A Star Team
Dear Pastors
Recruiting good people is a constant demand and challenge all leaders face pretty much all of the time, whether your leadership is as a marketplace Manager, a school Principal, a NFP Director or the Pastor of a church……wherever. We all know that building high performing teams is critical for the achievement of organisational goals and to move our organisation forward. So that is a given. In church work this task is even more challenging because our teams are for the most part made up of volunteers which is all the more reason that as pastors we need to develop high end skills in not only recruiting (and retaining) talent but also in assisting our teams to work together in such a way that their collective outcomes will always be better than any one team member could do on their own no matter how good they might be.
You have probably heard this question before. “Do you have a star team or a team of stars?” In other words exceptional talent is one thing and certainly something to go after but when these same people develop the skills to work in a team on a consistent basis then we are far more likely to have a star team. This quality of working together as a team is often times referred to as Social Capital, a term that Robert Putman made famous in his bestselling book, ‘Bowling Alone-The Collapse and Revival of American Community’.
Social Capital is essentially the degree of connection team members have for one another. It is the level of trust between team members along with the ability to empathise with one another. When Social Capital is high then robust debate and discussion can take place without someone feeling offended or put out. It would seem to me that this quality is essential in a day when organisational life is beset by change, surprise and ambiguity.
In a brilliant article written by Margaret Heffernan in 2015 titled ‘The secret ingredient that makes some teams better than others' she identified three key qualities that made some teams better than others.
- They give each other equal time to talk. Everyone contributes and nothing any one person says is wasted.
They defer to one another. - They rate high on empathy. They are socially alert to one anothers needs.
- They include more women than other groups, perhaps because women tend to score more highly on tests of empathy.
Another way you might look at this a building made up of bricks and mortar. The mortar in this context is social capital: mutual reliance, an underlying sense of connectedness that builds trust. The adhesive if you like that holds the bricks in place.
This sounds a lot like the ‘one anothers’ of scripture at work. This is a vision for our marriages, our families, our churches, our businesses and wherever we as Christians have the privilege to lead. Build Social Capital.
And finally the last word from Margaret Heffernan. “Without high degrees of social capital, you don’t get the vigour of debate and exchange that hard problems demand”.
Blessings
Alan
Coming up...
Let Justice Roll Down
A one day symposium convened by LeadershipWorx and Te Whānau Pūtahi to learn and discuss how we can address some of the issues of injustice. How to build a fence at the top of the cliff and reduce the ambulance work at the bottom.
Amos 5:21-24 (NKJV and NLT)
21 The Lord says: “I hate all your show and pretense - the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.
22 I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings.
I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings.
23 Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 Instead, let justice roll down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream”
Tickets now available.
Sir Bill English speaking on Euthanasia in Tauranga and Hamilton. More info call Liz 021 243 2566
Where is our Speech Going?
A 90 minute briefing (including Q and A) on this vitality important subject that now confronts all New Zealanders including Pastors, Ministers, Vicars and Priests.
There is no doubt that Religious Freedom is being threatened. Speaking out publicly from a biblical perspective and worldview is becoming hazardous. Everyday Christians have already had their mouths stopped for fear of saying the wrong thing, worried about offending others and afraid of committing the terrible offense of ‘hate speech’.
Prof Paul Moon has spent a great deal of time thinking, writing and speaking about this. He will help us understand this new issue and navigate these troubled waters.
Tickets now available.
Alan Vink is currently the Executive Director for LeadershipWorx. Prior to this role he has been the Executive Director of Willow Creek Association NZ (WillowNZ), a Baptist pastor (23 years), Bible College teacher, and church consultant.
