We are all on the bus together headed to the same destination to play the game of our lives. As we travel along, however, we begin to sense something may not be right a few members of the team. We need to pay attention to these feelings! Often times, God is speaking through that still small voice, preparing us for courageous conversations and courageous calls that will need to happen before we can pull off our next big win.
The 4 Most Common Staff Issues
1. They’re in the wrong seat on the bus.
This has to do with a team member’s CAPACITY. Many times it’s not that someone has fumbled the ball in such a way that it led to a big loss. They haven’t done something terribly wrong. We just sense that for they might be in over their heads. They might be out of position. Though they fit for a while in a certain seat on the bus, sometimes as the organization grows, the gift mix needed for that position simply changes. The Worship Pastor gift mix needed at a church of 200 is completely different than those needed at a church of 2,000. We need to be willing to recognize it and keep them in a seat on the bus that allows them to continue to use their gifts while equipping our organization with the skills needed for each position on the bus. No matter which seat they occupy over time, the GOAL must be more important than the ROLE.
2. They’re missing the bus.
This has to do with a Team Member’s CHEMISTRY. Sometimes a Staff member just doesn’t fit in our organizational culture. Its doesn’t make them wrong and us right. It does make them not a FIT on our team. Years ago, Jim Collins wrote in his book Good To Great that great organizations seem to have lots of turnover in the first eighteen months of staff member’s tenure. Why? Because great organizations are not business as usual, and they seem to have such a cult-like culture that people figure out quickly that either they fit or they don’t. Every organization has a personality. A person’s fit is determined by their personality vs the personality of the organization. When they’re not a fit, the team member must adjust to the organization’s’ personality. If they can’t or won’t, well…you know the rest.
3. They’re on the wrong bus.
This has to do with a Team Member’s CALLING. Everyone thinks they want to be part of an organization that has momentum…until they get there and realize what’s required to work there! Everyone wants to be part of a great team. Fewer people are willing to pay the price of being on a Great Team. Calling helps a team member reach down and find something new when an organization faces adversity. Calling helps a team member pay the price. Calling keeps you from quitting when things get difficult. Sometimes we begin to realize that a team member is simply not CALLED the way everyone else on the team is CALLED. They will often need our help as the leader to recognize that.
4. They’re trying to drive the bus.
This has to do with a Team Member’s CHARACTER. Some leaders don’t have a hard time leading…they just have a hard time FOLLOWING. Some leaders were never taught that honoring authority is easy when you AGREE with the leader. Honoring authority is only necessary when you disagree with their call. As a leader I have always promised my key leaders that they will always have input on key decisions. I can never promise, however, that every call will go their way. That’s when I will need them to be faithful in the seat God has placed them, and support the direction we are headed. If they can’t or won’t do that, well… you know the rest.
By the way, the most common questions we coach leaders through has to do with TEAM. Often times, we either need PERMISSION to think and act a certain way; or we need PERSPECTIVE from an outside person to either VERIFY or challenge our thinking and assumptions. that’s what we do! Drop us a line and let’s talk about what coaching might look like for you.
The Four Most Common Staff Issues, by Shawn Lovejoy, is an article from Pastors.com. © 2012 Pastors.com.
