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Friends, welcome back to the series of Outstanding Leader inspired by Pastor Daniel Foo.
Last week, before the end of the episode, we were on “Building a Strong Team”. We discussed the first principal to an effective team performance, which is refine the corporate purpose and vision. Today, let us move on to the other seven essentials. The second one is…
Ensure an empowered leadership structure. As tasks and crucial functions increase in number and complexity, there comes a point when everything cannot be controlled centrally. More people are needed, especially experts with the required knowledge.
Do we empower our team or just delegate tasks to them? Here are differences between delegation and empowerment:
Delegation is guided by preference and looks at tasks. There is no room for other leaders. We often say: “Here’s what I need from you”, “This is how you do it”, “This is what I want it to look like” and “This is what you need to do next”.
Empowerment, on the other hand, is guided by value. It looks at the results and there is room for other leaders. And we often say: “What do you need from me?”, “This is your role”, “This is where we are going” and “This is how it fits into the big picture”.
As we empower our team members, review the questions of roles, responsibilities, accountability, covering and gift mix, so as to ensure a complementary team of personalities and talents. We must continually address the dysfunctions or bureaucracy, over-control and mistrust.
As we empower our leaders, every hand is put to work and actively participating. As we do so, we learn from our mistakes and grow. The aim is maximum participation, not control from a single person or small group. Every engine is firing and this leads to synergy, power and passion as people serve from their gifts and positions of strength.
The third principal: Assess corporate competence to ensure the team has the capacity to carry out its vision
Ask the following questions:
The fourth principal: Develop the leadership team with effective people-partnership
What are the qualities of other leaders we’ll need to join our team? Are their personalities compatible with ours?
A personality profile test serves as a good gauge to find out the strengths and weaknesses of each member. That makes it easy for us to assign roles that correspond with the people in the team.
We are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalms 139: 14). Remember the three circles in the last episode? One circle on top of the other two and the three of them intersect at the centre. The central intersection is known as the Hallelujah Sector by Pastor Foo.
As we serve God in the Hallelujah Sector, we serve in the full capacity for which He made us. Each of us has talents and gifts blessed by Him and the Holy Spirit empowers us further as we exercise the talents and gifts.
The Law of the Niche pointed out by John Maxwell that every person has a place where they can add the most value. He analysed like this:
Wrong person and in the wrong place results in Regression.
Wrong person in the right place results in Frustration.
Right person in the wrong place results in Confession.
Right person in the right place, there is Progression.
But! Right people in the right place, we get Multiplication!
The fifth principal: Build spiritually healthy leaders
Luke 6: 45 says, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Is there a process to determine the spiritual health of the team? What can we say about them from the way they resolve disagreements and conflicts?
For instance, is it right to solemnise the remarriage of a member who previously divorced and now held wedding ceremony in church? The issue is whether there is a distinction between first-time marriages and the subsequent marriages of those who may have been divorced. Nevertheless, my church ensures that all discussion is kept civil and has the aim of building everyone up. In such matters, the unity of the team is far more important than the subject matter discussed.
The sixth principal: Review and measure the organisation’s effectiveness
As we are called and appointed by God, our results should reflect His mark upon our lives.
One way to understand Christ’s command to bear fruit is taking the input we are given, such as Bible, financial or material resources, education and the help of a mentor, and producing output of a specific kind. The output referred to service to others, evangelism to the lost, discipleship of other believers and excellence in the workplace.
Each team, church or secular organisation, has a different set of Key Performance Indicators which is known as KPI. God expects results from us. So, we have to know our KPIs in order to deliver what is desired.
A church is like an organisation - looks at the growth. There are many things involved in church ministry such as edifying members, mentorship, healing and creating an atmosphere where the Holy Spirit can work. All this will be reflected in numbers eventually – the number of volunteers and leaders, the inflow of tithes and offerings, and generosity of time. As more capable leaders work with God’s help, the church can share Christ much better and win more souls to Him easily.
The seventh principal: Glue the entire organisation with core values
The core values of any organisation form its DNA, and are often given as best-practice idea of how that organisation would perform at its peak. These are the beliefs that any organisation, church of corporation, works to uphold. Therefore, these core values need to be articulated and put into writing, and used as a regular reference point for decision-making and practice.
In Pastor Foo’s church, he has the following Scripture-derived core values:
These core values are written out, discussed and easily visible, so that they guide our ministries and help focus our thoughts on serving the purpose, vision and mission of the church.
And the last principal: Have a shared vision
Just like an orchestra that plays a piece of music. No single instrument can produce on its own and achieve the same hearing effect of an orchestra. Corporate vision has to be shared with team members so that it give them a direction and focus that they can work towards. When all members have an aligned vision, it is easier for the team to run together and realise the vision.
ORGANISATIONAL COMPETENCY
What is the first thing to look for when finding the right people with the right competencies? Again, let’s take an orchestra as an example. Every member of an orchestra follows the leading of the conductor to play the same piece at the right pitch to create resonance and harmony. Likewise, the leader of any organisation is responsible for ensuring that each team member functions competently to fulfil the corporate vision.
Why do some organisations thrive and others fail? Let’s look at the example of churches.
Why do some churches have vibrant ministries and a steady flow of newcomers and salvations, while some others are stagnating and struggling to keep their members? The main distinction lies in leadership and corporate competency.
On the surface, both types of churches may function in a similar manner and perhaps have the same set-up for their worship services. But why is one service more anointed, with people sensing the presence of God while another service is completely ‘flat’?
A difference may be due to the competency and spirituality of the team. If each member is skilled in his role and the team is able to play well together to create the right spiritual atmosphere, the anointing flows through the music and touches lives.
In worship mentoring sessions, we delve into the nitty-gritty details such as which songs to choose, to be played, the differences between various sets of lyrics and the need to finish on a spiritual high, focusing on the cross and the Lord alone.
In worship mentoring sessions, the nitty-gritty details such as which songs to choose, to be played, the differences between various sets of lyrics and the need to finish on a spiritual high, focusing on the cross and the Lord are equally important.
A team leader in the workplace must be able to synergise well with superiors and colleagues and have sufficient technical competency for the task at hand. Therefore, individual competence and growth are critical to the overall competency of the organisation. A person’s ministry passion needs to be aligned with the organisation that he is a part of, and he and his leaders need to flow with the vision of the entire organisation.
STAYING ON COURSE
The leader’s ministry from the Lord is to provide His people with the vision and revelation of God’s will for them. Where there is no vision, people are lost. When the vision is blurred and out of focus, people will grow weary and frustrated. This is the reason why leaders should have a clear vision and be competent and confident so that the team stays on course.
One of the greatest leaders in the Bible was King David – a hero of ancient Israel and an ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ. Despite his moral and spiritual failings, he was praised as “a man after My own heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13: 22). In Revelation 22: 16, Christ Himself declares that He is “the Root and the offspring of David, and the Bright and Morning Star”.
Psalm 78: 72 sums up his reign: “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart: With skilful hands he led them” (NIV). May single-mindedness, obedience and constant pursuit of skill and excellence be ours too, as we serve the Lord.
We hope the above are explicit and helps you much. Next week, we shall focus on the Pitfalls of the Leader – the sixth key to acquiring an outstanding leadership. Please stay tuned.
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