Barnabas File

You would think by now that we would have learned to play well together, but until we do, there will be place for books like the latest from Patrick Lencioni.   The Ideal Team Player follows Lencioni’s usual approach.   He tells a fable or story about the principles he wants to present and then provides additional information and applications of the model. This time he tells the story of Jeff Shanley who suddenly finds himself at the head of a large construction company founded by his uncle.  As he solidifies the leadership team already in place, attempts to deal with troublesome employees, and add new team members, he and his team learn what (according to Lencioni) makes the ideal team player. In his classic book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team , Patrick Lencioni laid out an approach for tackling the group behaviors that destroy teamwork. Here he turns his focus to the individual, revealing the three indispensable virtues of an ideal team p...

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”—Galatians 6:2, NIV I have made many mistakes over the years, but I finally came to realize one that I could correct.  For too many years, I depended on my own ability to handle things.   Sometimes the thing I was dealing with was professional and at other times it was personal.  I felt that if I just exerted enough time and energy, I could make it happen. Fortunately I discovered two things: first, I had limitations; second, other people were willing to help me.  Both of these discoveries required humility.  I had to learn that I could not do everything and also to learn how to ask for help. Think for a minute about those who are available to help you. First, there are fellow team members who can be of assistance.  Others have abilities and gifts that can complement your own.  Where you are not particularly talented, another person may be very gifted (and vice...

I touched off a heated conversation one time when I said to a friend, “I don’t treat my children equally.”  My friend was troubled by my statement, so I tried to explain.  Each of my children is a unique person.  Each has been gifted by God in a special way.  Their placement in sequence of birth assured that there would be a difference in the environment in which each of them grew up—whether you are first, second, or third in birth order does make a difference.  I do want to treat my children fairly and I have attempted to do so, but I don’t have one standard approach in the way that I deal with them individually. This concept also applies in the area of leadership.  Each person on your staff or in your church or organization is a unique individual.  If you come up with a policy that you will treat everyone of them in exactly the same way, you show a lack of awareness for their abilities, circumstances, and needs.  You are not being fair to...

“Sully” Sullenberger was the pilot who successfully landed US Airways Flight 1549 in the Hudson River in 2009 without the loss of a single life.   He was recently asked this question by Fast Company magazine: “How do you deal with uncertainty?”   You can listen to or  read his full response , but I thought that his observations apply to those of us who lead the church, especially through uncertain times.   He talks about “a firm foundation” based on several principles. First, “we had already built a team . . . in which we had already established well-defined roles and responsibilities.”  The idea of “team” and “well-defined roles” is not a paradox; they go together.  Each team member has something to contribute and is very aware of what that contribution is.  This is something that air crew members knew before the plane headed for the Hudson River.  They did not wait to find their roles until the plane started going down!  Church leaders...

In most situations, I prefer to work alone, but I long ago realized the value of collaborating with others in planning, learning, and implementation.   In recent days, I have had the opportunity both to give feedback and to receive it as I have collaborated with others on some projects.   My responses and those of others caused me to think about some key ingredients of successful collaboration. First, we must listen to what people say.   If we really want to learn from others and benefit from their insights, we must listen without being defensive and value what they have to offer.   Even if they offer their ideas in a forceful or even critical tone, look for the truth there. Second, we must learn to listen to what people don’t say.   Lack of response or avoidance of certain issues tell us something about the people in the group—their depth of investment, the level of their trust, and their vulnerability or lack thereof.   Perhaps there are some b...

There is an old management axiom that goes, “What gets counted gets done.”   The idea behind this is we are intentional about those things that we know are going to be measured.   With rare exceptions, nothing worthwhile happens unless someone works to make it happen or chooses to become its “champion.”   This is true for effective leadership teams as well. The desire for an effective team begins with a person.   This is usually the pastor or executive director of the organization but it may be a team member, a member of the board, or a church member.   If the initiative does not come from the leader of the team, he or she must not only buy into the concept but thoroughly embrace it.   The leader models the idea, nurtures its development, and intervenes to assure its survival. Although the leader does not give up his or her leadership responsibility to the church or the organization, he or she will have to leave ego at the door and adopt the roles ...

As I began planning a workshop on team development, I contacted a number of pastors and church staff members and asked for observations about their own teams.   Here are two of the responses I received:   “Our church staff team just doesn’t get along!”--A pastor in Georgia “We just don’t seem to be on the same page.”—A church staff member in Tennessee  Such responses indicated to me that an effective staff team requires mutual commitment to specific values and principles.    There must be a core around which the team members can grow, encourage each other, and serve their church or organization.    In the book Leading Congregational Change , I found this statement:   “Spiritual and relational vitality [provide] the life-giving power that faithful people experience together as they passionately pursue God’s vision for their lives.”   If a team is going to come together, they must build on a spiritual and relational core. Spirit...

Since each team member brings unique skills, gifts, and talents to a leadership team, he or she should not only be called upon to contribute those to the work of the team but be encouraged to develop them further. An effective leadership team provides a place where each member can both serve and grow and the church or organization usually provides challenges that foster that growth. The development of team members requires a significant investment of resources, so why should the church or organization take the initiative to encourage such development?  There are several good reasons. First, a staff member who is valued will be more engaged.  In his book The Dream Manager , Matthew Kelly points out that the real challenge for any organization is not turnover but engagement.  If someone is appreciated and effectively engaged, he or she will not only stay with the organization but will be motivated to do their best. Second, if a staff member is respected and h...

Effective leadership teams don’t exist for themselves, they exist to benefit their church or organization.   A team may enjoy being together and encouraging one another, but if they fail to serve the church, then they have failed.   There are a number of ways that an effective leadership benefits the church. First, the team can help the church to achieve its mission. Of course, this assumes that the church knows what its mission is! If the church does not know its mission, perhaps the initial way that a team can serve the church is to help it discover and articulate that mission. Second, they work with members of the church or organization to identify and pursue the actions that will move the church toward its mission, always being sensitive to the context in which the church finds itself, its resources (both known and undiscovered),   and the intervention of the Spirit. Third, an effective leadership team equips persons as they seek to achieve the mission....

At the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly in Tampa, Molly Marshall, Anita Flowers, and I led an Essentials conference on “Developing an Effective Leadership Team.”    The participants came ready to learn and the energy in the group was good.   Those of us who facilitated the sessions shared some ideas, but we learned as well. This is an important topic.   Most organizations including churches and not-for-profits are led by teams.   Many young adults are naturally drawn to the opportunity to work with others in a team setting.   Older adults may have had negative experiences in teams that cause them to resist being part of a team; they may have some unlearning to do to be good team members.   The effective functioning of the leadership team may well determine the success or failure of the entity; therefore we should spend more time developing effective leadership teams.   In order to do so, we need to embrace several basic assum...

One of the things we were supposed to learn in kindergarten was how to play well together.   This meant learning how to share, not throwing tantrums, and talking in a kind voice even when we were upset.   Of course, most of us don’t learn these lessons until our hair either starts turning gray or turning loose. The abilities to discuss things honestly, maintain our composure, and respect others are important in any setting but especially in a leadership team.   Whether the team is in a church, a parachurch ministry, a not-for-profit, or a business, there are certain skills we can learn to not only work effectively together but help each other grow personally and professionally. At the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly in Tampa this month, Molly Marshall, Anita Flowers, and I will be leading a conference on “Essentials for Developing an Effective Leadership Team.”   Without giving too much away, we will talk about some of the barriers to healt...

Bill Karlson, a career coach, presented a program at the Tennessee Coaches Alliance meeting today.   As he explained the process he uses in working with clients, he posed an interesting question.   He asked, "In dealing with career change, what do you address first--resume, goals, feelings, or skills?   Although I will not share my response, my choice was not Bill's.   He believes that it is important to get the client to deal with his or her feelings first.   Feelings can be a stepping stone or a stumbling block.   The person must process feelings--anger, hurt, sadness, shame, or even joy--associated with the present or previous position before considering the next career move. In the discussion, someone pointed out how difficult it is to get men to discuss their feelings in the workplace (or anywhere else for that matter!).   Karlson acknowledged this and spent some time talking about how to get around this reticence. This incident cau...

Over the weekend, author Jim Rasenberger was interviewed by NPR's Noah Adams on his book The Brilliant Disaster.     The new book deals with Bay of Pigs debacle 50 years ago when anti-Castro revolutionaries failed in their invasion of their homeland.   Rasenberger believes that the most important legacy of the Bay of Pigs may be to remember Murphy's Law:   "Things are going to go wrong." President Kennedy was proud that his administration was composed of “the best and the brightest.”   Rasenberger suggests, “It would be wise for presidents to have a few people in their administration more acquainted with things not going well." Perhaps this is something to think about when we pull together a team.   We always want to “get the right people on the bus” (as Jim Collins says), but the right people may include some who have tried, failed, and learned from their experiences.   We all will fail but the important thing is to learn from our failures. ...