LEVERAGING VS. DIRECTING A TEAM - ASHLEY WOOLDRIDGE

ashley wooldridge

leveraging vs. directing a team

Power is an intoxicating and deceiving thing. I can still remember the first time I was given the authority to lead a team. I was an 18-year-old lifeguard with blond hair, a tan, and some CPR training. The obvious choice to lead. The reality is, I was as clueless as a camel at the North Pole. But being given influence felt pretty good.

One of my biggest assumptions as a young leader was that to be effective, I needed to have all the answers. My assumption was, leaders didn’t spend a lot of time listening, they just pointed their fingers and started telling people what to do. So at 18, even if I didn’t know the answer, I acted like I did. I figured it was a sign of weakness to ask other people what they thought.

As you can only imagine, those early leadership years were a mess.

I’m still surprised no one has come back and said “At 18, you were one of the best leaders I’ve ever had.”

Power tends to reveal the worst parts of us. Like squeezing a piece of fruit, you see what’s really inside. I’ve found it often reveals an unhealthy desire for people to think we are someone we are not.

I’m glad Jesus has a thing or two to say about leadership and power.

In Mark 10, Jesus addresses power head on. James and John (and likely all the disciples) wanted power badly. They assumed Jesus would be an earthy King, so they bluntly asked for it. Jesus’ response is leadership gold.

“You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around…and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads.” Mark 10:42 (MSG) Jesus’ next four words should be etched in every leader’s bathroom mirror.

“Not so with you.”

I picture Jesus saying this slowly and with force in his voice. And then Jesus goes on to give the leaders this mandate:

“Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant…” Matt 20 26-28 (NIV)

When’s the last time you observed a servant leader throwing their weight around and doing a lot of finger pointing?

I’ve learned (the hard way) that leadership is rarely about pointing a finger and telling others what to do. Sure, in a start-up company or in a crisis (think COVID) it can be appropriate for a short season. But once you’ve established values and expectations, it’s worth asking yourself, “How much finger pointing and directing should I be doing?”. If you feel you must point your finger at people to get things done, it may be time to assess where the breakdown is. Either your leadership isn’t effective, or you have the wrong people on the team. Either way, the problem is yours.

Jesus makes it crystal clear: Your first responsibility as a leader is to serve your team versus wielding power over them. That’s easy to say, but what does that look like practically? I think serving a team means making your values and expectations clear but then striving to bring out the best in them. It’s leveraging their strengths versus directing them to submit only to yours.

WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE PRACTICALLY? Here are 3 suggestions on how to leverage a team vs. simply using power to direct them:

1. Lead from a posture of “I’m not gifted in everything, so I need a great team around me.” • No leader is good enough on his own to have all the answers. • There has never been a leader in history (outside of Jesus) that was good in every area of leadership.

So, every organization needs a team (not just an individual) at the top. Don’t get me wrong. I still believe in point leadership but in the context of a strong team. Within CCV, our top level Executive Team is made up of four individuals and a strong leadership team supporting them. I strongly believe with everything in my heart that any success we see is a result of the team, not me. My hunch is many churches are bottlenecked because they lack a great team at the top.

2. Surround yourself with a team of people you trust. • The more you trust someone, the less you will feel like you have to direct them. • Always lean in the direction of giving trust versus making people earn it.

Trust is the fuel that propels teamwork.

3. Do more listening than talking at your leadership table. • Ask questions like, “What do you think?”, “How would you handle this?” or “What are we missing?” • If you don’t listen to the leaders around you, you’ll soon find yourself without any great ones around. That’s a dangerous place to be. “Followers tell you what you want to hear. Leaders tell you what you need to hear.” – John Maxwell

Around my top leadership table, all 3 leaders are stronger than me in various leadership disciplines; and that’s how it should be. Together we are better than any one of us individually.

Spire is all about leading a movement of healthy growing churches. Growth requires leaders do less individual directing and more leveraging the power of teamwork.