There are a number of reasons why people disengage from ministry in the church or work responsibilities in the market place. What does it take to keep people engaged? What factors need to be present in the their environment?

In particular, what kinds of things are important for keeping 20-year olds fully engaged, positive and productive?  Brad Lomenick from Catalyst sheds some light on this.

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Originally posted by Brad Lomenick on May 18, 2014

Five Keys To Engaging The 20’s somethings On Your Team

1. FLEXIBILITY WITH ACCOUNTABILITY.

Every 20 something I know wants to have flexible hours and work schedules, but you can only create this effectively if you have true accountability in place. Results have to accompany convenience, otherwise you’re just creating a perk with no tie back to moving the organization forward.

2. RESPONSIBILITY WITH AUTHORITY.

Most of the time we just give responsibility to young leaders, without the authority. Try at all intersections to provide both at the same time. Be smart on this, but make efforts to give the project completely to them with as much authority and decision making power as possible.

3. FAMILY ENVIRONMENT.

Make your office feel like a home, complete with as close to a living room, kitchen, and den as possible. Community and connectivity is vital for younger leaders, and a great place to provide that is in the office and work environment.

4. CUSTOMIZED LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE.

Creating a cookie cutter organizational structure and team dynamic tends to turn away younger leaders. All rules don’t apply to all team members, so don’t let an easier approach of blanket rules and staff handbooks that everyone has to follow even though it doesn’t make sense be the foundation of your culture. Every employee and team member wants to be seen as important and crucial to the success of the organization, and small things that seem small to you as the leader will be a big deal to team members.

5. COMPELLING VISION WITH CLEAR SENSE OF TARGET AND WIN.

Make the vision significant and epic. While also defining very clearly what the wins look like. Create a vision that everyone on the team can rally around.