Leadership in a Word - TEAMS!

Teams are the foundation of an effective leadership culture. Teams eliminate the lone ranger or Superman mentalities among staff.  No single person in your organization is equipped to handle every situation or make every decision and anyone who thinks she or he is causes a bottleneck to creativity and growth in the organization.  Jesus Christ was well equipped to do any aspect of ministry and yet he modeled team ministry throughout his three years of ministry. Why would we think we could be the best at leading ministry all alone if he didn't do it? 

For some leaders developing a team is the most challenging aspect of their job. Why is this? Let's look at a few common reasons: 

·        Time - It takes time to recruit other leaders for a team – time that involves getting to know the individuals at a level that reveals their gifts, passions, personalities, strengths and weaknesses.

·        Effort - It takes effort to allow the team members to buy into the vision, mission, and goals of the ministry, event, or group. It also takes effort on the part of the team leader to cast the vision, or sell the “why” in a way that encourages buy-in and enthusiasm. 

·        It’s Hard - As the experienced leader in a ministry area, it is sometimes easier and quicker to do everything yourself. Before the team is trained and equipped, the leader will be more likely to reach the desired goals successfully and in a timely manner, but over time this stunts ministry growth.

·        Low self-esteem - As in any relationship, team members are likely to reveal weaknesses or faults in each other, including the leader. One person’s strength often highlights another’s weakness and pride often stands in the way of turning this around to the advantage of the ministry or team.

·        Ego - When an event or ministry area is considered a success, leaders with issues of pride or ego will not want to share the accolades.

·        Lack of skill or dedication - Successful teams are administered well. This means meetings are run effectively and in a way that encourages creativity and participation. Communication has to be frequent, effective and take place in multiple forms. Administration at this level is a skill or gift that some leaders simply do not possess naturally. One can develop these skills, but that takes time and dedication.

Can any or all of these challenges be overcome? Of course they can and if Jesus Christ himself modeled team ministry then we are assured God will walk alongside us to equip us in leading teams well. The question is, do you have the desire to lead through teams? Maybe the real problem is that you don’t know the advantages of operating on a team… stay tuned because that is the subject of part 2 of Leadership in a Word - Teams!