7 Warning
Signs Your Church Staff Is In Trouble
The caliber of your church staff is crucial to the long-term
health of your church. Honing your ability as a leader and your church staff's
ability to operate as a high functioning team takes work, but the payoff will
prove beneficial for the development of your church's community.
We sometimes have blinders on when we look at our own church
staff. We're there day in and day out, trying to stay above water as we deal
with the urgent matters before us each day. It may feel overwhelming to even
think about anything but only what has to be done today. However, when you
focus on developing the synergy of your church staff, you'll begin to see the
power of how a great team can revolutionize your church.
The team rebuilding process begins with the team leader’s
awareness of the reality of how the team is functioning. When you drive a car,
there are often subtle cues that tell us if the car isn’t functioning as well
as it should. If we don’t pay attention to the rattle of the engine or the
squeak of the brakes, we’ll see lights on the dashboard. The signals are there
to protect us. If we ignore those signals, it’s at our own peril.
In a team, there will be signals that will be subtle at
first but will warn you that your team needs attention.
What are some warning signs that your team is heading for a
breakdown?
1. One or
more members of your team do not contribute ideas or thoughts during
meetings.
Pay attention and take notes. Who’s speaking up? Who’s being
quiet? Who’s acting independently, and who seems to need handholding? Observe Body language and facial expressions.
Was there an opportunity for healthy debate that was missed? The way your team
interacts with each other in staff meetings will help you take a temperature
check of how they are interacting with other in the office.
Ask yourself: Who isn’t speaking up in meetings? Should I
have a one-on-one meeting with them this week to make sure their ideas and
concerns are being heard?
2. Blame shifting is toxic.
Are your team members taking responsibility for their
actions or not? Are members of your church staff blaming a lack of productivity
on another team member? Be quick to notice and address blame shifting, or your
team members will quickly feel beaten down.
Blame shifting can also contribute to a culture of gossip,
which will cause division on your team. We’ll talk more about gossip
below.
Ask yourself: Is my senior leadership taking responsibility
when our team experiences failure or is blame shifting happening? Is there
gossip that is breaking down our team unity? Who do I need to talk to this week
to address gossip before it’s out of control?
3. Absence
of healthy conflict.
It is a misconception that healthy teams should never
experience conflict. In fact, the truth is quite the opposite. Healthy teams
engage in healthy conflict because they are striving to do what is best for the
church. Thus, leaders should encourage a culture where team members' ideas,
opinions, and concerns can be heard. A lack of healthy conflict could mean that
team members have lost their passion for their role or the overarching vision
of the team.
Be sure to incorporate a diverse mix of personalities on
your leadership team. You don’t want a table of “yes-men” who just say yes to
everything that the leader says. Create a culture where feedback and
constructive criticism is invited and encouraged at the table. You set the tone
as the leader as to how feedback will be handled on your team.
Ask yourself: When was the last time someone told me no, and
how did I respond? Am I inviting my team to give me feedback and constructive
criticism on ideas and initiatives before I move forward?
4. Lack of
trust and a fear of speaking the truth.
Does your team trust each other? Are staff meetings a safe
place? If you sense that certain team members are dominating the
decision-making and others seem uncomfortable speaking up, lean into the root
of the situation. The most effective teams trust each other.
You set the tone as the leader of the team as to how you
trust them. If you are micromanaging your team, you are showing them that you
do not trust their problem solving ability. However, if you are too absent as a
leader and make decisions without your team’s input, they might feel that you
don’t trust or value their opinion. Be intentional about showing your team you
trust them.
If you do sense a lack of trust, consider planning a retreat
or onsite where you can help build cohesion among your team. Team building
doesn’t happen overnight, but there are tangible team building principles you
can apply now.
At our staff onsite, we have an hour dedicated to
encouraging one another and building trust among our team. We chose someone’s
name from a piece of paper in a bowl, have them stand in front of the team, and
share words of affirmation with them about how we see them living out our
company values on a daily basis. It has proven to build immense trust among our
team, especially for newer team members. It allows people to feel noticed and
loved by their colleagues.
Another way to build trust is to do a team building problem
solving activity. See if your city has an Escape Game location. It has become a
popular and fun way for teams to build trust outside of the office. The idea is
that you have a case to solve and only one hour to solve it. Everyone on the
team is needed to solve the problem. Nashville’s is NashvilleEscapeGame.com,
and Houston’s is HoustonEscapeRoom.com.
Ask yourself: When was the last time our team stepped away
from everyday work and intentionally spent time building trust with each other?
Do I show my team I trust them or do I micromange them?
5. Offline
conversations about one or more individuals on the team.
Gossip will destroy a team. As a leader, you must be clear
that there will be a zero tolerance for gossip on the team and be the primary
example of this no-gossip policy. Consider having your team write and sign a
no-gossip covenant with each other to help establish expectations and build
trust.
Our client Dave Ramsey has zero tolerance of gossip on their
team of over 400 employees. He understands the power gossip can have in
deflating a culture of teamwork and cohesion when senior leadership does not
address gossip early on.
Ask yourself: Am I gossiping to my senior leadership team?
What tone am I setting as a leader? Is it time for our team to sign a no-gossip
covenant?
6. Meetings
to debrief meetings.
If your church staff is constantly in meetings, then when is
ministry being accomplished? If your team is overwhelmed with meetings, take a
step back and ask your team why these meetings are necessary. There may be
unhealthy reasons for too many meetings including micromanaging, a dominating
leader, or an understaffed team.
As a leader, think
about how much each meeting costs you. How many people are sitting in the
meeting? If you break down each of those staff member’s salaries, how much are
you paying them to sit in that meeting? Then ask yourself, “Is the return on
this meeting worth the time and money I’m investing to have this meeting?” This
will help you prioritize which meetings are more necessary than others.
Ask yourself: What is the purpose of our daily, weekly, or
monthly meetings? Are we seeing results come out of those meetings that make
them worth it? Are there people in the meeting whose time would be better spent
outside of the meeting?
7. People
take a back seat to productivity.
If your church staff is placing productivity above people
and ministry, then your vision needs to be revisited. Is your team giving
people a back seat to productivity because they have too much on their plate?
You may need to hire more staff. Are people taking the back seat because your
church staff is ignoring them? Your staff may be burned out, or you may need to
let some people go.
Ask yourself: How have I instilled vision in my team this
week that people matter? Am I continually pushing numbers, or am I focusing on
life change?
Have you noticed any of these characteristics in your church
staff? Rebuilding a team is hard work, but it's crucial to the long-term health
of your church.
Adopted this edited it and shared it.. LEADERSHIP IS HARD.
BUT ASA LEADER YOU SHOULD ALWAYS READ THE SIGNS THAT ALL IS NOT WELL IN YOUR
TEAMOR ELSE THE FALL WILL FIND YOU UNEXPECTEDLY. PROPHETICALLY SPEAKING…..#MosesToday
www.mosesnjoroge.blogspot.com
or www.njorogemoses.wordpress.com
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