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Loving Your Work

Chuck Finney’s Four habits that keep the work passion high and blessing the word of choice.

 

Four Habits that Help You Stay in Love With What You Do

 

 

Jan here.

It’s a regular check-in call. Chuck asks, “How are you? Can you believe we get to do this? I’m blessed!”

Now that’s a standard way of opening a conversation with Chuck. It took some getting used to—and I finally asked, since I’m Ms. Curious. How can you feel blessed every time we’re on the phone? Sidebar: I didn’t seem to have that many totally awesome days.

Chuck replied, “Look, even if it’s a tough day, that’s my mental goal. To feel blessed. Because really I am, and it’s a habitual reminder of the truth of the matter.”

I knew he was right. And in the culture of the organization, I’ve seen it play out. I’ve noticed four habits that are effective in keeping daily enthusiasm and a blessed spirit, and the why of what we do played out minute-by-minute.

I bet you want to know what these are. So here goes: the four habit secrets.

Habit #1. Focus every day on the Creator with prayer and acknowledgement of who He is. One might say this is the basic habit.

I remember a lunch conversation—great Tex-Mex food—where Lynda, Chuck’s wife asked those of us around the table, “Do you pray through a list every morning? How do you pray?” My first thought was, wow that’s a pretty personal question. But then, I realized it was a basic question that really regulates how your day goes. Who’s managing life? God or you?

What Chuck said was this: “I am in an ongoing conversation with God all day long. As things arise, I speak with Him about it.”

And it’s true. I’ve seen that happen over and over. “Let me pray about that and I’ll get back to you.” Is a favorite phrase. It’s a great habit to keep things focused on the eternal nature of things.

Habit #2. Love people before your check boxes. This is a pleasant saying, but harder to live out. The larger a company becomes, the more difficult, as well. So far, Finney Media has hung in there—allowing people to speak their minds, letting employees challenge actions, and generally working on the principle that people may not always fit into the neat box of processes, or a list of to-do’s. This doesn’t mean that process is a bad thing, but it does mean that exceptions and individual situations get to be heard. Coming from a larger company with an extensive list of rules, to one with a short handbook, can be a transition—more often, a person has to use good judgement. Here’s a sample: Is this an airline ticket I should buy? There aren’t rules that I have to take the cheapest route, even if that means making two stops, and leaving at 3 a.m. for the airport. I have to make the call.

Habit #3. Be accountable with transparency about ideas, actions and goals, and be genuinely open to change and advice.

Although not required, Finney Media has an Advisory Board of several successful, thoughtful, prayerful individuals. Great discussions take place with the Board, and open and honest feedback and new ideas surface. I’ve noticed that it’s the transparency plus the trust that seems to make this happen. I’ve yet to hear any sort of put down statement during discussions—only thoughtfully strategic, prayerful and affirming type of comments. “Of course—do that. And have you considered going further? By the way, be sure to check on this….” During one of the meetings, one of its members said to me how special it all was…so it must be that trust and transparency are not all that common.

Could this be done on an individual basis? I think so. A mentor or ongoing accountability meeting could meet the same goals.

Habit #4. Recalibrate with a day or two of meditation and prayer time away from the fray, at minimum yearly. While it’s true that weekly schedule reviews and quarterly strategic reviews are important, this once yearly time away was the “news” to me. Chuck asks us all to listen to a series called Masterplan by Steve Dulin, who emphasizes prayer, dependence on God—and time away to actually hear from God.

How does this work? Chuck has a cabin in the mountains—and annually takes several days for prayer and meditation there. Big questions go to heaven, and ideas and peace come back. It wouldn’t take a mountain cabin, of course. Just away, quiet, and focused time. Revolutionary? What do you think?

So there you have it. Four habits. Specific ways that make for better days, God directed days, thoughtful communication and yes, a healthy business.

What habits have changed your life for the better?

 

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I got my Finney Media Why Listen? survey.  What’s the best way to dig in?

 

Chuck here.

 

Praising God.  That’s been my main reaction.  We’re hearing from you and others like you that the Finney Media Why Listen? Survey is offering new ways of seeing things around your station or ministry.  You’re seeing things that you only guessed at, spelled out in data points.  You are talking about a main reason people are coming to listen to you.  And so much more.  Which brings us to an important question.

 

You are at your computer.  You have opened your survey.  How should you examine those 40-odd pages?  How can you prevent that feeling of “overwhelmed” and “what shall I do with all this”?

 

That’s a great question.  Let’s dig into it.

 

Suggestion #1:  As you begin, pray for understanding.  That’s the foundation. Then, with a prayerful attitude, take a look as though you were buzzing the information in a small aircraft, at 10,000 feet.  Compare your information to your overall format—easy to do as the data are lined up side-by-side in the Excel document.  As your eye moves down the pages, mark in a color highlight numbers/information you have questions about.  Is your number higher than the national?  Lower?  What is almost the same?  What is different?  Wonder—maybe even aloud—what variables mean.

 

Suggestion #2:  Take a few minutes to decide where to focus right now.  What is it that you are currently emphasizing?  Are you planning for shareathon?  A friend noted that he was—and that was where he would begin to apply information gained.  He sat down and wrote a memo to all on his team sharing the specifics from the giving section of Finney Media Why Listen?  You may be planning your Christmas or year-end messaging and will want to zero in on what’s most important to your listener.

 

Suggestion #3:  As you move along, ask some tougher questions.  Questions like, “What are listeners outside of my format saying?  Would they be interested in listening to me?”  Seeing what makes people go away, “How can I be more interesting?”  and “How can I make it easier for someone who listens to another station or format want to try us?”

 

Suggestion #4:  Here’s the hardest assignment of all. Decide. Decide that you’ll take the feedback from your listeners and do something with it.  Make an internal—a spiritual—commitment that you’ll use this tool that God has provided you to bring more people to him and help Christians to grow stronger.  Your listener wants bold, Biblical and engaging.  What if you firmly decided that that’s what you’ll do?

 

We began the survey with a prayer that God would use it.  Now our prayer is that God will help you take the information further than we could ever have imagined.  Beyond our vision–because of the Good News coming out of the speaker in new ways and connecting with waiting hearts.

 

Let’s keep the conversation going.  Like Spiritual Growth being the top Main Reason Christian listeners listen. We think that’s a conversation starter.  What exactly does that mean, anyway?

Action:

  1. Plan now to keep your team moving ahead—with both understanding and action. Read about the Finney Media Why Listen? Workday that can help you keep the conversation going and help you develop more specific daily action plans.  Intimate. In-Person. Action-oriented. And coming in six months! The special registration rate in place now because of the Momentum presentation is set to expire October 30.  Talk it over, make plans—and register.  Use the word MOMENTUM as your code for savings.

 2. Pray, discuss and plan toward what your ministry might do to communicate more clearly Jesus tone and message.

 

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If it’s that important to listeners, what’s a PD to do?

 

Chuck here.

 

The Why Listen? Survey is now history—but the stories it reflects live on.  Here’s a big big one.  Your listener comes to you and turns on the radio—out of a lot of other choices—because she wants to “grow spiritually.”

 

Wait a minute, you say.  We live in a secular age where we’ve got to play down Jesus to get reach.

 

Really?  Not what she said. She, your busy, distracted and hurting listener is coming—as a main reason—to “grow spiritually”.   I’ve said it before:  It’s a daggers-out world, her world.  She knows you say you are Christian radio—that’s your distinctive—and that’s what she wants.

 

Someone coming to us to find out about and to grow more like Jesus. That’s a wow.

 

What do we do with that?  A few thoughts.  The level of spiritual maturity is not consistent—just the desire to grow.  So why not thoughtfully place bold, Biblical, short and wildly accessible thoughts throughout your day?  Using words to speak truth—big truths—but in an understandable way is a big deal.  To really connect with someone’s heart is to use language they understand.

 

And borrowing from another finding—many denominations find their way to your station—we realize that there is a rich heritage in these groups.  But some terms may not be understood across denominational borders.  Is the body of Christ the family of God or the “host” in communion?

This calls for broadly accessible terms that most won’t stumble over.

 

We want those moments on your station–whether in savory scripture bites, important topic discussions and brief minutes of worship—that will touch your listeners like their favorite songs. We want to create a tear, a smile, a pull-over-to-the-curb- and-catch-your-breath moment.

Surprising.  An opportunity to minister.  Whatever you want to say about spiritual growth being a main reason to listen, it’s our chance to not only grow our station, network or ministry, but to grow lives ever closer to Jesus.

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Action:

  1. Pray, discuss and even create a plan with what your ministry might do to communicate more clearly Jesus tone, words and call to a faith-life.
  2. Ask how, where you can find and develop bold, powerful, short content.
  3. Check into the Finney Media Why Listen? Workday that can help you develop your specific daily action plan.

How the finney media Why Listen? Survey Can Impact What You Do

Chuck here.

In a recent post, I let you know how excited I was to be able to stand in front of many of you this last Thursday and share Eight Headlines that will help us understand our listener better, and in so doing, provide a flashlight on ways we can engage her more fully, have greater impact and continue to grow our station reach.

 

Today, I’d like to pass along something to consider that will help you in a very real way.  My heart’s desire is to help you take the results and understand clearly how you can walk back into your station and realize your God-given dream for reach and impact.

 

Here at Finney Media we’ve been praying about a way we can help every size station or ministry.  A way that everyone can afford.  God has laid on our hearts the concept of a Workday—one day in the Dallas-Fort Worth area where we dig deep into the research together and unlock practical, actionable ideas that help you—no matter your market size or ministry size—gain insight and Action Items you can take home to implement within two weeks.

 

I’m blessed to be able to be able to be part of this event.  I trust you’ll start praying right now about joining us.  Specific details are found HERE.  I’m hoping to see you there.

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Action: Three Big Things:

 

  1. Chuck’s Powerpoint from Momentum is available.  Get your place in line by e-mailing whylisten@finneymedia.com
  2. Find out more about the Finney Media Why Listen? Workday, that will be held next April 6. Details and registration are HERE.  Space is limited, and there’s a special price right now, so do plan to give this your immediate attention.

 

Christian Radio Pictures to Make You Smile

Jan here.

Six-word stories.

 

These are attributed to Hemingway.

That may be a fable in itself, as it appears they have been around for a long time, with tales relating many of them from before he was in writing form. However, the memoir stream on the six-word story developed just a little while back. According to Wikipedia, the beginnings came from the online magazine Smith Magazine, whose goals relate to storytelling. From the magazine, they moved to Twitter and even a book series. Clearly it has become a popular way to focus on both creativity and deep thought about an important matter—life direction, events and meaning.

And that is what Chuck has compiled here, from sixwordmemoirs websites. Ten word pictures that could be your station or ministry story. An example of what you and your team can locate online or develop yourself to use on air! Six-word stories that cut to the core…or the quick. Pause. Read. Consider. Then take the idea and run with it. Click here to read our next blog

Chuck’s Picks

  1. The silences often utter profound truths.
  2. Seeps into souls like rain drops.
  3. Clouds all fluffed up to party.
  4. Main problem with morning…too early.
  5. Sewing…therapy with a foot pedal.
  6. They said: It’s impossible. It wasn’t.
  7. Broken pieces make up beautiful mosaics.
  8. I lived to tell about it.
  9. Love is more important than anything.
  10. My idea of perfection has changed.

 

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Action: Six-word memoirs tell profound truths in an arresting manner.

  1. What might your ministry or station’s be if you wrote it?
  2. Could you create a meme from your six-word memoir?
  3. Where could you use one of these or what you wrote in your programming?
  4. This is an opportunity for a team activity, an active devo using the ones Chuck wrote or a listener engagement possibility.
  5. And what about including these in your prayer life? They bring to mind important, profound truths, something that a morning or evening meditation can use.

 

Feedback:

We’d love to hear about your six-word memoir or what you wrote. Share by e-mail or post it here.

How Wonderment Makes the Day

 

Christianity Today, quoting from the Finney Media Why Listen? survey,  headlined a recent story on radio: 

 

“4 out of 5 listeners are tuning in for the same reason.”  What is that? Spiritual growth.  

 

Here is an additional thought:  How you present can create deep heart Impact.

Here’s Chuck.

 

 

“Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do His bidding, you mountains and all ills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, young men and women, old men and children.”  Psalm 148:7-11

 

Powerful words.  But often, as read on our radio stations or programs, without the depth of emotion that the psalmist intended.

 

What if we worked at making more of the profound…profound?

 

Webster says that profound is 1 a : having intellectual depth and insight b : difficult to fathom or understand. 2 a : extending far below the surface b : coming from, reaching to, or situated at a depth : deep-seated.

 

Any of these definitions work as we prepare to speak before our listeners.

 

If she is not moved by our words, then we must consider working again, harder, more carefully or recrafting, re-editing and re-telling in a way that it moves her one more step in Jesus’ direction.

 

How?  Being inspired by someone or something can help us do the same for others.

Take a few minutes with a favorite poet, listen to your five-year-old, or stand outside at night and view the sky.  Sometimes even watching a video clip can move our hearts to move others.

 

Here is one from Louie Giglio, leader of the Passion movement, that touched me.

 

Be inspired…and inspire!

 

Action: Take time often to pause and let the wonderment all around sink in.  Then share that with your listener.  Your genuine transparent heart connects!

One Surprising Truth About Your P1 Listener

 

The Lowdown on P1 Listeners

 

 

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Chuck

Recently questions have come in about P1’s. P1 listeners. Who are they? Aren’t they my long-time, every week dependable listener? Well, no.

You may be surprised by that, so let me expand.  A bit of understanding may help as you work to relate every single week to this important group of listeners, who are probably donors to your station. Recently questions have come in about P1’s.  P1 listeners.  Who are they?  Aren’t they my long-time, every week dependable listener?  Well, no.

The standard definition of a P1 is a listener that prefers your station over any other.  With this definition, you would think they would be there consistently, right?  Well, no.  Here’s the raw truth.  Who is in the P1 group will be different depending on the week you measure.

Let’s say Sophie is a P1 this week.  Well, next week Sophie has taken a trip with her two kids down to visit her mother.  She finds a local station in her mother’s town that sounds a bit like yours, and next week she is a P1 for that station.  But she’s not listening to yours.  Week after that, she is home, and you are on again.  But then she is off for vacation….

So here’s the blunt truth:  Fickle, busy, easily distracted.  But when asked what she listens to, Sophie and others like her mention you.  Yes, she is a fan.  This is why creating an emotional bond with Sophie and her friends is so important.  You want her to always come back to you!

But it also stands to reason that building an emotional bond is an every week kind of thing.  You can’t bank on a memory of last week’s flowers—you need to be handing them out again this week.

Action:  A little understanding goes a long way.

  1. Brainstorm how knowing you have different listeners each week as P1’s impacts what you say on-air.
  2. Review our website for more READING ON HEART CONNECTION.

Feedback:

We’d love to hear how you changed your on-air conversation.  Share by e-mail or post it here.

 

There are 10,080 minutes in one week. This is Chuck and I did the math.

Think about this . . . 80 minutes. That’s how much time the typical Christ follower spends in church each week. One hour and twenty minutes per week.

We say we’re trying to tell people about Jesus on the radio.  Pause on that thought.  We get an amazing amount of time each week—that other 10,000 minutes—to touch individual people’s hearts and impact their lives.

If you needed 10,000 reasons to pray this week that God would give you the right focus, the right energy and the right words—well consider this your opportunity!

Action:  Action is often the hardest part of change.

  1. Pray alone and pray with your team about your 10,000 minutes.
  2. Review our website for more reading on heart connection.
  3. Make one small change in your daily words, actions or attitudes that is more heart connective.

 

Feedback:

We’d love to hear how you changed your on-air conversation.

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How an Open Heart and Mind Keeps You in Shape

 

Beth here.

I started in radio and TV a good five years prior to the birth of my first daughter.  And now, she’s in her mid-twenties.  What can I say after all this time?

Stay a student of your craft.

If radio is your thing, listen to a lot of radio.  Different kinds with different personalities.  Note how they make you feel.  What works.  What can you work into your delivery.  Reach out to the Talents you hear via social media.  They are so approachable now.  We are all people who need people (thank you Barbara Striesand).  Give them the feedback you’d like to get.

Not only that, show up every day.  Exude integrity and fill in at the last minute, learn something new, start small, bake cookies and seek ways to serve.  Know that every listener and co-worker is a person God is trusting you with on-air.  So respond to listeners who reach out to you.  If they take the time to share take the time to answer back.

And pray.  Pray a lot.

Plus you might try an improv class.

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Five Finney tips to guide prayer on-air

Prayer On-Air:  How to Connect with God and Your Listener

Five How-to Tips for Praying On-Air

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Jan 

Jesus himself gave us the timeless pattern for prayer, when he shared with his disciples what we’ve come to call “The Lord’s Prayer”. Others have produced powerful compositions—St. Francis of Assisi:  “Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace…”  as an example.  And for children there are the endless variations on “Now, I lay me down to sleep…”  Do any of these historic models provide a way for use on the radio?

We already know the listener is upbeat about and into hearing prayer.  Our ongoing research on this question has shown that at least two-thirds of folks would place this high on a list of what they like to hear in a morning show.  And a pre-release tip that Finney Why Listen will have new feedback on this.

We know God hears our prayers, no matter how wooden, long or rambling.  But how to really connect with the listener when prayer is what’s called for?   Well, recently, Chuck was asked about prayer on-air.  Here are his very practical thoughts, which produce powerful results.

Chuck

  1. Pray when it makes sense to pray. If there is something that would make sense to pray about, pray about it. Too many Christian stations have prayer as something scheduled, and therefore contrived, when it probably ought to be driven by a feeling of “this is something we ought to pray about”.
  2. Pray “from the heart”. Make it real, with pauses, emotion. Don’t let it sound scripted.  That happens more naturally when it is a heart-felt need.
  3. Pray using words all denominations use and understand. Words like “traveling mercies” and “hedge of protection” are foreign to many folks listening. Try “safety and peace in their trip” and “your protection” instead. These phrases have the same bold intent with broader meaning and understanding.
  4. Pray concisely. Make it about one thing, not ten things.  Your listener is already busy and perhaps pulled in several directions.  Prayer can be a calming influence as she listens.  Your listener wants to be the “Mary” who sat at Jesus’ feet—but she often feels like “Martha”, so “busy and distracted about many things,” per Jesus.  This one thing can help her move in that direction.
  5. When you pray, it’s better to immediately go into a worship song. Talking to God followed by praising Him—now that’s a truly heart-connective and even sacred transition that your listener will deeply appreciate.

 

And, of course, pray as much or as little as the leadership at the stations thinks is the right amount for the audience. The listener loves it when we pray, but especially when it’s real, spontaneous, and not scripted!

More Help:   Regularly check our research articles in the Research area and the Finney Media Why Listen? survey information.  As well, the notable prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi is quickly available online with a search for “Francis of Assisi prayer”.

Feedback:

We’d love to hear about your experience with on-air prayer.….

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