WHAT MAKES A GOOD TEAM? Part of your purpose? Team-Vision-Attitude-Success-Vision?
Ever notice how some of the great philosophies of life are etched on T-shirts? You might say they’re TRUTH ON A T. Here’s one. A bunch of guys are clinging to a rope for dear life . They’re scaling the side of a snow, ice-packed mountain with the words, “TEAM: 24 Guys Hanging on the Same Rope.” That’s it. That’s team attitude. If you don’t hang together, you’ll hang separately.
So you’re a leader, hopefully a servant leader relinquishing whatever it takes to serve. LIKE JESUS. How’s your team? JESUS HAD ONE. Do you have one or are you still hung up on the idea that leadership is a one-man show? It’s all about you?
We were designed to function in connected, interdependent relationships with other people. It began years ago when God said in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” So He created for Adam a helper, someone suitable to him, i.e. a team member. Human beings (male and female) were created with a need to intertwine their lives with others.
We were made to be team players. A marriage is a team. A family is a team. A ball club is a team. A business is a team. A military unit is a team. A government office is a team, and so is a church and its individual ministries. Get the picture?
What makes a good team? Why do some teams succeed and others fail? What’s the difference between effective and ineffective teams? Someone asked baseball philosopher Yogi Berra, “What makes a good manager?” He responded, “A great team.” Spot on Yogi!
TEAMWORK BEGINS WITH A SERVANT LEADER’S VISION.
Vision is a clear and compelling picture of the future, which produces passion in the leader. It’s this passion people want to follow. VISION LEAKS OUT.
If you were to look down on your organization (business, church, ministry, team) five years from now, what would you like to see? Picture it in your mind. Has God given you a clear picture for what you do? Would the others on your team agree? Is this their vision? Are you and your team passionate about the same vision?
Everything starts with a vision God gives the leader, who shares it with the other leaders. Vision gives direction. If you don’t know where you’re going, you may wind up somewhere else. Vision keeps you on target.
“Vision is the essence of leadership. Knowing where you want to go requires three things: Having a clear vision, articulating it well, and getting your team enthusiastic about sharing it. Above all, any leader must be consistent. As the Bible says, no one follows an uncertain trumpet.”
Father Theodore Hesburgh, former President of Notre Dame University
Nehemiah never blew an uncertain trumpet. He was one of the great ones in the Old Testament Hall of Fame of Servant Leaders. We’ll look at his vision next time.
Fred Campbell lives in Ovilla, Texas, just south of Dallas. He pastored two independent Bible churches for 40 years. Currently, he is the president of Living Grace Ministries, a ministry committed to helping churches develop servant leaders, following the model of the Lord Jesus. Fred has traveled to 29 countries and 15 states to lead the workshop. He received his ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary and his D Min from Phoenix Seminary. Fred is married to Carolyn and has a married son and two grandchildren. His web site iswww.livinggraceministries,com and his email is fred@livingraceministries.com
