Why Ministry Teams?

It's hard to believe but there are still folks out there that don't believe in teams as an effective strategy for achieving mission.
On second thought, it wasn't that many years ago that I was a lone ranger myself. The thought of having to depend on and be accountable to a group of people I didn't know very well sounded tiring and (if I am honest) a bit threatening. It's so much simpler and quicker to just get the job done myself without having to get input from others. And what if they think my ideas are dumb, what then? Who would decide which ideas prevail? Yep, it seemed to make much more sense to work alone, crank out the tasks, and take all the credit (or blame) myself. This method also left room for me to play the martyr - you know, so exhausted from doing it all by myself.
I'm grateful to God for breaking me of this sin. (Yes, I actually believe it can be sin to resist serving in team.) It took about 3 years for me to fully realize and appreciate the joy and effectiveness of Team. Now, there is no going back!
For those of you who are still resisting, here is why I think you need to reconsider:

Team is a Biblical model for ministry: There are countless examples in Scriptures but I will just name a few. Remember Jethro's advice in Exodus 18 to Moses, "You and these people will wear yourselves out! You cannot handle it alone." Moses thought he had to do it all himself - or at least he thought he could. New Testament examples are even more abundant. Jesus sent the disciples out in no fewer than two at a time - every time - and Paul didn't travel alone. The Scriptures always describe a companion traveling and ministering with him.

The reasons for this are found in scripture and in common sense. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says "two are better than one because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down his friend can help him up. But, pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up." For safety, comraderie, accountability, and encouragement, ministry should not be attempted alone. Even Jesus, although He needed no one, chose to spend his three year ministry in team with 12 others. God created us to live, play and serve in community.

Team serves to keep us Christ-like and humble as we have to continually - almost daily - admit that others often have better ideas than we do. It constantly challenges us to be interdependent - relying on others and being found reliable over and over again. Interdependence serves as an antidote to pride as team members must admit that they need others to accomplish the mission with excellence.

The second reason I believe in Team next time.

Swing Thoughts

A friend asked me a great question recently. She is struggling in her leadership these days and although I would like to help, I wasn't sure how I could.

So she asked me this question: "What is your “swing thought” when you walk through the doors every morning for work? In golf they tell you not to carry more than three thoughts with you to the tee."

I've never played golf but I love this question. According to the internet, swing thoughts are those short catch-phrases someone plants into your mind with the idea that you're supposed to remember it and still make contact with the ball. "Keep your head down." "Straighten out the elbow." "Don't open up the hips too early."

Apparently there are also positive swing thoughts that will keep you motivated and optimistic throughout your round of golf, making for better scores (and lower blood pressure I assume). There is even a company that manufactures tees with tiny positive 'swing thoughts' printed on them.

I thought it was going to be a hard question to answer, but quickly realized that I do carry about 3 thoughts with me as my day begins. And I decided that there is something to this idea that just as too many thoughts in our head can skew a golf swing - too many thoughts and/or agendas can skew our ministry and drain us of the joy of serving.
I believe much of what makes us effective and joyful in our ministry is what kind of swing thoughts we carry with us as we approach our service each day.

Here is what I wrote to her:

It starts before I approach the tee with my attitude (what I believe) about that ball and whether my whole identity is wrapped up in that ball and the “shot” that I will make today. So, I give myself permission to fail, but not the permission to only give 50% of my best effort to the shot.

As I walk in the doors (approach the tee) I am thinking:

• "What is on my task list today?"
• "How realistic is it that I will get all that done? (I give myself permission to not complete it)"
• “How interruptible can I be today to serve people around me and still accomplish what’s essential on my list?”

This third thought is huge for me because I completely believe that what He has for me to do today may have nothing to do with what's on my job description or my to-do list. God may have completely other purposes for me in this day and in this ministry.

What's your swing thought each day?

Willowcreek Leadership Summit

It's been years since I've attended a satellite broadcast of the Willowcreek Leadership Summit. What a treat! Bill Hybels has been a tremendous influence in my life -- probably in the top 25 influencers in my life.

This year's Summit was really good. I wouldn't call it outstanding. But definitely very good.

Marcus Buckingham's talk is standing out most in my mind two weeks later. If you go to the site you can see his slides and also download 6 podcasts that cover the topic of his talk and his new book, "Go Put Your Strengths to Work"

Buckingham always seems to make me think new thoughts. Some of the things he says you know are true but you've never thought of them. Like: "You will grow most in your areas of greatest strength (rather than in your weaknesses)." That seems counterintuitive and yet you know somewhere deep inside you that it is true!

Other things he says you hope are true. Like "A great team member volunteers his strengths to the team most of the time." Gosh we want this to be true. But we're so afraid of being called proud or selfish that we hold back our strengths and instead spend most of our time in our weakest areas. Afterall, don't "team players" do whatever is necessary to help the team? Buckingham says yes and no. He says that while we certainly do, at times, need to work in areas where we are thin, we don't really help our team to our fullest potential unless we can work in our strengths at least half of the time.

The challenge Buckingham put to me was to figure out how to bit-by-bit put more of my strengths to work this week than last. He has a strategy for this. I haven't gotten to that podcast yet.

Learn and Know these things to Follow Well

Beyond the "be-attitudes" of followership there are also a few things that are extremely helpful to learn and know about your leader in order to influence him or her.

• Know yourself! Every good leader knows himself best of all. Find out your own strengths and weaknesses, relational style, gifts and passions. If you don't know yourself well it means you have blind spots that will eventually derail your ministry. Take tests and assessments but also, ask people close to you (truthful friends in your small group, ministry team members, spouse, children) if they agree with the assessments. Sometimes we lie to ourselves even on the tests!



• Know his/her personality & relational style. Knowing and understanding your leaders relational style will help you accept her as she is and will also greatly improve your communications with her.



• Know his/her strengths & weaknesses. Understanding your leader's weaknesses helps you to know how to help her! You will be able to fill in some of the gaps and make the team stronger.



• Know his/her priorities. It's difficult to know how to be a resource if you don't know what your leader's top goals and priorities are. You can become a better value-adder if you know the goals he's aiming for.



• Know his/her prayer needs. Praying for your leader is the most powerful thing you can do for her. Knowing what she needs from God will help you accept her as she is and pray for her with a positive attitude. Not "God change her" but "Lord change me and show me how to serve her well."

Good leaders follow - Good followers lead.

--Eugene Habecker

Leading Up - The Powerful Influence of Followership

If you have ever watched Dancing With the Stars or So You Think You Can Dance? you know that when two people are matched together to learn a dance there is one thing that must be established first before anything else can happen: They must decide and agree on who is going to lead. That's because the things that a leader does, the steps and movements he makes, are different than the steps and movements that his partner- his follower- makes.
And if you have ever watched a couple attempt to dance when they are both trying to lead, you know what a mess it turns out to be. Awkward at best, tripping over each other at worst, it's a real disaster whether they are both trying to lead or both trying to follow.
There are distinct differences in these two roles in dancing- and there are distinct differences in these two roles in ministry or business.
Most of us are in a position that we must report to someone. We need to remember that we have the power to influence those who lead us just as much as we have the power to influence those we lead. But the skills and behaviors you use when leading others are different than the "steps and moves" you make when you're following.
Following is more than passive assent. Following is not passive. It's active. It involves active behaviors and attitudes that dove tail with the behaviors and moves of the leader to make for a smooth, and often, fun dance.
To be an actively engaged follower remember these 5 "be-attitudes" of followership.

1. Be a Resource. Be a person who offers solutions to problems your leader or the team are trying to solve. In Exodus 18 we have a great example of Jethro offering Moses advice on how to manage all those hundreds of thousands of Israelites. Jethro was a resource to Moses by giving him a practical administrative solution called delegation. Think about how you can be a resource to your leader. Is there a book, an article, a website, a contact, a seminar, an event that you know of that would help your leader solve a problem or reach a goal?
2. Be a Team Player. Be a dependable go-to person who brings the team together, helps to heal divisions, brings energy and ideas to the team and collaborates easily. In Romans 16 we have a list of people who Paul said were dependable servants who worked hard for Christ and even risked their lives for the sake of the gospel. Be a team player that your leader can count on to unite the team through tough times.
3. Be a Friend. Leadership is lonely. Leaders need trusted friends who they can be real with and are safe to talk to. The best Biblical example I can think of is Jonathan in I Samuel. Jonathan loved David, not because he would be king, but just because he was David. Take the initiative to build a relationship with your leader and be a friend who will keep her confidence and encourage her when she's tired.
4. Be a Truth Teller. Warren Bennis says that the most important quality of a good follower is the will and the courage to tell the truth to the leader whether or not he wants to hear it. Nathan the prophet comes to mind when in 2 Samuel 12 he confronted King David about his sin with Bathsheba. Actively engaged followers say what needs to be said even when it risks their own well being. This may be the hardest thing to do. I can't help but also think of Esther who had to muster the courage and the faith to speak to her husband the King about his right-hand-man Haman who was not who the King thought he was. Have the courage to say the hard things. There is no better way to serve your leader.
5. Be an initiator. Be a follower who doesn't have to wait to be told what to do. Come to the table with ideas, plans and solutions of your own. In I Samuel 17 young boy David didn't have to be recruited to take on Goliath. In fact, no one would've even thought of him. But he stepped up to take on the Philistine and swiftly took him down with his slingshot. Take territory for your leader and help lighten her load.

If we can become better followers- actively engaged followers - our leaders will look forward to hearing what we have to say and over time, begin to look to us for input, advice and feedback.

In a few days, what you should learn and know to be a more effective and influential follower.