Barton Buchanan
Senior Pastor // Windermere Union
Without Mike's generous knowledge and coaching we would be floundering terribly
"The success we are having with our website and virtual community is entirely because of his vast knowledge of the products that help us continually keep our community vibrant and connected."
Barton Buchanan, who is the Senior Pastor at Windermere Union, wanted to share his story of working with me to enhance his organization's ability to engage their membership during a time of crisis. He shares how my knowledge of technology and ownership mentality helped Windermere Union to pivot when they needed guidance.
Helping us to pivot
I have known Mike for five years. I've known him as a man full of ideas, and I've recently discovered how extremely creative and resourceful he is. Due to the pandemic, my company had to make a major pivot to stay connected to our membership. We had to completely change how we touched base with our members from an in-person to a virtual format. Mike stepped in to lead our team out from what seemed like an impossible place and was instrumental in my company's ability to stay connected to our membership virtually.
Effective tools
Through his coaching, Mike has introduced us to many wonderful tools that aid us in communicating more efficiently and effectively. Still, there are two that particularly stand out for me:
Marco Polo
Mike introduced our team to Marco Polo so that we could communicate more effectively while being quarantined from each other. The system of sending brief videos to brainstorm how to meet the challenges of the day, or simply touching base with each other, has been a huge help. Seeing a person's face while they share their ideas has been a welcome alternative to long e-mails, where it can be very easy to feel disconnected.
Bear
A while back, Mike told me about the 5 second rule, and I accepted his challenge of making notes of my ideas before judging them. I am continually thinking of new ideas for my various projects, so I could immediately see the benefit of getting the ideas out of my head. Since I often get my best ideas when I am walking, Mike suggested that I use Bear on my Apple Watch. With Bear, I can create a note by simply dictating to my watch. I no longer worry about the idea slipping away before I can get to a piece of paper to write it down. This has been of tremendous value to me!
Mike has helped us to remain connected
Without Mike's generous knowledge and coaching, we would be floundering terribly. The success we are having with our website and virtual community is entirely because of his vast knowledge of the products that help us continually keep our community vibrant and connected. Mike is brilliant, and he is genuinely kind and supportive of those he serves.