Building An Effective Team

1. Have a Vision

When the Crystal Palace Exhibition opened in 1851, people flocked to London’s Hyde Park to behold the marvels. One of the greatest marvels back then was steam. Steam plows were displayed. Steam locomotives. Steam looms. Steam organs. Even a steam cannon.

Of all the great exhibits that year, the first-prize winner was a steam invention with seven thousand parts. When it was turned on, its pulleys, whistles, bells, and gears made a lot of noise, but, ironically, the contraption didn’t do a thing! Seven thousand moving parts making a lot of commotion... but having no practical use.

With the high-tech era we live in, it’s easy to confuse activity with accomplishment, to be fooled into thinking that the sound of gears and pulleys is the sound of something important being done.

Is that true of your life? Of your church? Are there hundreds, even thousands, of parts spinning and turning and making a lot of noise, but accomplishing very little?

If so, just remember that even though your contraption may win a prize at the state fair or the denominational convention, God is the final judge. And what you think has substance may dissipate before His searching eyes like steam.

Habakkuk 2:2 Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.

Jonathan Swift

Only he who can see the invisible can do the impossible.

Frank Gaines

· Memorize the vision.

· Apply the vision.

· Do the vision.

A pig ate his fill of acorns under an oak tree and then started to root around the tree. A crow remarked, "You should not do this. If you lay bare the roots, the tree will wither and die." "Let it die," said the pig. "Who cares as long as there are acorns?"

2. Over Communicate

A mature-looking lady had an appointment with a marriage counsellor, and told him flat out: "I would like to divorce my husband." To this, the counselor replied, "Well, do you have any grounds?" She answered, "Why yes. We have almost an acre." The puzzled counselor asked her, "You don’t understand. What I want to know is do you and your husband have a grudge?" The lady answered, "Actually, we don’t, but we do have a nice carport." At this, the counselor shook his head and said, "Ma’am, I’m sorry, but I just don’t see any reason why you should divorce your husband." The lady looked at the counselor and said to him, "It’s just that the man can’t carry on an intelligent conversation."

--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 109.

· Let everyone on your team know the successes and failures.

· It is better for people to know too much than not enough.

· Listening is a vital form of communication.

· A problem in communication can be a death sentence to your team.

3. Be Approachable

Philippians 2:3-4 Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. {4} Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing.

· Make sure people feel comfortable about coming to you with their problems.

· Be a resource to your team. You are there to help, coordinate, & protect.

· Walk around, ask questions, show interest & concern…don’t just wait for people to come to you.

4. Build Relationships

· Show the people that you care for them as individuals and not just because they can do something for you.

Galatians 6:2-3 Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ. {3} If you think you are too important to help someone in need, you are only fooling yourself. You are really a nobody.

· Give the members of your team the feeling that they are on the cutting edge (If you aren’t on the cutting edge, evaluate together what it would take to put you there.)

· Get together with people in “non ministry” environments.

5. Fully Delegate

Ephesians 4:11-12 He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. {12} Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

· You may be the “expert” and no one may know as much as you, but it is time to respect use the abilities of others on your team.

· Each member in a high performance team has the ability to assume responsibility and make decisions independently. They must learn by doing.

· Be willing to ask your team members for advice…but be ready to receive it.