There are two things all good leaders do for their team. These are vital if you want to lead a healthy team.
They help their team say yes.
Good leaders give their team the freedom to dream. They empower the team to take their ministry in new directions. Risks are encouraged without fear of retribution if it doesn’t work.
Good leaders make sure they aren’t so distracted with mindless and burdensome tasks, so they can pursue the things which spark their interest. They help their team move swiftly when change is needed and encourage the team to be proactive rather than reactive.
And when team members do things differently than the leader would, the leader looks to see if the vision is being attained. If it is, then the leader submits to the leadership of the team.
They help their team say no.
The team can’t do everything. Neither can the leader. People are limited. Everyone is limited.
All of us can easily get distracted by seemingly good things and fail to do the best things. Good leaders give their team the authority to say no when the opportunity doesn’t align with the vision, they simply can’t complete it with all their other demands, or it is outside their ability to do it well.
And when there is backlash for the decision, good leaders defend their team. Every single time.
(Granted, some team members will take advantage of this second one. They will always say no. In those cases, we handle the problem with that person individually. And we don’t use them as a reason to create unnecessary rules for everyone else.)
Leader, does your team have freedom to say yes and no? What could you do to help them more?
