SPECIAL AGENT
5 Ways to Make Sure Your Christian School Mission is Accomplished
The Mission: Impossible movie franchise is can’t-miss cinema. I love these movies mostly because the main character, played by Tom Cruise, is extremely relentless. Cruise’s character just refuses to give up in his pursuit of bad guys. He is the ultimate special agent.
Liv Wiseman, in The Impact Player, described the best employees as having a touch of special agent in their blood. We need to aspire to be special agents on our Christian school campuses because our missions are not impossible; they are eternal.
Here are 5 practical things that you can do to be Christian Education Special Agents and help your school pursue its mission.
Be RESILIENT to unwanted surprises- Rosabeth Moss Kanter described resilience as the most wanted skill in the modern workplace. Resilience is NOT flexibility. It is bouncing back after failing. How well do you manage your attitude and effort after something surprised you and did not go the right way? The Christians of Rome were reminded that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope (Romans 5:3-4). Be a resilient special agent for your Christian school.
Be a REMINDER-free special agent - My children were well trained in their younger years that responsibility was not forgetting, so I don’t have to remind them. The more responsible we are, the less we have to be reminded to follow through, and the faster we can pursue the mission of your Christian school. As stewards of our Christian schools, we should be found faithful (I Corinthians 4:2)
Be trusted to do the RIGHT thing - Integrity is doing the right thing, the right way, at the right time, with the right attitude. I know we are all disciples of Christ, but it doesn’t mean doing the right thing is easy. Doing the right thing - turning in lesson plans on time, locking up the gym at night, picking up trash on the bathroom floor - is a high standard. Christian school special agents never lower that standard because they know that walking in integrity is to talk securely (Proverbs 10:9)
Be a REINFORCER for other people and departments - Have you ever seen a movie where the cavalry arrives and saves the day? The relief that reinforcements bring is met with a shout of joy. Special agents can be trusted to be loyal to their colleagues and leadership in all circumstances. Are you the type of special agent who is available to be a reinforcement for your colleagues and your leadership team, encouraging them and building them up? (I Thessalonians 5:11)
Be a RELENTLESS finisher of things - Few things lower a supervisor’s stress level like knowing a team member took ownership of something and got it across the finish line. It’s a game-changer when you know you have a teammate who will drag things across the finish line. Special agents wrestle things through to completion.
The apostle Paul exemplified the relentless nature of a special agent when he declared, ‘I press on toward the goal...’ (Philippians 3:14)
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, Christian educator, is eternally significant. It will require you to be a special agent.
Keep on, keepin’ on.
About Excel Still More
Excel Still More is a publication by Dr. Chris Hobbs offering practical wisdom and inspiration for Christian educators. Each post encourages schools and leaders to pursue excellence that honors Christ, craft culture that inspires Kingdom work, and equips graduates to make a lasting impact for Him.
A Note from Chris:
Thank you for your heart and dedication to Christian education; may the truths we explore in each of these posts strengthen your courage, deepen your service, and spark new hope in your school.
God has given us a critical role to play in our schools as we build environments where hearts are shaped, minds are renewed, and skilled hands serve with love.
Until next time, keep pointing your administrators, teachers, colleagues, students, and yourselves toward Christ, and remember: in all you do, excel still more!
*I Thessalonians 4:1, 10