Friday, March 30, 2012

A few ramblings on leadership and Church stuff!

This blog is for the general manager, team leader, Pastor, Youth pastor or for pretty much anyone that is in charge of managing a team. It’s just a few ramblings and may be a sparse to some.

I realize that it’s impossible for one person to do everything. I, at one time, thought I could do everything.Therein lies the common issue I’ve observed that most pastors/youth leaders have yet to overcome. That’s the issue or thought that YOU must be the one to do everything. If we are truth lovers as much as we say we are please accept this truth, one person can’t do everything and that includes you Pastor, youth leader, sales manager, sales associate, banker, restaurant worker, convenient store clerk…we must have a collaborative approach in nearly every aspect of any position!

Being in management for the better part of my working life I have learned how to build teams. The very first thing I had to surrender in order to become an effective manager and to accomplish building a team was my will to do everything in my store. As leaders we just simply cannot do everything. You will eventually burn out and not have the will to do anything or to even lead your team, which in return affects everyone around us negatively and lead to great sorrows in the days to come.

It’s really no secret on how to produce results. There’s no hidden gimmicks or pyramid schemes! Here’s a sort of an outline of the plan I’ve had as a manager/leader.

·      BUILD A TEAM. I had a regional manager make a statement to me one time and it went like this, “Brian, you are only as good as those you surround yourself with”. Be picky on who you ask to be on your team. If you made the decision to bring them on then trust them to do the job! Yes, coach, direct, but instill the vision in them and let them do the job. You CAN NOT  have the mentality of I’ll do it all! In Churches use others outside of the family. Often times the reason people leave Churches is because they feel like there’s a secret squirrel club and they’re not a part of it. There’s no room for “my 4 and no more”! If they mess up coach them IN PRIVATE! If there was ever a morale killer it is correcting/correcting someone in front of others. Use common sense when coaching. It's as necessary as breathing, but do it sensibly. Don't compliment them on a job and then correct them on the same job. This confuses people and creates a trust issue. 
·      I realize I don’t have all the right ideas. No one has all of the right ideas. Listen to your people! You will be surprised at the hidden talent sitting in your Church or section or organization! It’s a sad thing to see many talents going to waste simply because we choose not to listen to them. Whether you realize it or realize it and don’t want to admit it, you NEED other people and they NEED you!
·      Plan your work and work your plan. Proper planning prevents poor performance. Some great people, companies & Churches have not survived due to a lack of planning and organization. Somewhere in Pentecost we’ve missed this part. It’s not a sin to plan! It’s not a sin to be organized! Though I’m not the greatest, I do plan things on a sectional level and get detailed. Be meticulous. I would rather over plan and not need it than to under plan and need it! Even in speeches or sermons it’s better to know 40% more than you will ever use. When all eyes are on you-BE PREPARED! When a new person/customer walks into your Church or company what do they see? First impressions are lasting ones and often times make or break that person’s interest in ever coming back.
·      Communicate and get good at it. The people that you surround yourself with expect and need proper and effective communication. Don’t blame failures on those around you when it could have been prevented with proper communication from YOU! I have never heard a complaint from anyone in my section or on my sales team that I’ve communicated too much. Communication also builds trust with those you’re communicating with.
·      Finally, be open to new ideas. Don’t be fearful of scraping an idea if it isn’t working, even if it was your idea. Another HUGE failure I’ve observed is a Church/organization doing what they’ve always done and it just simply isn’t working. Open your mind! Pray! Embrace innovation! It’s not wrong to be wrong, it’s wrong to stay wrong!

I truly pray this helps someone and will motivate you to become a better leader, communicator and team builder!