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How to help your team reach their full potential
Overcoming limitations and encouraging greatness
Picture this: you’re at the top of your department, on your game, and ready for what’s next. There is a promotion coming up, and you feel you’re the obvious choice.
And then they give it to someone else.
A few emotions might follow. Anger, surprise, envy—how could they pass you up like that? How could they not see that you were more than qualified for that promotion?
You ask your boss about it, and after you’ve said your piece, they tell you the one thing you never expected to hear.
“You’re right. You were the best fit for that promotion. We didn’t promote you because there is no one to take the spot you’re in now.”
The same thing can happen in a church, which—at the end of the day—is a type of workplace. If a church leader isn’t encouraging their team to expand their comfort zone and use the authority they have in their department, they may be limiting their impact.
And more? It can limit the church leader's growth and potential. Here are a few ways to avoid that outcome and encourage greatness in your team.
Give your team a clear trajectory for growth
Sometimes you must provide a clear path to where you're asking people to go. If your boss just told you they didn’t promote you because there wasn’t a replacement lined up, what do you do next?
One way to handle that is to go to your two top people and tell them that one or both of them will have your job in six months or less.
You give them a clear path to reaching their potential while giving yourself one, as well.
To do that, it may take some intentional guidance and coaching to help your team recognize their weak spots, step forward into more responsibility, and have the courage to grow.
That doesn’t mean shoving them into situations they aren’t equipped to handle, but it does mean giving them opportunities to step up and shine.
Don’t let the fear of taking risks hold you (or your team) back from greatness
Church leaders tend to let the fear of risk hold them back, but you don’t have to be one of them.
Once church leaders have resources, a platform, and are settled in, the fear of risk becomes an unfortunate reality because they have something to lose.
More often than not, that isn’t where they start. It’s easier to take risks early on because there is less to lose. However, continuing to take calculated risks is how a team and a ministry grow and reach their potential.
A stagnant faith may feel safe, but it might not be fulfilling all it is capable of in the name of the Lord.
Don’t let fear win. Open yourself to opportunities that may be outside of your comfort zone yet align with your mission and vision.
Action Items:
Have a clear vision for your team (and communicate it!)
The Bible says where there's no vision, people perish. Having that clarity can make all the difference for a team's output, motivation, and growth.
Even if there are adjustments to the vision along the way, the power lies in communicating those shifts accurately and consistently.
Don’t rule when you’re supposed to encourage
It’s a given that not everyone is going to be 100% on board with a new direction or idea.
It’s your job as a leader not to come in and rule over those who are hanging out in the back of the ship, uncertain, but rather to encourage them to wait it out and make their way toward the front of the ship.
Give them time to come around and show you what they’re capable of.
Give your team room to fail in order to grow
Failing forward is a saying for a reason. When we fail, we learn more about ourselves, our weak points, and what we can do better next time.
Giving your team (and yourself) the chance to try and the room to fail and try again can give them grounds to reach new heights.
You never know what someone is capable of until you give them the chance to rise and meet new challenges. All things are possible through Christ. We have to open the door and banish the fear of failing.