You See Bones, I See an Army (cont,)

This segment of Floyd McClung's book is on Team Leadership:

Each person needs opportunity and encouragement to serve side by side with their gifts and passions.  Just how does diversity on a team glorify God?  There is a unique honor God receives from a team of people who subordinate their individual personalities to work through his or her differences and fears.  The glory God receives from a team learning to work in such a way is much greater than that which comes from one-person leadership models.  Each team member has to accept the invitation to go to the Cross with each new challenge the team faces.  Dying to one's rights, preferences, mistrust, and old ways of relating is the price to pay for team unity.

Harnessing the gifts and callings of a group of strong-willed, gifted, and opinionated leaders takes a major work of grace on the part of each member of the team.  It can be done, but not without the leader getting involved in each of the team members' lives, spouses included.  It takes years of sacrifice, humility, and continued growth on the part of each member of the team for it to work.

Team members who are not open with one another about their fears, their hurts, and their sinful tendencies make it impossible to build a foundation of trust.  Patrick Lencioni, in his brilliant book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, defines trust as "believing other members of the team have my well being in mind."  Trust means I want people to help me by speaking into my area of ministry, my personal performance, and the deep places of my heart.

Failure to build trust in a team is damaging because it hinders healthy debate, resulting in little or no heartfelt commitment to decisions, avoidance of mutual accountability, and getting sidetracked from our mission.  Without trust a team cannot be a team, certainly not a team that reflects the love that exists between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  A team without trust and mutual submission cannot experience the oneness of spirit and purpose that God intends them to have.  ...team ministry is almost impossible where the team leader is not a father to hose on the team.

The funny thing is I was going to comment and in the process refer to Patrick Lencioni's book, but Floyd did it for me.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with others, either in a secular or spiritual environment. 

There is so much truth in these paragraphs.   I've been on great teams who worked together, as well as potentially great teams that totally missed the mark.  Patrick's quote, "believing other members of the team have my well being in mind", is called charitable assumption.  I've been guilty of bringing baggage into teams where I thought there was no charitable assumption.  I just automatically thought people didn't like me for whatever reason because in my past people have make judgments against me for no reason.  This in itself caused people to not treat me authentically because I didn't have an authentic view of myself and projected that.  If someone isn't being who they really are, they are cheating themselves.  I much prefer being around people who are honest about who they are, good, bad, and ugly.  Most believers will naturally treat others with charitable assumption.  Those that don't need to be taught.

Have a blessed, overcast Saturday.