My mother was the brown version of Martha Stewart. If you asked her to make a fruit salad, she carved out a watermelon, placed various types of melon balls inside the watermelon (now a fruit basket), enclose several types of dipping sauces for the fruit and say, “Do you think this is all right?”
Uh, yeah, mom….you’re only going to make all the other moms jealous, I would think. Yes, I was a bit intimidated by the fondues, sauces, stir-fry, her attempts at Middle Eastern, Japanese and Irish dishes, and her ability to do all this while on the phone. If my mom had lived in this era, she would definitely have had a Twitter, Facebook, the latest cell phone and yes, the “I Pad”. Or, she would have had me run all of these for her. It was the same way she did all she did…she had a gift for delegation.
In our small church, my cousins and I began harmonizing together at a very early age, but we were uncomfortable leading a song service. So at about 10 years old, we were her backup singers. She’d pick the music, speak encouraging words between songs and cue us as to when it was the appropriate time to sing –and stop. If we got a bit carried away, it took only a look to make our voices trail away. We would look at each other, eyes wide, and then she’d continue. Later, she would say that we really needed to follow the leader. This bit of advice has always helped me in my professional and personal life.
I don’t really separate the professional, where it concerns customer service, from my church work. To me, it is as important to act positively with clients and customers as it is in church. Too often, we forget that people are there not to be our personal servants, but to serve with us in Godly service. So when you lead, no matter at what level, remember to approach people without the natural instinct of pushing aggressively.
Following a leader is not instinctive. We can push our very best volunteers away by our attitudes. Very often, as members, we want to lead and push through our own agendas and ideas. It is important to remember, who God has placed and to support them in the vision God has given them. When we respond negatively to people, they in turn will respond negatively. This does no good to the team and someone who is consistently negative will only find frustration in following a leader or in leading others.
Therefore, as we serve together, ask yourself if you are treating others in the same manner you would like to be treated. What would you tolerate if you were leading a group? Would you jump on your followers at the first sign of what you deemed as disrespectful? Would you model for them the appropriate responses to disagreements? Are you following Christ’s model and allowing your designated people to lead, and yes, to make mistakes? Accepting God’s leadership is a test in itself, but He also places those around us in leadership over us, to ensure that we are following others as they follow Christ.
One of the most important factors in team building is motivation. As we build our team, let’s focus on our purpose: creating an atmosphere of worship to prepare for God’s word. It’s an incredible responsibility and I love fulfilling this with you!
