How Carey Nieuwhof and the Connexus Team Used the Profiles to Break Attendance Barrier
“The Leading From Your Strengths profile provides the kind of insight you have when you reflect on a situation and make sense of it,” says best-selling author and podcaster Carey Nieuwhof, founding pastor of Connexus Church (Barrie, Ontario). “You think, ‘Huh, I bet that was what was going on.’”
Carey Nieuwhof
But you can get that insight now rather than later, Carey has learned, and use it to build a more effective team.
Connexus Church was five years old and striving to pass the 1,000-attendance mark when consultant Tony Morgan introduced Carey and his staff to the profile.
“I knew right away that the profiles were a valuable tool,” says Carey. “The data completely nailed the personality and dynamics of our team members.” The insights gained allowed the team to make a key staffing decision.
Impact for the Team
Carey and his team had completed personality profiles in the past, but what made the difference this time was the LFYS Strengths Wheel – the visual tool that plots each team member’s natural and adaptive strengths derived from the profile.
When members’ profiles were placed on this larger metric, Carey and his team saw the gaps in their staffing. The matrix revealed a considerable concentration of team members who were wired to work at a slower pace and in a relational style.
“If we were going to grow past 1,000, we needed to make structural changes and hire people who made faster-paced operations decisions,” says Carey.
The profile data and subsequent hiring process allowed them to add operations staff with those strengths. Today, the church’s weekly attendance exceeds 1,200 on two campuses.
Impact for the Individual Leader
While Carey’s experience with Leading From Your Strengths had immediate impact for his team, another benefit was quite personal. The profile helped him identify the conditions in which he thrives as a leader.
“In my case, that meant having multiple offices and having a great variety in my work,” says Carey. “I operate best when I can express my ideas clearly and bluntly. It was liberating.”
In 2015, Carey transitioned from his position as Connexus’ lead pastor to a teaching pastor role in order to focus on communication, writing, speaking, and expanding Connexus’ broader ministry. He writes one of today’s most widely-read church leadership blogs and hosts the top-rated Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast, regularly interviewing some of today’s best leaders.
Why wait to get insight into your staff? “Leading From Your Strengths is the most helpful single profile I have ever used as a leader,” says Carey. “You don’t need to wonder what is going on with your staff. You can know immediately.”
And then use that insight to build a more effective team.
More Ways to Use the Profiles in Staffing
Staffing: Help Steer a Team Out of a Mismatch