Simple, God-honoring Ways to Deal with Anger

If we memorize the below three verses, when Satan enters our emotion with irritants and anger, these can protect us from future pains. 

- Know the root of what causes you an anger and know what to fight against. 

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)

- Patience is the way that God directs. 

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (Psalm 37:7, NIV)

- When Satan attacks you, instead of getting mad, go bless someone.

Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome (master) evil with good. (Romans 12:21, NIV) 

Checklist for Successful Site Inspection for Event

- Maximum Occupancy: Whether invite-only or open-to-public event, knowing legal occupancy is key to the event venue. 

- Preferred Vendors: The site might already have their list of vendors like catering, lighting companies, and equipment rentals. Those will be helpful to know in order to get the total budget and to better prep the venue. 

- Control Room: Inspect the site to see whether it offers the back office where planning crews can remotely work before and during the event. This space is crucial for on-site operations as the event quality depends on the productivity of operations. 

- Kitchen Facility (In Any Kind): Although you might rely on the catering services, informing them beforehand what kind of kitchen facility the site has will be important for catering to go smoothly. 

- Set-up Time: Don't forget to include 30 minutes of set up's and another 30 mintues of packing before and after the event ends, especially if you are renting a venue with hourly rate. 

- Wireless Internet: Especially if the event goes live via broadcasting, you would for sure need to make wi-fi available throughout the venue. 

- Parking Space: VIP's, Vendors, Participants all need their parking spaces especially if the site is suburban area. Make sure that those parking spaces are located close enough to the event venue and the signs should be placed with visibility. 

- Overall Branding: Design element such as the event logo and organization's logo can be visibly distributed through banners, sign boards, flags, on the boards, video displays, screens, and decoration elements for indoors. 

- Late Events: Often the neighborhood can make decisions of the end time of the event due to the noise and traffic jam that it causes. The event needs wisdom to ask around the neighborhood before planning a late night concert. 

For more details or printable checklist, please go to: http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Groups/Affiliates/Conf_Site_Insp_Cklst.pdf

For overall conference/event checklist, please go to: http://www.ncte.org/affiliates/confplanning/checklists

Artistic Producer Job Description

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

•    Oversee the event's programs to include music, creative elements, video, and staging.
•    Mobilize and raise volunteer teams.
•    Develop special events and showcase creative elements during the event.
•    Incorporating the organization’s mission, vision, and values into creative arts department.
•    Stay current in artistic trends related or similar to the event.
•    Network with colleagues and others in local community.
•    Manage current staff and volunteers.
•    Develop and manage a creative arts budget.

Educational Events Manager Job Description

- Serve as the organization's liaison with the event organizer.

- Monitor progress of project tasks, negotiate and resolve problems.

- Integrate with other leadership programs.

- Develop new programmatic components for the event that draws in new audiences.

- Develop and manage budgets.

- Perform other related/comparable duties as required and assigned.

Convention Services Manager Job Description

- Reserve conference rooms and provide services to organizations for holding meetings

- Organize banquet or catering services

- Reserve A/V equipment 

- Plan any changes to the event space configuration

- Ensure that all events run as planned.

- Meet with leaders of organizations to discuss about their events

- Meet with the heads of departments to coordinate any planned events.

- Monitor events and troubleshoot unexpected issues

How to Make Conference Schedules

Here are some key principles to go by when you are organizing program schedules for event. 

- Plenary session should be scheduled first and then other programs or break-out sessions come next. 

- For welcomes, you want to invite the leadership of the organization, city or town official of the event location, and other key event organizers. 

- Give enough time for luncheons and dinners. If there is key note speaker giving a speech that time, schedule when the participants are finishing their food and working on their desert and drink. 

- Schedule blocks of time and restroom/coffee breaks in between. Normally two sessions in the morning and two sessions in the afternoon work out well. 

- Make evening meal atmosphere more social and enjoyable. Giving people time to socialize actually enhances the productivity of networkings. 

- If you like to schedule a program that you want a special attention from participants, do not schedule them competing with other programs. Use the special time blocks such as early morning or before dinner to make it open to all participants. 

Key Elements to Make Convention Successful

1. Project the future and post-conference: Remember that we have the world-wide-web that can basically continue your conference on. Physical contacts during convention have a huge networking value and after the spark of many ideas and initiative, it should carry on into more post-conferences. 

2. Allow non-sanctioned or social parties: You might get upset but it can always happen where the informal gatherings outside of your event might function better than the programs you have planned. It boosts the spirit of attendees and helps the quality of networking than site-controlled program environment.  

3. Involve guest speakers to mingle: You might easily think that the guest speakers are supposed to disappear after their speech night. However, you might bring more positivity, vibrancy and excitement by having your guest stay over the entire conference days. 

4. Right speakers: Speakers take important part of your conference, and therefore the key note speakers should be selected very carefully by both their expertise and past experience. Being motivational is the key here because often conference becomes chill when speakers are not at their right tunes with conference audience. 

5. Value of face-to-face meeting: If you knew someone who were in working relationship with you, the conference is where you can personalize that relationship - you can eat together while talking, you can attend the same workshop together, you will be engaged with others in a different level sharing the culture and experience of the conference. 

For more details on how to plan a convention, please go to: http://ctb.ku.edu/en/tablecontents/sub_section_main_125.aspx

Personal Assistant Job Description

General Description:

The Personal Assistant is responsible to the Executive of the organization. She/he plays a key role within the organization in serving its vision and mission.

• Assisting the executive in all areas of his work is an integral part of PA's role. The PA will act both on request and pro-actively in that. 
• PA has excellent written and spoken communication skills and you communicate well in English. 
• PA possesses organizational and secretarial capabilities as well as a capable ‘ambassadorial’ attitude. 

Responsibilities:

1. Processing communication (through ordinary mail, email, social media, etc.) as directed by the executive as well as on own initiative. 
2. Developing and maintaining the organization's image and branding, improving the website in close cooperation with the Director of Communications. 
3. Assisting the executive in organizing regional meetings, staff retreats, meetings of working groups and board meetings. 
4. Assisting the executive in organizing gatherings and events. Tasks include: invitations of the event to the membership/guests, liaison with the conference centre and involvement in programme planning meetings, assisting with the preparation of the main programme, guiding volunteers and co-ordination of registrations and financial management, general on-site co-ordination and reports of strategic meetings. 
5. Organizing/keeping the agenda, appointments and travel schedule of the executive. 
6. Assisting in preparing of the organization's strategic year plans, budgets and year evaluations. 
7. Assisting the executive in fundraising, both in making fundraising plans, presenting projects to potential donors and keeping up the communication with donors. 
8. Assisting the GS in the preparation and reporting of the organization's board meetings. 

Director of Communications Job Description

Reporting to the Executives, the Director of Communications will set and guide the strategy for all communications, website, and public relations, continuously spreading the organization's mission.

Responsibilities

-          Ensures that all the events and activities of the organization are communicated through the website

-          Assists others with article writing, editing and news coverage

-          Develops and maintains an overall communication strategy for a consistent appearance of the organization through all communication channels

-          Creates policies on how news are communicated in various situations

-          Creates strategies for the news coverage of events, project, etc.

-          Drafts, edits, and sends out press releases and manages feedbacks that come in

-          Manages all media contacts

Reporting Structure:

-          Reports to Executives

-          Receives reports from department staff

Regional Executive Job Description

Purpose of the Position:

The Region Executive is considered to be the Chief Executive Officer of the specific region. As such, he/she is responsible for the day-to-day ministry operations of respective regional headquarter office and for the coordination, assignment, supervision and accountability for the work of his/her regional headquarter staff. As “Senior" to the region's staff workers, the RE shall provide direction, care and leadership to the region. S/he will help shape, identify, and aggressively promote and lead the region in its vision and mission.

• The RE will work cooperatively with the HQ Executive Committee and the Region Administrator (RA) who is responsible for the financial management, office management and staff, and oversight of the Human Resource responsibilities for the region.

• The RE will serve as Region Secretary to HQ and is considered the primary staff person to represent HQ to other associations.

• The RE is employed by and responsible to the Region, reporting to the General Secretary and the HQ Executive Committee.

Responsibilities

1. Be a person of morality, integrity, loyal to the HQ, will always be in compliance with the HQ standards and regulations.

2. Be a voting member of the HQ Executive Committee.

3. Be responsible for overseeing the operation of the region and for the coordination and supervision of the professional staff of the region.

4. Attend meetings of the HQ General Executive Council, the Regional Executives Council, and the region's General Board and represent the interests and concerns of the region at the direction of the regional Board.

5. Be tasked first and foremost with the region's concerns before any community or national concerns.

6. Attend the bi-weekly Regional executives' meetings and the quarterly HQ executive committee meetings.

7. Attend all meetings of the region's weekly minister meeting, departmental meeting, etc. as time permits and as prioritized within the region.

8. Attend all meetings of budgeting and nomination committees, as time permits and as prioritized within the region.

9. Delegate these above meeting functions to his/her professional staff and/or region's executive members in his/her absence, with HQ's concurrence.

10. Supervise, counsel and monthly evaluate the region headquarter's staff and present a report of such evaluations to the HQ, recommending change of personnel or transition of any staff or ministers, approval of which will be conducted jointly with the RE and HQ's General Secretary.

11. Consult with the Regional Administrator (RA) in the hiring of any Region Headquarter Office Staff and on any changes in staff titles, scope of work and salary and benefits recommendations for Board budget approval.

12. Meet regularly with the RA and help shape, promote and lead the region in its vision and mission, fostering communication and collaboration within the region and assisting with region's short and long range envisioning, process, improvements, and policy.

13. Undertake such other responsibilities as assigned by the HQ Executive Committee.

Regional Administrator Job Description

Purpose of the Position:

The Regional Administrator (RA) will provide secretarial and administrative support to the Regional Executive and local office administrators within the region.

Responsibilities

1. Manage the Regional office in relation to administrations and upkeep. 
2. Assist in the production of policies and resources. 
3. Develop and maintain an efficient records management system. 
4. Deal with all relevant communication inquiries and appropriate follow-up communication. 
5. Attend Regional Conferences in the absence of Regional Executive. 
6. Organize meetings within the region, informing the region and taking minutes of
   meetings as required. 
7. Assist the administration of the Regional Executive. 
8. Maintain and assist the development of appropriate regional database systems. 
9. Act as a resource within the region to maximize efficient and effective use of Information Technology. 
10. Assist the Regional Executive in reviewing the monthly mission results in the region. 
11. Give direction and advice to Regional HQ’s administrative staff. 
12. Participate in special projects and joint working arrangements with members of the team and with other staff as required and as determined in consultation with the Regional Executive. Flexibility is required to enable the completion of work at pressure times in the organization and the Regional Administrator may be required, with the approval of the Regional Executive, to undertake additional responsibilities for a period of time. 
13. Participate in training and development programs/courses to maintain and improve performance and to assist in identifying self training and support needs. 

Regional Liaison Job Description

Job Summary:

Directly responsible and reporting to General Secretary for all elements of the operation of the programs in the Region; for attention to health and welfare of the people served; for the implementation of fiscal and programmatic procedures to ensure compliance with applicable governmental regulations.  Performs all duties in accordance with the philosophy of the organization.

Essential Job Functions:

• ¥ Directs the development of regional strategic and business plans consistent with the established mission, vision, core values and strategic plan of the organization, and ensures their proper execution. 
• ¥ Participates in the development of the organization's strategic plan.
• ¥ Develops annual budgets and provides firm budget management to maintain costs and reduce loss from operations.
• ¥ Evaluates need and recommend opportunities for business development and expansion in the region.     
• ¥ Provides leadership to ensure best utilization of resources in obtaining corporate and regional goals, regulatory compliance, compliance with corporate and regional policies and to ensure the needs of the individuals served are met.
• ¥ Establishes and maintains positive relationships with local and state government, community leaders, pastors, congregations, county social service personnel, professional associations and other service providers as necessary in the overall management of the region.
• ¥ Engages in other outside activities consistent with the organization's responsibilities in the community and the industry.
• ¥ Creates, executes, and interprets regional policies.
• ¥ Reviews and evaluates the total regional performance on a continuing basis and provides direction for modification of systems and/or implementation of new systems.
• ¥ Anticipate and effectively deal with issues that could enhance the region's opportunities or adversely impact business results.
• ¥ Support, communicate, reinforce, and defend the mission, vision, values, philosophy and culture of the organization.
• ¥ Mentor, guide and coach direct reports in order to expand their capabilities and build management depth in the organization.

Job Qualifications

Education and/or Experience

A Master's degree preferred or Bachelor's from an accredited program in administration, psychology, education, social work, special education, vocational rehabilitation, counseling, or a closely related field. At least four years of experience in service provision to people with developmental disabilities at a management level. At least three years of experience in business management or personnel supervision is preferred.

Certificates, Licenses or Registrations

Must have a valid driver's license and clear driving record; must have cleared and approved criminal background check; must have legal status in the U.S.; 

Physical Demands

Must have ability to travel throughout the region and the organization as required.

Other Competencies (skills, abilities, behavior)

• ¥ Knowledge about local, state, and federal laws and regulations pertaining to service provision to persons with developmental disabilities.
• ¥ Effective communication skills, both verbal and written
• ¥ Ability to evaluate statistical data;
• ¥ Knowledge of developmental disabilities and methods of programming;
• ¥ Must be team oriented, well organized and decisive.
• ¥ Political awareness
• ¥ Action and results orientation is required.
• ¥ Ability to manage multiple projects

Must have exceptional analytical, problem identification and problem solving skills.

Social Media Manager Job Description

General Purpose

To develop, establish and maintain marketing strategies to meet organizational objectives. Effective management of the marketing, advertising and promotional activities of the organization. To manage and implement these to be featured on the website, social media, and other online channels. 

Main Job Tasks and Responsibilities

• manage and coordinate marketing and promotional activities
• analysis of web analytics, market conditions, and competitor information
• develop and implement marketing plans and projects for new and existing products
• manage the productivity of the marketing plans and projects
• monitor, review and report on all marketing activity and results
• deliver marketing activity within agreed budget
• liaison with advertising
• manage social media sites and delegate

Reporting to:

Director of Marketing and Communications 

Reported from:

Web Team

Webmaster Job Description

Main Job Tasks and Responsibilities 

1. Maintain websites - updating news, uploading resources, and revise members' database   

2. Debug/ Troubleshoot issues that arise with the performance of the website.

3. Plan for future changes to the website.

Beyond the focus of day-to-day activities, the improvement of the website as a whole is a necessary consideration for webmasters.

4. Review statistics and monitor analytics.

Reporting to:

Director of Communications 

Reported from:

Web Team

How To Make Creative Environment

1. Find Comfort: Whether it being the clothes you wear or the chair you sit, they have to be comfortable enough for your creativity to come out. More natural and comfortable environment you are in, more creative you become.

2. Frequent Snacks: Do you remember you used to eat more frequently when you were born? Instead of having a big meal then falling into coma, better eating frequent snacks that energize you. 

3. Regular Breaks: Place interesting paintings, pictures, architectural element, amazing views, and toys either physically around you or your computer desktop to refresh and expand your thought processes. 

How to Glorify God with Music

If you are musically talented but what you do day-to-day is not musically related, here are a few action steps you may take to glorify God through the gift that He has given to you. 

- Write, Sing, and Learn New Song: If someone plays new music before me, the kind of romantic feeling is what God would feel when we write, sing, and learn a new song for God. Let us love God by expressing our love to Him.

I will sing a new song to you, O God!(Psalm 144:9a)

It is perfect time for a song to be played especially when you have something that you are so thankful to God. 

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving!(Psalm 147:7a) 

- Practice, practice, practice: If someone is thinking that practicing is just waste of time, it is mistaken, for:

Play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.(Psalm 33:3b) 

God is glorified not only when we are on the stage singing, but throughout the processes as we hone our skills and train our voices to perfection. 

Five Successful Entrepreneur Habits

1. Exercise early enough so that it won't interrupt the sleep

2. Keep learning - attending courses, programs, and even writing blogs would help you engage in educational opportunities 

3. Create good sleep environment that is dark, cool, and quiet 

4. Write good things of the day to be remembered

5. Write down worries off to keep your mind away from stress

Five Things To Do Before Launching Non-profit Organization

1. Write business plan: Know that non-profit organization is as same as for-profit organization except keeping the right balance between incomes and matching expenses. 

2. Legal requirements: Article of incorporation, bylaws, mission statements, and form 990 need to be filled and thought-out. This is to protect both the organization and its donors. Such legal documents need to be kept tidy for the future cases 

3. Write fundraising plan: This step is crucial before launching your non-profit to build proper funding for the stability of the organization's mission. Writing to various foundations is essential and here is the simple steps to start: http://nonprofit.about.com/od/fundraisingbasics/tp/basicfundraisingtips.htm

4. Build board members strategically: Selecting board members for your non-profit org's mission and keeping them interested by regular updates are key to sustain the vitality of your organization. Although board members do not work as staffs, there are many important contributions that they make for the organization. Here are the list of roles and responsibilities as board members: http://nonprofit.about.com/od/nonprofitboards/a/boardhub.htm

5. Don't worry too much: In any kind of works, over-planning and over-thinking get more side effects than benefits. Prepare as much as you can, but do not miss the timing to begin your organization to pursue your grand mission! 

Three Effective Executives' Habit

1. Everything about executive is how to use one's time: Spend adequate hours to schedule and manage even the tiny bits of the time you have. Eliminate time that does not produce results. Secure the time that is focused and uninterrupted. 

2. First things first and second things not at all: Executives use their time onto prioritized agendas only. It is the chicken-and-egg questions: what makes executives is to do what executives do. It is also the way to achieve the greatest result with the same given time. 

3. Focus on the excellence: Rather than spending time and energy to fix the wrongs and inability, build on strength and gifts that your staffs are born with. It makes you think positive and the result will change by doing so. 

Event Management 101: Checklist

X Confirm the date and duration of the event 

X Confirm the event participants number (It directly affects the budget)

X Study the audience and customize the programs as much as possible  

X Schedule the programs with adequate amount of breaks 

X Place event programs onto proper locations in considerations with distance, facility, and its size  

X Make sure to confirm that the amount of funding matches the projected budget

X Logistics (Transportation, Dining, and Housing): Make sure that VIP's are separately arranged as needed 

X Event safety guards and event signs for security 

X Launch a team for prepping venue (Staging, Lighting, and AV) 

X Designate parking spaces for attendees, VIP and media 

X Branding the event with logo, name tags, online marketings and decorations so that it is thematic and memorable  

X Invitations and promotions: If invite-only event, create invitation cards and regularly update the invitees with themed reminders 

X Food: Decide whether self-service or catering help

Abstinence in Christian Marriage?

Here are a few tenets that I adhere to and strive to fulfill to become God-honoring Christian: 

- Intimacy in Christian marriage is not solely defined by physical gratification or sexuality, but it has more to do with inner hearts. 

- Even if it is your spouse, if you become "addicted" to the sexuality itself that makes the other partner as "object," we fall into the sin of idolatry and replace God as our only source of life and satisfaction.  

- Find the online resource, John Piper's "Sex and Supremacy of God":

Sex and the Supremacy of Christ Part 1 

Sex and the Supremacy of Christ Part 2 

(desiringGod.org) 

Five Biblical Habits for Keeping Spiritual Discernment

- Attentiveness: To gain the spiritual discernment, our will and attentive ear inclining towards wisdom are essential. Call out to God for allowing the spiritual discernment today!

Proverbs 2:1-5 

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

- Continuity: It needs constant practice in distinguishing good from evil in our day-to-day lives. 

Hebrews 5:14 

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

- Not by Sight, But by Faith: Instead of trying to discern by its appearance, it needs the "test of spirit," focusing on inner examinations than the outer.  

1 John 4:1 

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

John 7:24 

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

- Prayer 

In Matthew 7:1-12, Jesus teaches about the practice of prayers toward gaining spiritual discernment. 

- Word of God: Through reading the Scripture and making efforts to understand, we will grow sharper and be able to discern better spiritually. 

Hebrews 4:12 

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Best First Task Ideas for New Hire

- Better to work with in-house and single person than remote and multiple people 

- Explain the expected result of the work clearly from the beginning 

- Reduce nervousness by being warm and welcoming

- Review the job description and organizational chart 

- Review the best communications tools 

- Introduce the organization and background info

Top Mistakes to Avoid in Online Conference

Are you preparing an online conference where you would present materials to your online audience? Here are a few tips to avoid blatant mishaps that often ruins one. You can use this as checklist prior to preparing your web conference. 

- No Preparation, Winging in Participation: Remember that it is not only your time but times that are multiplied by number of attendees. If you rely on participations too much, you don't have to be the hosting one. Remember that you are a presenter and not a moderator. If participation is important element in your web conference, do make sure to use video and audio if possible to prevent highly possible distractions. Give agendas of meeting so that your meeting has clear structure. Put out the expected outcome or change that your web conference will bring. 

- No Call to Action: What changes you would like to make through your web conferencing? If no call to action, no purpose of spending time. If your webinar or conference can focus on changing attendees' perspective and heart, then the time spent can be said worthwhile. 

- Starting Late: This one is obvious but often neglected and causes major quality downfall. 

- Bring Back to Agendas: During the meeting, what can happen is one or few participants dominate the conference by pasting lots and lots of their chats. Clear agenda that is set out beforehand helps in here so that you can quickly rally everyone to come back to the original page and discussion, which will determine that your conference will end on set time instead of being dragged endlessly. 

- Summarize before ending: Before ending the meeting, remember that participants for sure won't get 100% of what was discussed and decided. Especially with distracting environments, concentration rate is much lower than that of in-person meetings. Make sure you give out bullet points of breakdown at the end so that all know the conclusion and result of the web conference. 

Three Reasons to Turn to Project-Based Organization (PBO)

Project-Based Organization (PBO) attracts many businesses and non-profit for greater effectiveness and innovations in providing their services. Below are a few characterstics that PBO brings. 

- From individual working habits to group working culture that produce greater results but requires interpersonal skills. 

- From top-down, hierarchical governance to bottom-up, horizontal empowering working atmosphere 

- From remote departmental groups to strong interdisciplinary and creative working partnership

Multiple Intelligence and Career Test

Multiple Intelligence tests your learning ability and potential capacity, theorized by Howard Gardner, while career test gives you your current aptitude and suggests careers options that are good fit for your personality.

I have recently hired a few staffs for a project using these two test results. I'll update this post with the result and observations I gained. Below are the two links that provide free online tests.

Career Test 1 (Multiple Intelligence): http://www.helloquizzy.com/tests/the-multiple-intelligences-test-2 

Career Match (Multiple Intelligence): http://bestcareermatch.com/career-chart/

Career Test 2: http://www.careertest.net/cgi-bin/q.pl

Five Principles in Hiring Effectively

Are you in need of recruiting more staffs to develop your service? Here are several tips that I have in mind before I take actions to recruit. 

- Best vs. Mediocre: If you want your program or service to excel, you will compete to hire the best of best. If you let anyone be in charge of the task, you might not only ruin the program but also waste your energy and effort. You would have to fire and hire again.

- Time-Sensitivity: Best workers in the field do their best also in transitioning their positions. Hiring is time-sensitive task--whenever the good candidate considers their transitions, decision and offer need to be given immediately before other priorities do come in. 

- Your Image: Probably the most powerful tool in long run to optimize your recruit effort. The external image shown outside demonstrating the organization's great vision and excellent working condition increase the chances for quality candidates to enter. 

- Recruit Recruiters: If you are lone manager chased by many tasks, why not you recruit recruiters? More recruiters the more chances of new hires. If you cannot hire the recruiter, give incentives to your entire team so that they are motivated to look out for good candidates out there. Distribute your best brochures and business cards for them to carry, have your logo stickers sticked on your laptops, pens, and T-shirts. More times and efforts spent, greater the result can be.

- Opt in Remote Working: This requires higher administrative level of managing distant staffs, but if this is the only way where top performers are willing and attracted to the position, better to give considerations on this. It is better to work with distant workers who get their jobs done, than with mediocre workers who don't get anything done without your pressure and supervision.  

Best Practices in Oragnizing Emails

Here are the tips on organizing your emails effectively. 

- Unsubscribe: Reduce email volume by unsubscribing from mass emails whenever possible. 

- 1-minute Rule: if you can take care of the email within a minute, stop momentarily and finish it off. 

- Priority Folder: if you are working on a minute-by-minute project, set a rule so that you will can check those important emails that need your immediate attention. Remember to remove those rules after the project is done. 

- Schedule for Emails: if you already know about the average volume of emails that you receive, schedule a time of the day to get all sorted out. If it takes longer time, schedule that as a task and move on. 

- Flag Follow-up's: If you are expecting a follow up of the email that you sent, you want to flag it with colors so that you do remember to follow up. 

- Old to New: If you have old email account that you seldom use, auto-forward that account to brand new account, which will also help reduce your crowded email client. 

Steps to Optimize Your Working Environment

If you are working in a small non-profit or a small business, your time needs to be divided into prioritized tasks, then how much you can concentrate will determine your performance. 

Below is easy-to-do, simple steps to create such environment to optimize your concentration. 

- Your Desk: Throw off the items that you do not need in regular basis. Less is more in this aspect. All should be gone except regularly used supplies like pens, post-it's, several stationaries. Indispensable equipments like phones and printer should be minimally placed around. Drawers should be designated with specific functions like forms, supplies, and personal. 

- Mail: The nature of mails is that it keeps coming! Mails need immediate attention and sorting, otherwise it will clutter your desk space and your minds. Throw away advertisement mails, forward if not yours, and file them in a designated drawers/shelves. The principle goes to e-mails as well. Check often, reply immediately if it does not cost you more than 5-minutes, and sort them in folders. 

- Computer: If your desktop and folders look like junkyard where you can barely see the background, it is time to clean up. Your habit should be to determine any new files downloaded or created to be located to appropriate folders or delete ruthlessly if unnecessary to keep. Use fewer methods as possible when it comes to organizing files. Simpler the faster you become.

- Time: Organizing your schedules can save much time. Use calendar tools to schedule your year, month, and weeks. For day-to-day operations, continuously modify, add, remove tasks quickly, which will keep you from being distracted. I'm personally using todo.ly and it has been very effectively managing my office hour.  

How to Organize Time Effectively

Here are three principles of effective scheduling that improved my time management by far. 

- Record quickly and focus: If you are a spontaneous person, when ideas crowd your mind when you are on other tasks, simply record it down and get back to work. I am using todo.ly on my browser and smart phone, and I am very satisfied with how much time I save each day. 

- Make time for scheduling: If you want your day to be special and productive, you should think that a day begins like a year starts. If you have 24 hours per day, you should be able to spare a few minutes to schedule and ponder upon the most effective schedule for the day or week or month. It would be such an amazing feeling at the end of the year when you see what you have planned being fulfilled! 

- Faith & Family: When scheduling, try prioritizing different components, and put them first. For example, services and personal devotions should not be replaced with others. Time blocks for family should be guarded well. Prioritize when scheduling tasks according the level of difficulties. For example, you want to do the most challenging work when you have most concentration level. 

Three Principles to Keep Your Computer Organized

Here are tips on making your cluttered computer organized, thus optimizing your concentration and your work performance. 

- Delete Hard: Old files that you will not look at again should be immediately deleted as your habit. Imagine the food thrown out to junkyard and rot. You DO NOT need to keep all previous versions of your works. Give it a 5-minute rule so that you can keep taking immediate actions without being distracted.

- Fewer Categories the Better: When it comes to categories, less is better and simpler the more convenient. You will make your life much easier when there are fewer to select from. 

- "TBO" (To Be Organized) Folder: If you have thousands of files stacking in your hard drive already, you certainly don't want to spend weeks of time just to open, rename, and sort those files. Create this one folder to have your new discoveries on the go, and get your clean desktop with new system right now! 

How to Organize Data for Your Organization

Piles of documents might sit on your desktop or clutter in your drawers that are being found with wonder when you are moving out from your office. 

These tips are to serve you on how to organize files and data of your organization or your small business. 

- Try separating all standardized "forms" into one file or drawer, such as financial statement, letters to new employees, applications. 

- Bank-related items such as deposit slips, checks, bank statement and loan-related documents should be filed with security and protection.  

- Articles of Incorporation, its amendments, permits and licenses under federal, state, and local authorities should come into one place. 

- Employee information such as signed applications, offer letters, performance reviews, staff handbook and W-2's for both current and terminated employees. 

- Tax-related information such as quarterly and yearly tax filings, W-9's for independent contractors, supporting documents, and so on. 

- Marketing materials such as brochures, prints and identity guides. 

- Other important correspondences via mail, faxes or e-mails of both sides. 

Top Three Ways to Boost Staff's Motivation

If you are leading others and desiring to become Christ-like, you would be joyful seeing your staff's happiness and welfare.

Here are a few tips on how you can raise and maintain your staff team's motivation level in your team, thus resulting in higher performance and dedication.

1. Starting from yourself: You are in leader's position, thus you influence your staff. How you speak, how you behave all matters to the atmosphere of your team. Trust is hard to build, but can break easily. If you want your staffs to communicate more clearly, you have to set yourself as example and do so.

2. Mentor staff: Staffs are not machines. When you take genuine attitude in developing their skills and their future career paths, you can not only learn about them but also will give a sense of care and accountability. Try setting regular routines where you can mentor them. Periodically suggest a coursework or training program for them to benefit from.

3. Align the goals of your team and team members: How can your team's success transfer to your staffs' success? How does the development of your team relate to your staffs? Once what your team is trying to achieve directly relates to your staff team, your team's success is guaranteed. Develop the kind of incentives that your team may be motivated with.

Life and Death of Ministry

Let God's calling determine where I depart to. Let God's will prevail over my attempt to drag on. Living Christ-like life includes to obey and learn to follow when things are unsure. Leaving Christ-like. Living Christ-like. In the deepest valleys of darkness, Jesus still in prayer had full conviction in the Lord, believing that even his death will glorify God and He was able to interpret his life through the Word of God. He could know the kind of the life that he will live out on earth. Knowing one's life- will this be a blessing or a curse? 

Prayer: Lord, may Your will shine upon my life and may my life forever follow that guiding light. Unpredictable but yet full of taste and excitement. Renewed and afresh, like a child, I want to follow you wherever you guide me to. Like the deer pants for the water that is fresher and quenching, let me live following my shepherd toward greener pasture, where life is truly lived beautiful. 

Tips on Hiring & Working with Lawyer

Lawyer can be expensive, time-consuming, and draining your nerves and energy. Here are five tips to consider when hiring a lawyer for your organization. 

- Consider multiple lawyers before hiring one. Find out if the lawyer did handle the case similar to yours in the past. 

- Check out the attorney's client-ratings (in the places like LegalMatch or your state bar association)  

- For cost, find out about "Off the top" or "after all expenses are counted." Check how often you will be billed and the estimation from lawyer on resolving the issue. Also prepare the max amount that you want to pay for the legal matter. 

- Tell lawyer everything up front. Given that the lawyer maintains the confidentiality, the best way not to waste your money is to tell everything you know from the very beginning. 

- Evaluate the lawyer through platforms like LegalMatch on the lawyer's service. When the case is over, if you were treated without care and respect, you want to help others in their searches. 

Simple Steps to Make Good Proposal

If you work in an environment where funds are limited and resources lack, making a good proposal for your program is a crucial factor. 

Below are the five simple steps to follow in making any successful proposals. 

1. Define the project by stating the problem or needs and by offering solutions with reseaches

2. Timeline of Project

3. Methods and action steps to get there 

4. Which criteria to evaluate the success and efficiency of project

5. Resoures needed including budget, staffing and specifics per options

Questions for Christ-like Leaders

If you are in a leadership position in any ministries fields that are setting goals, here are a few valuable questions to ask ourselves: 

Are you more interested in controlling people, or in supporting them to achieve their goals? Servant leadership might mean the letting go of your micro-managing, putting faith in your staff, and allowing God to lead.

Do you lead as you set yourself as an example? Have you done yourself what you are asking others? Like Jesus has shown to his disciples, Christ-like leaders demonstrate what is possible by their own examples. Rather than using worldly measures to set goals and evaluate others, instead he carries his own cross and encourage others to do the same. 

Are you leading by praying and meditating on God's Word as important parts of your life? To make a God-honoring decision and discernment, devoting ourselves in high standard of praying and reading God's Word are essential? Do you practice your leadership in prayer and personal devotions? 

Five Steps to Prepare A Great Meeting

How to prepare a meeting that sounds so boring and stressful? Here is my favorite checklist when I invite staffs to any kinds of meetings that I hold:

1. Arrive to the meeting room earlier ahead of the start time, make sure having enough chairs, readying tech equipments, and with good temperature.  

2. Meeting attendees are greeted and naturally introduced to initial conversations. 

3. Agenda with time budget and the result of the meeting need to be prescribed and circulated to all participants at least 12 hours ahead of the meeting time. 

4. Clear action steps should come out after the meeting. 

5. Prayer began and concluded the meeting, preferably ending earlier than the planned schedule.