450: Eight Drivers of a Flourishing Workplace Culture

In this episode, Al Lopus and Giselle Jenkins unpack the eight-factor FLOURISH Model—a powerful framework for building a Christ-centered workplace where people truly want to stay.

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In this episode:

1. Fantastic Teams

• Defined as teams with a spirit of partnership and collaboration—focused on “we,” not “me.” (02:42)
• Story Highlight: Bible League Canada (03:15)
• Low engagement and teamwork initially. (03:19)
• Conducted focus groups and created 21 improvement goals. (03:31)
• Used a shared document with weekly progress updates. (04:00)
• Resulted in the highest one-year improvement in engagement BCWI had ever seen. (04:14)
• Keys to success: shared goals, visibility, accountability, and cross-team collaboration. (04:21)

2. Life-Giving Work

• Work is meaningful, utilizes spiritual gifts, and aligns with eternal purpose. (04:57)
• Story Highlight: HOPE International (05:23)
• Staff hear stories of the impact of their work on families and communities. (05:39)
• Fun workplace culture: shared meals, ping-pong competitions. (05:50)
• Result: High sense of purpose and camaraderie. (06:04)
• Life-giving work is a major reason people choose and stay in Christian-led organizations. (6:06)
• Seen as a competitive advantage in the labor market. (06:14)

3. Outstanding Talent

• Involves attracting, retaining, rewarding, and promoting the right people with strong character and contribution. (07:33)
• Story Highlight: Large urban multisite church (07:37)
• Excelled at attracting talent, but had low scores in reward, retention, and promotion. (07:46)
• Used discovery groups to hear from staff directly. (08:15)
• Staff requested development plans, recognition, and visible career paths. (08:37)
• Leadership acted on feedback, improving retention among millennial staff. (09:00)

4. Uplifting Growth

• Development through experience, mentorship, coaching, and formal training. (09:44)
• Story Highlight: Large rescue mission (10:15)
• Frontline supervisors lacked training, leading to low support and unclear expectations. (10:40)
• BCWI helped create basic supervisor training. (11:11)
• Significant increase in clarity, care, and staff satisfaction in the next survey. (11:34)

5. Rewarding Compensation

• Encompasses salary, benefits, and sense of being valued. (12:32)
• Story Highlight: Long-term BCWI partner organization (13:05)
• Initially underpaying due to inaccurate market data. (13:14)
• Developed competitive salary structure over 3 years. (13:23)
• Result: Lower turnover, higher retention of top talent, long-term growth and flourishing. (13:35)

6. Inspirational Leadership

• Most powerful predictor of employee engagement. (14:37)
• Combines character and competence in leaders. (14:53)
• Story Highlight: New president at a struggling nonprofit (15:08)
• Organization had suffered leadership failures and was declining. (15:13)
• New leader transparently shared survey results, invited input, and made strategic leadership changes. (15:42)
• Practiced humility, collaboration, and follow-through. (16:13)
• Results: Renewed staff excitement, mission alignment, and fun at work. (16:27)

7. Sustainable Strategy

• Defined as an effective, deliberate plan aligned with mission and vision to meet constituent needs. (17:17)
• Key Themes:
  • A clear mission and vision are not enough—strategy translates them into action. (17:31)
  • Strategy should involve broad participation, clear communication, and measurable goals. (17:42)
• Story Highlights:
  • Organization A: Had clear internal goals but failed to communicate them across the organization; once goals were shared, alignment and productivity improved. (18:10)
  • Joni and Friends: Under Doug Mazza’s leadership, developed a 5-year strategic plan with a few key focus areas. Broad involvement and clarity around goals created alignment and purpose. (18:41)

8. Healthy Communication

• Defined as purposeful, transparent, and inclusive exchange of information across all levels. (20:00)
• Key Practices:
  • Leaders involve staff in decisions, act on suggestions, and explain the “why.” (20:13)
  • Encourages mutual accountability, innovation, and unity. (20:29)
• Story Highlight: Christian K–12 School
  • Previously had poor communication and an authoritarian culture. (20:44)
  • A ministry partner led a listening tour with faculty, staff, and students. (21:22)
  • Formed action groups to implement solutions. (21:38)
  • Leader modeled transparency, welcomed pushback, coached servant leadership, and removed a resistant leader when necessary. (21:48)
  • Results:
    • Dramatic improvement in communication scores. (22:28)
    • Increased student retention. (22:37)
    • Stronger engagement and recognition of inspirational leadership. (22:44)

Closing Thoughts

• The eight FLOURISH drivers are interrelated—success in one can influence others. (23:10)
• Leaders are encouraged to reflect on the health of each driver within their organization. (23:15)
• Quotes to Remember:
  • Jeff Henderson: “The better you communicate, the better you lead.” (22:54)
  • Miles McPherson: “What people are saying is real.” – a reminder of the power of listening and perception in leadership. (23:29)

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