A couple months ago one of my staff members came to me with the big news – she was leaving to become a full-time mommy. Awesome…

On the one hand, I couldn’t have been more happy for her! There is no higher calling, IMHO.

But on the practical other hand, ARGHHH! Not cool! Not only did that throw a proverbial wrench into the fledgling development of our new Campus, but it also interrupted a strong and growing work relationship.

So, like any good boss, I played it off a bit. I acknowledged the fact, communicated it as needed, and pursued her replacement. All the while I kept telling people, “I’ll save the mushy stuff for later…” Well, ‘later’ has come. This is our first week w/out Marie at the helm of our Children’s Ministry, and it’s time to give her a little public praise.

For the task that was at hand – starting a new multi-site campus in an environment that had to date not done such a thing – Marie was an absolute perfect fit. I could not have asked for more.

Marie is one of those people that make you question the face value of their resume – almost too good to be true. Then she backed it up by bringing her A-Game to the table. She worked hard to integrate existing structure with future design, involved new faces & veterans, implemented key processes, and gracefully navigated the tensions natural in being “the newbie” on staff. She brought experience, relational insight, humility, and fortitude into tough conversations. She brought a much needed fresh perspective and always had an encouraging word. I am extremely grateful for her service.

I certainly don’t mean to set a precedent, cuz I probably won’t do a blog post every time I lose an employee. But, it’s really hard to not gush about Marie. For the time and place, she was pretty special, and I thought that deserved at least a few words of public thanks.

We’re both ready now to move into the next phase – Marie & Nathan are hard at work planning for their new bundle of joy to arrive, we’ve hired a great new Children’s Ministry Director in Rachel, and our East Campus staff is looking forward to an amazing future.

Especially now that “the mushy stuff” is behind me…