Welcome to Semester 1, 2021!
As I write this I can hear the sound of students exiting class and traipsing through the Business Building foyer – a sound I have greatly missed over the summer break! It is with much excitement, and some trepidation, that students commence their studies for Semester 1 of 2021. There is the swagger of the returning students, and the cautious first year students who will daily encounter something new about being a Business student at Avondale over the course of their first few weeks of semester. And then there is the thrill of being back in the classroom for us as lecturers, the disjointed sleeps that come with the anticipation of teaching classes again, the hoarse voice as the body builds back up its strength to administer the classroom environment.
There are the joys of returning to classes as students catch up with friends they haven’t seen in just over 3 months, the sadness of leaving family and friends at home. The enjoyment of being back in the dorms where things are happening seemingly 24/7, the reuniting of learning with assessment and needing to refamiliarize oneself with the library, the stress of being financial and the ease of meal availability in the cafeteria.
It has been enjoyable for me as a lecturer to see just how involved our Business students have been in events on campus. From social basketball competitions during the orientation activities, to seeing our students facilitate walking tours for the new cohort of students, from working with the cleaning crew, to helping out with PULSE and enjoying the coming together of students and staff on a Wednesday here on campus. We have a community again on campus and a vibrancy to this beautiful, green, tree surrounded estate. But most of it, it is nice to be reminded that we are back for business in 2021!
“If Christian leadership development separates itself from secular theory at any point, it is at the cross of Christ. Leadership development without the crucifixion of Self is not Christian.” (p. 11) Such is the contention of author David McKenna who strongly advocates that to be a Christian leader in the model of Christ, we must be prepared to die to self and totally empty ourselves of self, to be filled with Christ.
His book Christ-Centered Leadership: The Incarnational Difference (2013, Cascade Books) is one of the best books I have read on leadership and challenged everything I thought I knew. McKenna is a very experienced Christian leader, theologian and educator who has written extensively in many areas, including leadership, Biblical commentaries, and the lighter side of life.
Using Scripture extensively, especially in relation to the example of Christ, numerous other literature sources, and his broad experience over many years in leadership he confronts leaders with the idea that there is much more to being a Christian leader than they may have thought. Statements like the following are very challenging and confrontational:
“We are ready and willing to be servants, but we do everything we can to divert the call to sacrifice.” (p. 26)
“Our only call is to be faithful to the mind of Christ and give God the glory for anything we accomplish as leaders. Recognition, rewards, and results belong to the Father.” (p. 70)
“Ultimate trust is to be faithful to the call of God without any guarantee of results, recognition, or rewards.” (p. 78)
“Christ-centered leaders will be models of integrity trusted by others, mentors with wisdom given to others, and mediators for reconciliation on behalf of others.” (p. 83)
“Vision is always one of the highest priorities in the job descriptions for Christian leaders, but the clarity of the vision depends upon freedom from the distractions of sin. To see clearly, we need to die completely.” (P. 97)
“When a Christian leader is obeying the will of God, suffering is part of the package, but not without a sense of peace and a song of praise. It is this joy that gives a Christian leader quiet confidence under stress, criticism, and misunderstanding. Rather than be frenzied by circumstance, trust in the Lord keeps us on course, resolute, calm and upbeat.” (p. 98)
After setting the scene and tone, the book traces the development of leadership theory, noting the positive move away from self-interest toward a servant and sacrificial approach. It is very well organised in a succinct format, and is easy to follow and not too lengthy.
I quickly felt very intimate with the author, as if he were speaking directly to me. As such, while I feel this book is suitable for all leaders, it is especially so for those who are comfortable with their leadership, as this will challenge your foundations and potentially take your leadership to a whole different level of effectiveness. Read it only if you are courageous enough.
If one learns to leads like Jesus, from His example, then one will change the world like the disciples did within 60 years of His death. Such is the compelling argument of Karl Martin (Theologian, Pastor of “Central” in Edinburgh and founder of Cairn, a movement of mission and discipleship in the Celtic nations) in his book LEAD (2017, Muddy Pearl).
The book is based on The Words of Jesus from John chapters 13-21, as well as the personal experience and research of the author. The author uses a simply methodology in the construct of the book from the Gospel of John, chapters 13-21, along with interpretation, example and focus and then using the chapters to ensure you follow his logic. Within the chapters are paragraphs that you can read on their own slowly to ingest the information without getting lost in the hyperbole
Martin argues that the current world’s leadership focus is considered and then discarded as lacking depth, tiring you out and focused on outcomes that are about social climbing or corporate climbing without vapid emptiness. Since the book leads you on a personal reflective narrative, the argument is really you on the journey discovering if the author’s thoughts and arguments are persuasive and influential. Personally, I thought they were.
The book is well organized, with a clear path from start to finish of its 9 chapters. You’re unable to skip chapters as you’d miss the information that was pertinent to the starting premise and thus misunderstand the eventual conclusion. However, the argument and conclusion allow you to know what is coming and where the author is headed but wanting to know why.
It should appeal to Christians who are leaders AND who are not leaders and think they never will be. It is thought provoking, soul addressing and ultimately satisfying.
Reviewed by Pastor Terry Johnson,
President of the Greater Sydney Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
Avondale Business School has partnered with the Christian Education and Research Centre (CERC) at Avondale University College, by providing a chapter in the upcoming book entitled “Revealing Jesus in the Learning Environment: Making a World of Difference” to be launched early February 2021. The chapter discusses research output from both surveys and interviews regarding what employers’ expectations were for students who had undertaken a degree at a Christian higher education provider.
So there are no “spoiler alerts”, we won’t reveal results now, but hope people will read the book in its entirety not just our Chapter 11. This research was done with the help of a student who applied for a summer scholarship. This scholarship encouraged the student to learn from and work with current academic staff, to research, collate and analyse data in preparation for the book chapter. It is also helpful to the student to have co-written a book chapter for future employment purposes 😊
The book can be purchased online at Avondale or directly via Amazon, see the links below:
Avondale: https://avondaleaustralia.spiffystores.com/collections/avondale-academic-press
The Avondale Business School is proud to announce that 2 graduates from 2020 have now secured full-time positions at the Sanitarium Health Food Company in Berkeley Vale, NSW. One student is an Accounting graduate, who intends to complete his formal post graduate Accounting qualification and the other has been employed in the Human Resources department. Both students are very proud to have been employed by such a well-recognized organization.
Our relationship at Avondale has always been positive with Sanitarium, with their staff on various Boards here at Avondale such as College Council, External Advisory Boards and various round table discussion forums. Sanitarium has also supported Avondale by providing guest lecturers to our business students, on the use of technology in food manufacturing for example, as well as sponsoring awards for our student’s academic achievements.
But like any relationship, it has to be reciprocated. Here at Avondale we have a Sanitarium staff member currently undertaking a Master of Philosophy qualification, supervised by two Avondale Business School staff members. This student has been studying on a part-time basis for over two years at Avondale, and has now collected all data, and is on track to submit the thesis in 2021. Prior to COVID-19 restrictions, our staff would meet with the student at Sanitarium in Berkeley Vale, which also gave us an opportunity to liaise with staff, as well as current and past students whilst on site.
Like all business partnerships, the Avondale/Sanitarium partnership works due to it’s reciprocating nature. Another example of this will be in 2021, when another 2 students will undertake their internships at Sanitarium in semester 1. These internships give the students a taste of the real world, particularly in manufacturing, and is a great way for Sanitarium to assess their suitability for future employment. Another bonus is that we get to write about the importance of business engagement in our newsletter! If you need further information on the Sanitarium Food Company, just click
on the link https://www.sanitarium.com.au/, or if you would like to link with Avondale Business School, just contact us at [email protected].
You may be the kind of person who dives head-first into business articles, or you may be like everyone else: just give me the one-minute recap. Well, when it comes to predicting (or at least intelligently guessing) how your spending, travelling, and working ideas may unfold this year, we’ve summarised the dot points and the details for you.
The January 2021 report from McKinsey and Company, The next normal arrives: Trends that will define 2021—and beyond (read it here), is quick to read, but packed with useful ideas that capture what business leaders and consumers need to be aware of as they respond to the changing business environment.
Here are a few of the key points, but it is well worth taking a few minutes to read the report in full:
Whether you’re a business leader, a professional in your own field, or have an interest in the macro and micro consequences of COVID-19, I’m sure these points have provided some food for thought.
Photograph
Standsome Worklifestyle on Unsplash.
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There has always been debate in Human Resource circles about whether it is best to hire an internal candidate for promotion, or to bring in an external candidate. Pro’s and con’s abound for each of these circumstances. But as Kim Thomson notes in her article ‘So you’ve passed someone over for a promotion – now what?’, the fallout of internal hiring can present more than a little awkwardness.
While the article notes that some businesses shy away from hiring internally, there are ways of avoiding isolating the individuals passed over for promotion opportunities. Some are intuitive, while some require a conscious effort on the organisation’s behalf. In essence, the article puts forward points such as the need for fair and consistent protocols and clear selection criteria, which are seen as crucial, as is the need to be clear about what technical capabilities, as well as professional or interpersonal capabilities are required in the role. A consideration may need to be given regarding the formality of approach taken – some businesses now suggest mirroring the external recruitment process, in that internal candidates still apply, interview and experience the same feedback processes as would an external candidate.
Additionally, being upfront and honest is seen as crucial, while still demonstrating care and compassion for the individual, but importantly, do not fall into the trap of sugarcoating the feedback or providing vague feedback in the circumstance of unsuccessful candidates. This may mean having the courage to explore with the candidate areas in need of improvement to be a successful applicant. This places importance on the mode of communication. It is recommended to go into such conversations with a plan of what needs to be said and the outcomes you hope to achieve – this will improve the quality of the feedback and minimise the likelihood of being caught up in the emotions of the conversation.
The article emphasises that when providing feedback, timeliness of feedback is crucial. Absolutely ensure the successful or unsuccessful candidate hears the news first from HR or a senior manager – not the rumour mill. A key aim is to set people up for success, if you knock back a candidate, consider making a time to meet with them to help develop a plan to assist them realising their ambitions, and where possible put plans in place to help them develop their capabilities.
Lastly, avoid putting candidates forward who are not yet ready for the role, instead, be open and honest with them about their not being ready, but again, be looking to have conversations around how the organisation can assist the candidate developing towards such roles, perhaps considering elements such as mentoring or coaching.
So while it can be difficult to let someone down in an internal hiring process, there are ways for the parties involved to ultimately benefit. After all, in-house hiring can be an effective and efficient option for organisations, and can assist in staff retention by incentivising staying with the employer.
So it’s time to pop the question, but before rushing into such a commitment have you thought about how and when you will ask? About the way you will phrase the question? About whether you are committed to following through on the answer? No, I am not referring to a marriage proposal, I am referring instead to the staff survey. Often treated as a "tick-a-box" part of organizational life, staff surveys can be a powerful tool if used with real intention.
Employee surveys come in various forms:
Climate Surveys – measures employee satisfaction, opinions, attitudes and perceptions. Simply put, how does it feel in our organization?
Culture Surveys – measures whether employee views currently align with those of the organization. In other words, are the way things actually done around here the same as what the organization says it does?
Engagement Surveys – measures staff commitment, motivation and purpose regarding their role and the organization.
Pulse Surveys – a miniature (5-15 questions) version of any of the above. Provides a brief check-in and are typically used in between more comprehensive staff surveys.
If you are looking to survey your staff, I would recommend reading this article for more detailed information on how to be intentional with your surveys. A few of the key points are below:
If you want to get into the nitty gritty of how to choose an actual tool for administering the survey, this article provides some key considerations for those analytically excited among us. The most important thing is to be intentional, as staff will see through your efforts to simply tick the box. Ensure that you have a plan ahead of time for communicating and following through after the survey. After all, the purpose of measuring engagement is to improve it!
2021 is just a few weeks away, and here is a quick snapshot of what the ABS team is looking at for the new year.
Peter Williams:
2021 will continue to see ABS provide quality teaching and administration of our programs of study and the pastoral care our students have come to expect from us. With Avondale restructuring and the school of Business amalgamating with the school of Arts, there will be a number of new challenges and changes taking place which will no doubt keep us on our toes for some time! It will be interesting to work closely with colleagues we may not have previously worked alongside of given they were part of another faculty. This might bring new opportunities for collaboration in teaching or research. Peter will continue a research project in the area of Educational Administration, which he is excited about. Peter will take also some Long Service Leave in the second half of the year, where he plans to be more involved with his kids on a daily basis (He has volunteered for the walk to school each day!), repaint an entire house inside and out, read and write guilt free for pleasure, and take long walks on the beach with Melina. There will be plenty of tailor, bream and flathead fishing taking place, and he plans to complete a 3500 piece Lego Technic Bugatti Chiron with Elijah and Isiah, and help Amira learn to tightrope walk!
Lisa Barnes:
2021 should see both my children at Uni, and my new position as Head of the new Arts and Business School, so things are looking great for 2021. Hope you all get some family time in over the holidays and are ready to start the new year refreshed. Good bye 2020, hello 2021.
Warrick Long:
Next year is looking to be every bit as busy as 2020 for me. There is a mountain of work to get units ready for the start of semester, with some units moving to an additional online format, some needing a refresh, and one brand new unit to be set up from scratch. There are also a lot of commitments for training and development of some schools, boards and leadership teams. There is also the anxiety and stress of seeing the Worlds Greatest Granddaughter starting big school! She assures me she will be fine. All of this happens in the context of uncertainty whether we face a new wave of pandemic restrictions that might change everything.
Whatever your 2021 is looking like, remember that ABS is here to help you, just give us an email or call and we will do what we can to support your business.
While 2020 presented some now well-known challenges, it still contained a few highlights: While some would say there are no highlights, but for us at ABS we actually achieved a whole lot in 2020 and the ABS team once again punched above its weight:
Thank you to all our supporters and stakeholders – we really appreciate your help in our success.
