3:Yeah. Tim. Good to hear. It's awesome. I'll post that.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Well, I I and I think this is awesome that you're doing this over the podcast so other leaders can benefit from the same conversations. I I really love that you're doing that.
Speaker 3:Yeah. For sure. You're a mentor. You can mentor.
Speaker 2:Now can you clarify one thing? You said you wanna see a mentoring movement happen for the next 50 100 years. Was that 5000 years or 50 to 100?
Speaker 3:5000000000 years until the Lord comes back. Alright. Amen. We gotta go. 8 things that can kill us, don't do those things.
Speaker 3:Yeah. Focus on avoiding those things. Focus on Jesus. Self care is not selfish. If you missed well, not really if you missed all these things.
Speaker 2:You really do need to
Speaker 3:know these things. So keep those things in mind, but also remember, you can mentor.