For the week of February 28, 2005
Leadership: Burden or Blessing? |
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By: John Laster |
There is significant instability, lack of focus, and an absence of trust and joy in the majority of congregational leadership teams today.
Make an opportunity soon to examine perceptions of your team’s dynamics. It can take some time to lay the groundwork of trust for the individuals to be ready to both speak openly and to hear the perceptions of others without taking offence. Awareness of how the group perceives itself is a prerequisite for growing together as a team.
Use the following exercise to open some conversational portals in your team. A week or so ahead, ask the group to be praying and reflecting on the leadership team itself, the dynamics of the group, and their individual roles on the team. At a meeting (preferably in someone’s home) or a retreat, pass out 3x5 cards to each member of the leadership team, asking them to respond in writing to the following directions: “On one side of the card, identity the top 3 or 4 things about the Team that bring you the most joy and satisfaction. On the other side of the card, identify the top 3 or 4 things about the Team that bring you the most frustration and dissatisfaction.” Depending on the size of your group, the input from the exercise can be used to anchor 60 to 90 minutes (or more) of sharing and prayer.
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