Inspirational leadership has the power to shape culture, energize teams, and move an organization toward its mission with renewed passion. In this episode, RightNow Media president Brian Mosley shares how his multigenerational ministry story and commitment to using media for God’s purposes offer fresh insights for building a flourishing workplace.
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In this episode:
Background & Organization Overview
- RightNow Media is a multigenerational ministry started 40 years ago by Brian's grandfather and father. (02:18)
- Began as documentary filming of missionaries, evolved into an online library of Christian content. (02:32)
- Serves 18,000 churches and 2,000 Christian-led businesses with streaming video content. (04:27)
- Approximately 3 million people have access through organizational subscriptions. (04:35)
- Team of about 150-165 employees at time of interview. (5:35)
Initial Culture Challenges & Assessment
- Brian noticed subtle signs of unhealthy team dynamics despite overall stability. (05:51)
- Observed turnover issues in specific teams and received feedback through open-door policy. (05:57)
- Decided to invest in Best Christian Workplaces' Employee Engagement Survey. (06:23)
- First survey showed organization in "healthy" category with 63% engaged employees. (07:15)
- 98% participation rate in follow-up survey. (07:09)
Key Action Steps Taken
- Transparency: Shared survey results openly with entire team, including both strengths and areas for improvement. (08:40)
- Executive Team Response: Leadership team identified corporate-wide issues and individual team-specific areas to address. (08:58)
- Practical Changes: Improved healthcare and insurance options based on employee feedback requesting more choices. (10:38)
- Communication Enhancement: Ramped up outgoing communication about decisions and processes. (13:39)
Dramatic Improvements Achieved
- Moved from "healthy" to "flourishing" category in second year. (12:02)
- Employee engagement increased from 63% to 81%. (12:27)
- Significant improvements in Outstanding Talent retention and promotion.
- Enhanced scores across all areas of Inspirational Leadership.
Three Components of Inspirational Leadership
1. Spiritual Vitality
- Focus on hiring people without ego issues who are willing to let God work through them. (16:03)
- Unique advantage of producing Bible study content keeps team connected to biblical teaching. (16:27)
- Emphasis on serving the broader Body of Christ, not just local church buildings. (16:51)
- Clear expectation that employees maintain involvement in local churches. (17:54)
2. Integrity & Trust
- Increased communication about decision-making processes and rationale. (18:48)
- More intentional listening, especially regarding career development conversations. (19:30)
- Maintained open-door policy across all leadership levels. (20:02)
- Transparency in explaining the "what" and "why" behind organizational decisions.
3. Operational Excellence
- Maintained laser focus on core mission of video content for churches and Christian businesses. (21:27)
- Developed clear processes even for creative teams to provide structure while enabling creativity.
- Strategic decision to say "no" to many good opportunities that didn't align with core focus. (22:36)
- Created evaluation criteria for partnership opportunities. (22:47)
Hiring & Talent Management Strategies
- Emphasis on mission alignment during hiring process. (23:56)
- Honest communication about organizational culture and expectations. (24:28)
- Practice of "talking candidates out of" positions to ensure genuine commitment. (25:35)
- Multiple interviews for senior positions to ensure cultural fit.
- Focus on finding people who value mission over maximum compensation. (25:23)
Leadership Philosophy & Lessons Learned
- Don't need to have all answers before taking action on culture improvement. (30:35)
- Team members want to know leaders care and are taking steps, not that everything is perfectly planned. (30:57)
- Focusing on team culture and mission clarity is the best business strategy. (31:57)
- Invite employees into the journey of culture improvement rather than presenting completed solutions. (31:09)
- Balance business mindset with ministry heart while maintaining financial sustainability. (31:43)
Cultural Success Indicators
- Spontaneous employee celebrations (example of Mary's birthday party with 80-90 attendees). (27:54)
- High survey participation rates indicating trust in process.
- Improved retention of top talent.
- Employees willing to accept lower compensation for mission alignment.
- Strong sense of belonging and mutual appreciation among team members. (28:41)
Read the Transcript
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