Effective Leadership
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. – Romans 12:9-13
Are you an effective leader? Maybe you lead an entire organization or maybe you lead a group at church. But even if you work alone from home, you’re still leading your family and home environment. John Maxwell often says that “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Are you building relationships with those you lead? Or are you expecting them to follow you just because of the position you hold?
If you want to be an effective leader you must work on relationship and team building.
Here are some ideas:
1. Spend time in the group setting discussing life instead of just business.
2. Open with prayer and ask for prayer requests. Write these down and follow up.
3. Get to know your team members on a personal level. Show them that you really care.
4. Respect your team members and value their opinions.
5. Ask pointed questions. Ask each group member to share something about themselves (if they feel comfortable) that the rest of the group doesn’t know.
6. In the home setting, get your family involved. Hold regular family council meetings and hear the entire family’s opinions and concerns.
7. Consider hosting an after-hours get-together to do something fun and non-work related to build community and relationships within your group.
8. Planning an annual weekend retreat is a great way to build community in a group setting.
9. Write encouraging notes to group and family members. Let them know they are doing a good job and if they’re struggling with something, let them know that you are there to help.
10. Be real. Make sure your concern is genuine. Ask the Lord to teach you compassion when it comes to leadership.
Until next time…
MariLee Parrish
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