We’re in the final day of the Orange Conference. Lot’s of great thoughts from people like Donald Miller, Reggie Joiner, Perry Noble, and more. Inspiring breakouts by Jeannie Stevens, Jim Wideman, Chuck Bomar, etc. Behind the scenes interviews of kidmin & stumin bloggers like Sam Luce, Cara Martens, Amy Dolan, Matt McKee, etc.
One more day to keep up with the awesomeness happening at Orange 2010… all from your computer. Enjoy
Recently Ed Catmull shared several thoughts that have shaped the way he builds teams at Pixar & Disney Animation Studios.
These 3 have been rolling around in my head for the past week.
[bctt tweet=”Focus less on good ideas. Focus on building teams. -Ed Catmull”]
Experience has taught me this is so true. I can have a team of people that generate good ideas but if they don’t work well together, the idea struggles to materialize. Ideas amount to nothing more than a pile of potential.
But when you have a team of people that can work well together, ideas are a natural product. Not only can they generate them, but they have the capacity to work together to make the idea come to reality.
[bctt tweet=”Share ownership in each other’s success. -Ed Catmull”]
I believe I have two functions within the ministry team I lead. First, to help each individual increase their own capacity to lead. Second, to help each individual increase each other’s capacity to lead.
I can easily focus on the former and each team member will grow. But when I focus on the latter, my team (on the whole) improves exponentially. There’s something about a team that’s willing to rally around each other to ensure success.
You hear less ‘me’ statements and more ‘we’ statements.
[bctt tweet=”Give and listen to honest notes. -Ed Catmull”]
This is one area I’ve grown in a lot in the past few years. And I have much more ground to take here. Learning to give honest feedback should be driven from the foundational belief that everyone wants to be better. And if they want to be better, then they want to hear things that will help them be better.
Yet, on the same hand, if we truly want to be better, we have to be willing to listen to honest feedback. It’s a give and take. A team that successfully works together… that has shared ownership in each other’s success… is a team that is willing to hear hard stuff. And have the courage to make necessary changes to improve.
No matter the arena in which we lead, these 3 ideas are pivotal to fostering and leading a great team.
What about you? What would you add to this list?
For Ed’s entire Leadercast talk on teams, check out this video.
As a pastor I confess that my job can get in the way of my family. It’s an ongoing challenge to ensure my family comes before my ministry. There are moments I do that well… and moments I do not.
Last week I had a moment that I did not.
Though numbers are not the focus, we certainly track attendance as a barometer to help us determine the success/effectiveness of an event. With goals set, we chase those ‘carrots’ all year long with the best intentions. One such goal is to maintain strong attendance in our discipleship program from August to May.
Why do you need to know this? Setting the stage, I guess.
Last week was the first week of school. Josie started the 1st grade. She was puh-umped.
All day school… Lunch in the cafeteria… more nervous energy than she knew what to do with.
It was also the first day of KONNECT. (KONNECT is our kids discipleship program.) Now that Josie is 6 years old, she gets to participate in KONNECT. Again, she was puh-umped.
After picking the kids up from school, we ran some errands, horked down grabbed some dinner and headed off to church. Josie was borderline psychotic clearly tired by the time we arrived at church. She’d had a few melt-downs since leaving school. I debated on the wisdom of sending her to church and thus being up 2 hours past her bedtime. I envisioned the following morning and the probability of outbursts that register on the Richter scale.
Despite the wisdom of just keeping her home and allowing her opportunity to rest, I took her to church.
Why?
Numbers.
If she wasn’t there, it would count against our numbers.
Like I said, sometimes I do a good job of putting my family first… and then there are moments like these.
(Cue music as she is crowned ‘Mother of the Year’)
…to create a dynamic in your small groups that encouraged families to connect more consistently?
…to make connecting in small groups easier for kids and volunteers?
…to engage more volunteers in your ministry to make small groups win?
[purchase_link id=”7708″ style=”button” color=”blue” text=”Purchase”]
Sometimes I can be my own worst enemy. And my skeptical attitude is almost always the culprit.
I’m the first to confess… I can be more of a skeptic than a discerner. And that’s a humbling truth.
The act of discernment is simply recognizing something by sight or other sense. And since discernment is not my greatest strength, I’ve learned that I need to surround myself with those that have stronger discernment than me. Doing so has proven to be extremely beneficial in my leadership.
But I’ve learned over the years that there is a difference between discernment and skepticism. Discernment is a valuable filter. Skepticism is a dangerous snare.
Discernment reveals facts.
Skepticism reveals opinion.
Discernment questions to discover truth.
Skepticism questions to prove fallibility.
[bctt tweet=”Discernment is motivated by truth. Skepticism is motivated by self-preservation.”]
I confess that I can be a skeptic. And I see how it hinders my ability to lead myself and those around me. But how do I break free of my skeptic tendencies and allow the more valuable gift of discernment to surface?
I think it begins with a healthy self-inventory. Am I willing to…
Focus on Facts
Skepticism is based upon unrelated or incomplete facts. Am I willing to withhold judgment until all facts are revealed? Am I willing to assume the best in the absence of all the facts? Am I willing to refrain from filling in the gaps with opinion or conjecture? I’m better served and a better leader when I choose to focus only on the facts as they reveal themselves and refrain from clinging to my own opinion.
Trust First
I’m better when I choose to trust until someone has proven themselves not to be trustworthy. There’s no reason to assume ill-intent unless the facts reveal it. That’s the interesting thing about discernment. It reveals motives.
Elevate Someone Else
[bctt tweet=”I can’t fully support someone when my goal is to be better than they are.”]
I want to truly help those around me win. If that’s the case, I have to set aside my own self-preserving desire to beat them to the punch. I have to be willing to elevate their needs above my own. I have to remember that when I help them win, I win too.
Walking that fine line between discernment and skepticism isn’t always clear. But I’ve found that when I cross the line toward skepticism, it always boils down to my own motivations. When I keep my self-serving motives in check, skepticism is held at bay. When I don’t… skepticism takes over and my leadership is hindered.
What about you? How does skepticism creep into your leadership?
Working with Gina was one of the best learning experiences of my career. Gina not only brought a sensible, no-nonsense attitude to the table, she had a way of casting vision that I have rarely seen. In a few short months, she was able to bring our team together with a common mission and goal. She was able to build and help us implement processes and procedures into our systems that had been missing for years. Gina's strategic mind combined with her deep care of those she leads is a combination that leaves a mark on anyone who is fortunate enough to sit under her leadership. I'm forever grateful for the impact she has had and continues to have on my life.
Working alongside Gina and her leadership is a blessing because she allowed me to learn from what I produce from the coaching tools she delivers. As a leader, Gina shows that she is not perfect, and expects imperfection from her team as well.
The biggest aspect that I love about Gina and her leadership is her willingness to listen, and not just look for a solution.
She is gifted in strategy, vision, and communication. Not only is she gifted, but she cares deeply for the church and seeing people come to know and understand how loved they are by their perfect Heavenly Father. Gina has great experience in family ministry and has personally helped develop me as a leader for the next-generation!
Working with Gina the last several years has been such a gift to me! She has a way of asking questions and sharing her wisdom to help you move your ministry in a direction you never thought possible. She helped me take a ministry that relied heavily on one person and create a structure that supported teams of leaders and teachers. Our ministry today has so many people that are owners of their areas of ministry because of the coaching I received. Her counsel in my life personally and with ministry has been such a gift to me! If you are looking for someone full of Godly wisdom and practical advice that will challenge and encourage you along the way, she is it!
While the world of working in ministry is ever changing, the goal never wavers. Staying true to the vision becomes increasingly important and Gina has an ability to bring clarity to that goal, while inspiring and challenging leaders. Working under Gina's leadership was exciting, rewarding, and challenging. Gifts were brought to light, hurdles were broken and clarity was brought to every situation. Even in the moments of feeling stuck in leadership, movement happened. Gina has a gift for providing the next step no matter where the start point may be, but always in the direction of the end result.
Gina McClain has been an incredible mentor and coach of mine for the past several years. Her real world experience and humble vulnerability make her advice both wise and relatable. She is great with processing strategic systems, brainstorming new ideas, casting vision, and seeing the big picture. Gina has helped develop me into a much better leader and see things differently with new ways to grow.
She has the amazing ability to take things that seem jumbled and disconnected, zoom out, and bring clarity of vision to any situation she’s faced with. Gina’s a unique leader who isn’t able to just cast strong vision but can actually give you the steps to make it happen! And of course the added bonus is that it’s just plain fun to work with Gina!
It was one of the greatest honors to lead under and alongside a leader like Gina. She has a powerful gifting to bring clear vision and strategy to teams while also stopping to walk through individual scenarios with care and intentionality. She makes things fun and understandable while leading a team always with the greatest balance of strength through vulnerability and wisdom. I have been changed as a leader because of working with Gina.
She guided our team towards a coaching structure, selection of key leaders, and ensured we had an optimal environment to welcome kids and families while not wavering on a safe and engaging experience. Her leadership and guidance not only strengthened the foundation, our team naturally grew because people were seen and known. The team quickly became a community with a thriving culture that people wanted to be a part of.