.Real.Greg.Lee.

One of the most postive surprises people have at Suncrest is how open we are to people’s feedback.  We are ALWAYS evaluating and trying to make things better and I know for me as a leader and for us as a staff and elders, we need to have an ear to the ground and an open mind.  We solicit a lot of it and are also shaped by unsolicited feedback.

I know if anyone makes a comment (positive or negative) about something to do with our worship, Bobby Jackson personally contacts each one to let them know we are listening.  He probably has the most challenging position of all on this since there are so many personal preferences about music.  It’s been known to happen that all in the SAME week, we’ll get ALL of these comments:

-the music was too loud/we needed more volume from the music.

-the lead vocalist needed to stand out more so I can follow/I could only hear the lead vocalist and not a nice blend of the singers.

-the instruments overpowered the vocalists/Need to hear more of the band.

I’m glad for the feedback even when some of it (especially music!) comes from personal preferences.

There is one exception to this:  we don’t listen to anyone’s anonymous feedback.  It hits me right now I guess because one slipped through to me the other day.  Our system actually calls for them to be thrown away immediately by the support staff and never passed on to leadership…whether it is a note sent in or a comment on our connection cards. 

Willing to put you name on it? We listen.  Hide behind anonymity?  We don’t.  In fact, when the one slipped through yesterday, I actually felt something in me feeling animosity toward the feedback.  I hate that feeling, but it was real.  Even if there was something worthwhile in it, it never made it to my head or my heart.

~ by Greg Lee on January 2, 2009.

Posted in Suncrest