10
Steps to Developing a Powerful Team
Leadership means influence. Effective leaders know they influence by
intentionally equipping and empowering others. Ephesians 4:7-13 clearly
calls leaders to equip (empower) people so the body of Christ can grow
to maturity.
In Developing the Leader Within You, John Maxwell say: "The
one who influences others to follow only is a leader with certain limitations.
The one who influences others to lead others is a leader without limitations."
Equipping or empowering people changes followers into leaders.
While they see the importance of empowering others, many leaders struggle
with how to put the Word into practice. Here are 10 steps to equipping
people and developing a powerful team.
1. Define and communicate responsibilities that challenge. Communicate
the big picture and how people fit into it. It is much easier to put
a jigsaw puzzle together if you can see the completed picture on the
puzzle box. It is important for people to have a clear picture of the
goals and objectives and how they fit into the plan.
Next communicate specific responsibilities to the team members. What
do you expect from them? Provide a clear ministry description and allow
their input. A good ministry description states specific responsibilities,
how much authority the team members have, who they are accountable to,
what benefits they have, and the length of time they are to serve.
Help them take ownership of the goals, tasks, and responsibilities.
Encourage their input and provide the opportunity for them to set their
own goals as part of the total plan.
The goal of the leader should be to encourage common people to accomplish
uncommon things. People who are challenged to become great -- and are
given the opportunity to do so -- usually succeed.
In The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry
Z. Posner, Edward Lawler III and Patricia Renwick list several factors
that contribute to people's excitement and motivation:
- The chance to do something that makes you feel good about
yourself.
- The chance to accomplish something worthwhile.
- The chance to learn new things.
- The opportunity to develop new skills.
- The amount of freedom you have to do your job.
- The chance to do the things that you do best.
In the same book psychologist David Berlow speculates that people find
meaning and enthusiasm when opportunities provide the following:
- A chance to be tested, to make it on one's own.
- A chance to take part in a social experiment.
- A chance to do something well.
- A chance to do something good.
- A chance to change the way things are.
2. Give authority equal to the responsibility. One of the most
frequent complaints of team members is that they are given responsibility
without corresponding authority. Leaders need to be willing to trust
those they ask to do a job by giving them the authority necessary to
do the job. How much authority should be given. Enough to get the job
done. This authority should be communicated to those with whom the leaders
work.
Once you have given the job and the authority, you must not short-circuit
the process. Do not permit those under the team member to come directly
to you. This will only frustrate team members and set them up to fail.
Increase authority when performance earns it and responsibility requires
it. As people increase in skills and effectiveness, increase their authority.
This will raise morale and increase the effectiveness of the team.
3. Establish standards for excellence. Every team should have
a set of realistic operating standards. Some specific standards that
will increase team effectiveness might include these:
- We honor our commitments.
- We believe in being people of character and integrity.
- We are faithful to our responsibilities.
- We are wise stewards of our time, talents, and resources.
- We work together as a team.
- We agree to disagree, but not disagreeably.
- We are committed to ongoing training and development.
- We are committed to excellence.
- We are committed to results, not just performance.
As a leader, you must set the example. The standards will become team
standards only when they see you maintaining them.
4. Train workers in the skills necessary to meet the standards.
Make training and mentoring a priority. Training is the key to an effective
team. No team wins without training and practice. A good leader never
does the job alone. Churches that are in decline have leaders who see
their jobs as doing the ministry for the people and vice versa. However,
in growing churches, leaders equip and mobilize people for the work
of ministry.
Use a variety of methods to make training an ongoing process. Training
can be done by mentoring, on-the-job training, in the classroom, in
team meetings, to name a few. The essence of the training process is:
- I do it.
- I do it, and you watch.
- You do it, and I watch.
- You do it.
- You do it, and train someone else.
5. Provide the knowledge and information people need to succeed.
They need information about organizational goals, plans, and changes.
Workers are motivated when they know what is happening in the organization.
It makes them feel important and valuable, helps them desire to do a
better job, and enables them to do a better job. Without information,
people cannot take responsibility, will not be as creative, and will
not be as productive.
6. Provide appropriate, positive feedback. Regularly reinforce
positive performance. Compliments, cards, notes, rewards, and advancement
are some ways to reinforce excellent performance. Feedback should be
tailored to the person, performance, and situation. Morale and effectiveness
increase when people receive regular feedback.
When it is necessary to confront or clarify feedback, keep in mind
these guidelines:
- Confront privately, not publicly.
- Deal with the situation as soon as possible.
- Address only one issue at a time, and be specific.
- Discuss only what the person can do something about.
- Direct your criticism to the action, not the person.
- Avoid sarcasm and anger.
- Try to get the person to admit responsibility.
- Sandwich criticism between compliments.
7. Recognize and reward efforts and achievements. You get what
you reward. Make heroes of your people. Public recognition and rewards
are essential. Shine the spotlight on accomplishments. Pictures, awards,
speeches, plaques, and newsletters are just a few ways to recognize
accomplishments. Everyone has an invisible sign hung around his neck
that says, PMMFI (pum-fee) -- Please Make Me Feel Important.
Recognition does that and builds a better team.
Guidelines for recognizing and rewards efforts and achievements:
- Tailor recognition to the person and the achievement.
- Make recognition timely.
- Recognize people, as well as their accomplishments.
- Recognize them as members of a team, as well as individuals.
- Make sure the recognition conveys sincere appreciation.
8. Trust your team.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Trust men, and they will be true to you;
treat them greatly, and they will show themselves great."
Building trusting relationships is essential. A leader can demonstrate
trust in many ways:
- Be sensitive to needs, interests, and concerns.
- Listen to ideas, dreams, and plans.
- Delegate, or trust, with significant assignments or responsibilities.
- Share your dreams, visions, and plans.
- Allow the team to be a part of the goal-setting and problem-solving
process.
- Be honest and open about your own mistakes and vulnerabilities.
Distinguish between trust in character and trust in ability. Some have
strong, mature character but little ability. Others have less mature
character by great ability. Trusting people at the highest degree possible
helps them develop a higher level of both character and ability.
9. Give permission to fail. View failure as a growing experience.
The only failure is one we don't learn from. Establish some guidelines
for failure: It is OK to make a mistake. It is OK to fail if we are
doing our best. When we fail, we can talk about what went wrong, what
we can learn, and how to do better.
When team members know they are expected to succeed but that it is
OK to fail, they are more creative and risk more. This is a positive
environment for a team. When people experiment and take calculated risks
in their responsibilities, morale increases and results are greater.
10. Treat others with respect. Treating team members with respect
increases motivation. People work best when they feel valued and respected.
Demonstrate your commitment and loyalty the same way you expect others
to be committed and loyal to you as the leader.
In Diane Tracy's 10 Steps to Empowerment: A Common-Sense Guide to
Managing People, J.C. Staehle lists -- in order of importance --
primary causes of discontent among workers that leaders can avoid:
- Failure to give credit for suggestions.
- Failure to correct grievances.
- Failure to encourage.
- Criticism of employees in front of other people.
- Failure to ask employees their opinions.
- Failure to inform employees of their progress.
- Favoritism.
A leader can show respect for team members by asking for their suggestions,
keeping them informed, treating them fairly, encouraging them, and acknowledging
their accomplishments.
Begin today to put these 10 steps into practice, and your team will
become a team that wins!
