Start Something - Delivering Happiness

Last week I talked about a few books that heavily influenced my thinking lately around starting new ventures.  With the fall quickly approaching and the mad rush of starting the new school year off right I am going to highly recommend you go and read Delivering Happiness.  It is a great book which details some quirky things that Zappos has done to keep their organization a fun profitable place to work.  Now as a youth minister you aren't concerned(or shouldn't be) about traditional profits, but you should be concerned about how the kids in your group are profiting spiritual and that they are having fun.

One thing Zappos has done really well has created a list of principles that guide all their decisions.  This is their list:

1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More With Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble

My challenge to you this week is to start putting down some ideas on some guiding principles that you could work on applying to everything you do as a youth group.  Take the list to your youth one week and get their input.  This process can be really telling about what you prioritize and can serve a long time benefit for your group.  Even if you fail to get something concrete on paper, I guarantee you'll learn a lot about your motives which help you in the long run.