Peter Drucker said, “Only three things happen naturally in an organization: friction, confusion, and underperforming. Everything else takes leadership.” Like a lot of his pithy statement, Drucker effectively captured the natural drift that occurs in organizations (and ministries) and the importance of leaders to rally people against the natural drifts. Just as a person does…
Teamwork
5 Differences to Value on Your Team
“How important is diversity on a team?” It is a common question I receive from leaders. “Very important” is my default response, and then I add an encouragement that “you should work towards being diverse as your context.” The caveat is important because I recognize that it has been easier for me to build ethnically…
Character First, But Is Chemistry or Competence Next?
Several years ago William Vanderbloemen and I had a conversation where he asked me to force-rank important qualities to consider when bringing a new person on the team. Many leaders have used three our four C’s as a helpful alliterated tool to describe essential characteristics when interviewing potential team members. You have likely heard the…
4 Postures Leaders Long for on Their Teams (and Leaders Must Be for Their Teams)
I often hear leaders brag about people on their leadership teams, people they love serving alongside, people they hope never leave. I have recently thought about the most recurring themes or attributes that leaders long for on their teams – postures or approaches that people take towards their roles and organization or ministry they serve….
10 Ways Leaders Shape Their Teams
The popular and often-quoted leadership axiom “speed of the leader, speed of the team” captures the reality that the leader of a group of people sets the tone and pace for the group. Of course, there are exceptions. There are times that gifted people with high integrity give themselves fully to their work despite their…
3 Important Places We Benefit From People Who Are Different Than Us
The cliché “birds of the same feather flock together” has been around for centuries and it captures the reality that we tend to gather with and connect to people similar to us. While we are often most comfortable with people who are like us, we benefit and we grow when we are in relationships with…
4 Ways to Recognize Team-Members Without “Skin in the Game”
We are not sure where the phrase “skin in the game” originated but it is commonly used to describe someone who is connected to the results of the game, someone who is not just watching but who is deeply connected to how it is played and what the results are. People on a team, whether…
5 Ways to Grow your Leadership Team’s Heart for your Church’s Mission
Every leader needs a compass in their head. The mission answers “Question Zero”: “What are we ultimately supposed to be doing?” It makes the overall direction of the church unquestionable and points everyone in that direction. The mission is a golden thread that weaves through every activity of the church. It brings greater meaning to…
3 People Who Are Harmed By “Misplaced Compassion”
One of my mentors, Brad Waggoner, cautioned me and other leaders about “misplaced compassion.” He coined the term when he observed that some leaders are unwilling to have challenging conversations with team members or make difficult decisions under the guise of “care and compassion.” For example, a leader has a consistently under-performing person on the…
4 Signs a Team Member Is a Distraction
Jimmy Butler is an amazing basketball player and he seems to be fitting in very well with his new team – the Philadelphia 76ers. Earlier this season, he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves but publicly stated he did not want to play for the Timberwolves any longer, that he did not trust or respect the…