What does your office say about you?

Ever walk into a cluttered office where stuff is strewn all over the desk and even spilling onto the floor? What is the first thought that comes to your mind about the person whose office it is? I’ll bet it’s not a positive one! When people walk into your office they form an opinion of you before you can even open your mouth. They make assumptions about your work ethic, orderliness, creativity, and most importantly, your desire for excellence.

I learned early on in ministry that keeping my office in great shape is a huge help in forming positive thoughts in peoples’ minds about me and my ministry. I want people, when they walk into my office, to think of me as someone who desires and will even demand excellence. If they walk into my office and go “WOW!!” (instead of “ohhh my…”), they will make an assumption about how I want things to run in my ministry. You can talk all you want, but nothing speaks louder than the environment you call your home away from home.

Here are some simple things that you can do to whip your office into shape.

Hide your To Do pile in a drawer or closet. I always have a pile of things that I either need to look at, throw away or file. I try not to leave that pile on my desk. Keep your workspace orderly and clean. Try an experiment. Clutter your desk up with a bunch of stuff (include water bottles, crumpled pieces of paper containing not so brilliant ideas, and candy bar wrappers…come on admit it, we all like candy!). Now, step back into the doorway and take a look. Not too good, huh? Now, go clean it all up. Don’t leave anything on your desk (yes you must dust, and use a wet rag on that soda spill!). Go back and look again. Ahhhh, nice, huh? Now do that to the rest of your office! It won’t just look better; it will make you feel better too!

Paint your walls some fun colors. Nothing yells “I’m Creative!” like bright, primary-colored walls, especially if you paint each wall a different color. OK, it may not convince others of your creativity, but it will make you look like you’re fun! Try accenting those walls with some black and white art pieces. Black and white pictures and objects against bright colors look really “cartoony” and cheerful.

Don’t be afraid of toys. I love miniatures – especially miniatures of animated movie characters. These types of things will add whimsy to your office and make people smile. Always take advantage of the fact that you work with kids and nobody will give you a hard time about that Winnie the Pooh in the corner. One caution however, the more knick-knacks you add to your office, the more things you will have to move when it’s time to dust. Sorry, no plan is foolproof.

Use indirect lighting wherever you can. Turn off those fluorescents! Get a floor lamp, or two, or three. Stick some small indirect lighting units under your shelves. You can often go to Wal-Mart or Target and get cool lighting elements pretty cheap. Put them in some unusual places. Never do things as expected. Indirect lighting and shading will soothe and calm. When you need to yell, turn the fluorescents back on.

Smell. Get some air fresheners…please! Let’s face it. Children’s areas are not known for the best aromas in the world. We have a “stinkma” that really needs breaking! Start in your office. When people walk through your door they should think “Ahhhh…hawaiian breeze” not “Ewww…is there something under your desk?”

Remember, your office speaks for you…even when you’re not in it!

Mike Johnson has been the Director of FCKids, the children’s ministry of Fellowship church, for 14 years. He is also the creator of Elevate and Elevate Jr., a Bible based curriculum for kids 3 years old thru 5th grade. For more information about Elevate visit Elevatekids.com. Mike lives in Argyle, Texas with his wife Karry and 2 daughters, Kaitlynn and Annie. He’s also owner of the COOLEST children’s pastor’s office ever:

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