Gary Vet

A survey mattered

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:01:00 -0500

Yesterday I posted about two businesses that acquired companies of which I am a customer. My emphasis was on the necessity to have sharpened focus when acquiring a new business due to the fact that the buying company’s name often is on the newly acquired business. Name alone means very little to consumers. We want our needs met. We want excellence. We care about the details. Details matter when talking about reputation. It is precisely in transitions that excellence and attention to details is crucial.

I am happy to report that after I blogged, I serendipitously received a survey from my gym (one of the companies recently acquired). I filled it out in the late afternoon and received a call from the General Manager within an hour. Today we sat in his office as he talked me through my survey. He was fully engaged, listened attentively, gave some viable reasons but made no excuses. The issues raised he accepted full responsibility for. I commend this GM for taking the initiative, doing it promptly, and showing respect and appreciation for honest feedback.

A survey actually mattered!

ryanvet: Introducing my NEW book… http://rvet.me/y2sels (Taken...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:09:58 -0500

ryanvet:

Introducing my NEW book… http://rvet.me/y2sels (Taken with Instagram at Elon, NC)

Acquisition Apathy

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:25:14 -0500

Below is the blog as it was to go out. Being technologically challenged at times, I inadvertantly hit “publish” rather than “save draft” before it was completed. My apologies.

——————————-

When a company buys up another and places their name on the new acquisition, you would think they’d focus on excellence in the transition. But here is what I observed as one fitness company bought another (mine) in Apex, NC. In fact, my observations would be the same for when my bank was acquired by another. My point is that when you attach your name to something and are actually trying to improve it and draw more people to it with your apparently bigger and better name, services, and products, pay attention to details. Ask the “end users” questions about what is important to them. Don’t assume that because you’ve been successful you automatically will be in whatever you do.

So here are a few of the mistakes I’ve seen made in these recent acquisitions.

1. A focus on the unimportant to the detriment of the vital.

The first thing that I noticed when a large nationally known gym took over my lesser known and smaller gym was the new chrome looking clocks. It’s nice to have clocks around the gym…to know how long you’ve been jawing with others, to measure the time between sets, or just to know when you’ve got to hustle to get to work on time. But to replace black clocks with chrome clocks is hardly needed, appreciated nor even noticed by most people. In fact, not one person I asked about the change had even recognized the gleaming chrome.

2. Over promising and under-delivering.

When you have a “big” reputation, you should take great care to honor it by being attentive to details, especially necessary details. When the “big” company bought the gym I belong to, I received a few pieces of mail informing me of the acquisition and letting me know that I know belong to the greatest gym going. But as great as their gyms across the U.S. might be, if you can’t get the important things right, no matter how small, then your new customers quickly lose respect. This means your “big” name matters not a bit to the hundreds of people affected by the acquisition. Here’s an example.

After the clocks were changed, they next changed out the paper towel dispensers. A seemingly simple change didn’t seem to bother us until the dispensers routinely were (are) empty. Yep, more times than not (and I go five days a week), the dispensers do not have paper towels in them. Why change the dispenser if you’re not going to fill them?

Someone, not an employee but a gym member, actually gave me a positive spin to my question. He suggested that with new owners come new service providers and maybe the service providers were lagging behind. Nope! Not acceptable! Even if that were true, you’d think that an employee would run out and get any kind of absorbent material with which the members could dry their hands, etc.

3. Vague and infrequent communication.

Nothing says “we don’t really care about you” like sparse and “gray” communication. Don’t attach your name to something until you know what is going on and how it is going to “go on.” Have an actionable plan that spells success rather than pulling the trigger while the bead is still un-targeted. What this kind of communication, or lack thereof, does is breed gossip, uncertainty, disrespect…huge blows to a reputation.

A number of my gym buddies left because of the uncertainty. We heard our membership rates would double. Others said the contract only allows a 2% increase a year. I mean people were making things up as they went. This is what happens with inadequate communication. Better to be forthright and lose some people because the new rate is going to be too high for their budget, than to lose people because of uncertainty and confusion.

To borrow an old preacher’s adage: “if there is mist in the pulpit, there is fog in the pews.”

4. An assumption that bigger means better.

We all can think of smaller companies whose products outshine those of their larger competitors. This is true in just about every sector I can think of. Yet, why do the big companies always think they have superior products? Such thinking typically leads to a lax attitude which produces a weaker product. I think Jim Collins would refer to such an attitude as hubris.

We’ve heard through the grapevine (which exists to a greater degree because of #3 above) that our gym’s new owners plan to replace our present equipment, which is great stuff, with the equipment they use in the “big and better” gym. While this appears noble and sounds like an improvement, members from the “big gym” happen to like the equipment of our “little” gym a whole lot more. In fact, I had several guys tell me they’d come to our gym because they like the equipment better than at the “big and better” (and more expensive!) gym.

So, as I conclude, let me say that I enjoy my gym. I have many friends at the gym. I do not plan to leave the gym. And, yes, I understand how transitions can be difficult.

But none of this excuses the apathy in acquistion.

What would you have if you only had today what you were grateful for yesterday?

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:15:58 -0400

What would you have if you only had today what you were grateful for yesterday?

"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:52:00 -0400

“Vision without action is a daydream.
Action without vision is a nightmare.”

- Japanese Proverb

They're all about numbers!

Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:50:00 -0400

We’ve heard it from churches and individuals in the past and I am quite confident it isn’t the last time we’ll hear it: “Hope Community Church is all about the numbers.”

What our friends mean by this is Hope will do anything to get big. That all we want is more and more people so that we are deemed “successful” by others around us. That we want to be the biggest church in the area. The flip side of the the same comment is that we water down the truth. We don’t call sin sin. We put on productions rather than lead people in worship. We are not so concerned with Jesus as we are with big buildings, big programs and big budgets.

Truth be told, our friends are right. We are all about numbers! But when we say this, we are not affirming the disparaging remarks of our friends as stated above. Rather, we believe that every number represents a person for whom Christ died. A number is a person who might some day be numbered among those who “were added to the church” as we read in the book of Acts. Those numbers are people who may be used of God to bring the message of Christ to the next generation. To bring hope and healing to the hurting of this world. To offer a drink or food in the name of Jesus. To aid in helping the world see Jesus through their love and unity.

So, yes, Hope cares very much about numbers…seeing numbers of people—large numbers of people—embrace Christ through faith and experience the joy of being part of God’s family. I think the old adage is appropriate: the more the merrier!

Hope on the move?

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:10:55 -0400

Recently, Mike Lee, our senior pastor at Hope Community Church (www.gethope.net), Raleigh, NC, shared his vision about relocating the campus to the west Cary or northwest Cary area. Three very specific reasons for such a move are accessibility, visibility and, most importantly, expanding the kingdom’s influence to the most rapidly growing area in Wake County.

Mike’s desire is to see Hope’s new campus close to the 540/55 interchange allowing very direct access from both of these major traffic arteries—easy access from S. Durham, N. Raleigh, the Brier Creek area, Apex and, of course, Cary itself. The ease of reaching Hope’s campus there will only expand as 540 is completed.

Relocating the campus to 55 would make Hope not only more accessible but much more visible. Our current campus is not only off the beaten path, but it is also set back on our piece of property. Many people, including some of my own acquaintances, did not know a church was even on that property. They would see the school and assume the whole complex was part of it. There is something to be said for a church being very visible and identifiable.

The west and, more specifically, the northwest part of Cary (close to the 540/55 interchange) is the fastest growing part of Wake County according to Wake’s own demographic study. The need for a (another) thriving church is clear. With another 25,000 people expected to move into that area over the next decade, Hope’s influence could be profound and the impact eternal.

There are more reasons, but these three are compelling:

Accessibility
Visibility
Kingdom Impact

Join me in praying that the Lord makes it clear to Hope’s leadership what would be the wisest thing to do. We don’t want to assume that human planning is tantamount to heavenly wisdom. On the other hand, we don’t want to not plan only to find that we missed a divinely ordained open door to make an impact for Christ.

Imagine...it isn't hard to do

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 12:07:00 -0400

Say the word imagine and in many people’s minds a song starts playing. It is John Lennon’s song, Imagine. A part of the lyrics go like this:

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do

Say what you will about his philosophy or theology, Lennon had a goal in mind when he wrote:

I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Lennon, for whatever reason and motivation, desired to see the world united. A place without prejudice, discrimination, and hate. Michael Jackson and other popular artists sang about the world being a better place to live—when the world must come together as one.

Recently a young man in our neighborhood took several people hostage at a bank. Rather than robbing the bank, he expressed through a pained heart that he simply wanted a loving family, a hug from his father. What he was saying is he wanted unity in his home…a family where there was a common love for one another and a purpose to life; not only as a family but as individuals too.

As followers of Christ, we should be aware that unity characterized by love, patience and grace is precisely what Christ prayed for for his followers (John 17:11, 20-23). Jesus praying to his Father said (17:23):

I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

Jesus had a very specific reason for praying that his followers be unified. Unity was not an end in itself in this verse but a means to show the world that God sent his son, Jesus, and that God loves his people even as he loves his own son.

When a local church is not unified, it keeps the world from seeing Jesus! A world that doesn’t see Jesus, and hear from a church that God loves them and gave his son for them, will be left to only imagine a world where peace, patience and grace exists. So many local churches do not experience unity and therefore can’t show off the love that God has for the world. Is it any wonder why so many people crave unity and love? Why so many songs are written about peace and unity? Why so many people hunger for a place to belong that is accepting, gracious, kind and loving?

Imagine a church that pursues unity in truth and in grace with everything it can muster (Ephesians 4:3, 13). Imagine the life-changing, yes world-changing effect such a church could have! Imagine the joy you would experience if you were not only part of such a church, but you actually played a major role in bringing and maintaining its unity. By God’s grace pursue unity in your church by being a Christ follower characterized by grace, truth, peace and patience.

Imagine…it isn’t hard to do. Practice…that’s another story.

"Were we able to extract from any person a complete answer to the question, “What comes into..."

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:45:32 -0400

“Were we able to extract from any person a complete answer to the question, “What comes into your mind when you think about God?” we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that person.”

- A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (taking liberty to change man to person)

A Feast Fit for A Skeleton

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:02:43 -0400

Aldous Huxley was right when he said that we love the things that oppress us. Some of those things we love yet that have us in chains are anger, an unforgiving spirit, slander, and gossip. Certainly not an exhaustive list, but often the kinds of “respectable sins” with which we put up.

About anger I think Frederick Bruechner said it well:

Of the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back — in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.

Examine your life…enjoying any of these “pleasures”?

The Shortest Distance May Not Be the Best Distance

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:17:38 -0400

We all learned in math that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. While that works in mathematics, it doesn’t work when driving. Perhaps it would be better to say that the straightest way isn’t always the best way. On a vacation my wife and I took to Turks & Caicos several years ago, we took a rental car from our hotel to a conch farm on the other side of the island (Providenciales). Though not a math expert, I wanted to take the straightest route possible in order to save some time. My wife I now know would have enjoyed the route with actual roads.

The idea that the shortest distance may not be the best distance is borne out in Scripture as well. Once Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them to the land of promise the shortest way, but the way He deemed best.

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. (Exo 13:17-18)

Sometimes God’s ways seem more like the tacking of a sailboat than a linear process. His ways resemble a zigzag more than a straight line. Notice, though, that God’s reason in this passage is for the well-being of His people. If the people had encountered the Philistines or any number of other marauders, they may have considered Egypt a better alternative to the hassle of getting to the Promised Land. And life outside the Promised Land was a life lived outside of God’s promised blessings! So God had their good in mind as He does ours as He had them travel from the straightest and shortest route (about 7 days journey) to a much longer route (about 40 years).

As the story goes, the people zigged and zagged for many years. But all the way God also promised them His presence (pillar of smoke/fire; Exo 13:20-22) and a reminder of His promise to get them to their final destination (Exo 13:19). God’s promise was wrapped up in an oath Joseph made his fellow countrymen take. In Genesis 50:24-25 we read of God’s promise to bring His people to the Promised Land. Joseph, being close to death, had the sons of Israel promise that they would take his bones to the Promised Land and bury them there. As long as they had the bones, they were reminded of their final destination—the land God said would be theirs and theirs alone. So with God’s promise and provision, the people tacked back and forth before arriving at their final destination.

We live on the bright side of the cross. We have the completed revelation of God to humanity, the Bible. We have the greatest provision: the forgiveness of sins in Jesus and the indwelling Spirit. And it is a good thing because life is a zigzag or a series of tackings. There are no straight shots. So whether you are in a zig or a zag, cling to God’s promises (the Word) and walk according to God’s provision (the Spirit). The way will be rough, but the promised destination will be ours!

On Practically Reflecting God in Life

Sat, 07 Aug 2010 06:07:57 -0400

One of the most startling sentences in the Bible is “Therefore be imitators of God, as dearly beloved children” (Ephesians 5:1; http://esv.to/Ep5.1). The apostle Paul doesn’t mince words when he calls Christ followers to mimic God. Paul doesn’t say this is for really mature believers. He didn’t say do it only if you really feel led to do it. Paul puts it in command form, because it is the essence of the Christian experience. Difficult but possible, and not only possible but commanded!

For the apostle Paul, commanding this of the Christians in Ephesus (and surrounding areas) was not something new. In the very first chapter of the Bible (Genesis 1), we are told that the original couple were made in the image of God. Whatever the image of God means, it certainly included expressing the character of God in life. Such character reflection requires one keep in mind the object to be mirrored, which our original “parents” clearly did not do. But we shouldn’t be too hard on them for we would have done the same. I say that because we often fail to do it as his children today.

A couple of observations that are key to obeying this command. First, notice that the sentence didn’t end with the requirement to mimic God. Tied up with the command is the crucial reminder of who we are as Christ followers: we are God’s children. We come from God and we belong to God; we are his creation and his treasure—children. As God’s creation, made in his image, we have the moral qualities to reflect him much as I reflect my earthly father in so many ways. Yet we are God’s treasure (just read Ephesians 1; http://esv.to/Ep1.3-23), his special possession. And we are that by his grace through Christ. In other words, we are motivated to mimic God, not because he is the judge that will zap us if we don’t, but because he is our kind and compassionate heavenly Father who has lavished us with grace. We ought to be motivated by God’s grace and love for us. Our motivation is key to the imitation of God. To mimic God for any other reason than his extreme love for us is to fall into a legalism that outwardly does but inwardly is not.

Second, the apostle Paul doesn’t leave us in the dark about which he is specifically calling us to imitate. The command is couched between two “as” statements. Let’s take a look (http://esv.to/Eph4.32-5.2).

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Therefore be imitators of God, as dearly beloved children.
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

The two “as” statements give us the imitation characteristics. If we are to imitate God then the following must be true of us:

be kind to one another

tenderhearted

forgiving one another

walk in love

Again we are not left without example nor motivation. Our character is to reflect God and Christ not some earthly person we admire (though there are fine examples out there of these qualities). Nor is our life to reflect the present cultural version of these qualities. Nor ought we take our cue from contemporary music and thought. We imitate God and Christ. They have practically and tangibly shown us the way. We who have placed our confidence in Christ alone have experienced God’s kindness and tender heart and forgiveness. We have experienced Christ’s love and are reminded of it whenever we look at the cross.

Our heavenly Father and his son and our savior provide the motivation as well. They pursued us with these qualities when we were running the opposite direction with disdain in our hearts for the very things for which we longed. We tend to crave the things that hurt us and run from the things we need (yet really crave). But we ought to be motivated by what God has done for us in Christ—motivated by grace and love—in all of our relationships.

The apostle gives us a command to obey which comes from hearts motivated by God’s example of love and grace in Christ. If we are to imitate God, we have to practically reflect these four qualities in our daily spheres of influence and relationships.

Go imitate God!

ryan vet:

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 06:29:15 -0400

ryan vet: :

The brake lights lit up in front of me. I slowed down. My car rolled to a stop. In front of me was a large silver pick-up truck that was several years old. The back bumper was plastered with political stickers and stickers proclaiming how wonderful the driver’s school-aged child performed on their…

"Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene."

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:13:56 -0400

“Very often a change of self is needed more than a change of scene.”

- Arthur Christopher Benson

First Love

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:59:52 -0400

To say I’ve been rescued by God means I have a new heart. The heart is where the intellect, emotions, and will coalesce into a holistic unity. If God has changed my heart then my mind, emotions and decisions ought to reflect my new heart which is fashioned after Christ’s.

How easy it is for my heart to leave its first love—Christ—and be fashioned after a framework of right-living without substance. This happens when I no longer experience Christ as my heart’s first love but default to being comfortable with my knowledge about Christ. It is in the heart that my knowledge of Christ must be translated into experiencing Christ as my intellect, emotions and will interact with him as my Lord and Savior rather than merely being busy for him.

But how do we engage our heart or as the writer of Proverbs says “guard your heart” (Prov 4:23)?

routine time of personal reflection and worship centered in Jesus who is the Truth and God’s Word the truth
carefully thinking about my thoughts, emotions and decision-making processes rather than automatically going through life without such reflection
ensuring our motivation is driven by God’s grace to us in Christ and not by self-promotion, self-protection or any other self-______________.
paying attention to grow Christ’s character in us in the midst of the good and bad

"You can choose to sin, but you can’t choose the kind nor extent of the consequences! Choose..."

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:33:18 -0400

“You can choose to sin, but you can’t choose the kind nor extent of the consequences! Choose wisely!”

ryan vet: On your mark, get set, DRIVE!

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:17:04 -0400

ryan vet: On your mark, get set, DRIVE! :

There is nothing quite like a road trip. Though traveling by plane to foreign lands is great, you are bound by where you take off and where you land. On a road trip, you can travel off the beaten path and make your trip so much more interesting—you can just get in your car and drive wherever you…

The 4 Rs of Managing an Ineffective Team Member, Part 4

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 09:57:00 -0400

The final “R” is by far the most difficult. It is release. At times it becomes necessary to release an employee, but it should only happen after you have gone through the previous three steps. Not only is it an effective management approach, but it is also fiscally responsible one. Consider the time and cost of hiring a new employee (travel, lodging, time spent pouring over resumes, etc.), and you have another vital reason for trying first to resource, retrain, or refocus your ineffective team member.

If it should come to firing an employee, here are several things to keep in mind.

Document well any conversation with employee that reflects on his/her job performance
Write a summary for each stage through which you bring your ineffective team member. Each document should summarize previous conversations (will be easy if you have documents from which to draw) that cover the “whys” of going through each of the “R” stages. You should have the team member sign it.
Communicate well with the rest of your team so that they feel secure in their job positions. When anyone is fired, most people feel some insecurity in their position. It is crucial that they be assured of the great job they are doing and understand their importance to the team.
Be aware the the release employee may attempt to stir up dissension. Let your team know that you want them to come to you if they hear from the former employee. You must aggressively yet graciously deal with this kind of behavior.

Don’t

Gossip about the ineffectiveness of the released employee. Rather promote a positive environment by celebrating recent successes of your present high performing team.
Assume your team is not affected by the firing of one of their former teammates. Some may have emotional and/or occupational attachments that will require your attention. It is vital that you keep a pulse on the emotional well-being of your team.

While releasing an employee can be difficult, I have found in most cases that both the released and the remaining team are better for it. But this feeling will only be true if the 4 Rs are handled appropriately.

I hope these simple steps have been helpful. I would appreciate any suggestions, comments, and/or questions you may have that will help improve upon these 4 Rs of Managing an Ineffective Team Member.

Tim Keller on Ministry in Urban Centers

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 06:44:32 -0400

Tim Keller on Ministry in Urban Centers:

Well-researched and thought-provoking article on culture and ministry.

Stirred Up Leadership: The Antidote for an Average Church

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:26:52 -0400

Stirred Up Leadership: The Antidote for an Average Church:

4 min video from Reveal’s Cally Parkinson talking about the real need for many churches is for their leaders to be “stirred up” before spiritual transformation will take place.