Surround Yourself With the Right People

My dad had a lot to say about a lot of things. I mean, his mind was always going, and his analysis of most things was pretty thorough. His weakness, as I experienced it, was that he never publicly backed down from his assumptions and would not admit that, at least my point of view at merit. That being said, he did his homework and never opined without examining the available facts, except when it came to persons with whom he had an emotional bond – that is, with me. I could never get away with telling him he was wrong about me or my point of view. Nevertheless, Dad taught me many life skills that cannot be adequately described in a few paragraphs.

Many years ago, Dad was describing why he thought a particular president’s leadership was short-lived and mostly ineffectual. Dad said it was because the president failed to surround himself with the right people. I’ve never forgotten that. In fact, after I’d become a pastor, my dad often offered me jokes to use in my sermons and leadership advice for church councils. The jokes usually never made it into the sermons, but the leadership wisdom was applied regularly. The importance of surrounding yourself with the right people thing came up often.

When I was the associate pastor at a church many years ago, I witnessed the primary leader’s ego and deeply wounded self-esteem as his downfall.  His fears caused him to feel exposed by people on his team who possessed gifts and skills he lacked, especially in the preaching and leadership realm. I recklessly advised him to celebrate his talent for identifying and developing other’s gifts. I hoped he’d realize that the congregation valued him for his effective team building. But, he never seemed to be able to find peace without being the central figure in the life of the church.

I’ve learned some essential truths since those days, including the fact that a pastor will always be perceived as the central figure in a traditionally established church. This truth has several implications. It means that my former mentor had nothing to fear. It also means that, while the pastor is central, he is not always the most influential. Now I understand that my old friend feared he was becoming less influential. It’s pretty hard to lead toward your vision if someone on your team has a different vision and is more influential than you. So, it comes back to surrounding yourself with the right people. He did not, not even when he added me to his team. If you are committed to a particular plan, you’d better be sure your team supports it.

Before you can form a capable team, you must know yourself. You must know what will make you thrive and drive the vision and mission. If you are the leader and there is someone on your team whose personality weakens your ability to lead, you should probably part ways with him. Keep in mind that if your emotional, intellectual, and spiritual health is poor, you will probably never build the ideal team for your leadership style. It takes a strong, healthy personality to develop and lead a team of leaders. But, when you get a team like that sorted out, it will be amazing when you and they start pressing on toward the goal.

Dad was right, you must surround yourself with the right people. But, before you can do so, you must understand your strengths and weaknesses and accept them in peace. Then, build your team to compensate for the skills and gifts you lack and look for persons who enhance your strengths. You must be willing to work from the shadows and celebrate the team’s successes. If you want to be the most influential person in the church, then start with yourself. Figure out what you must do to be spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually fit and lead yourself toward health and vitality. Then do the same for your team. Love and understand your team and invest in them. Learn to motivate them and cultivate their loyalty to Christ and His vision and mission. Then, if they are healthy, they will love and serve with their humble pastor.

Thanks for the great advice, Dad. I miss you.

More to come . . .