There are no rewards in life outside of those that come as a result of overcoming resistance. Whether is it successfully spinning a top or achieving a life long dream. Victory is only achieved when there is an opposing force. In the words of James, bother of Jesus, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)
Everyone who has the opportunity to lead, dreams of successfully marching forward to the goal and celebrating at the finish line. But there are a number of opposing forces that can trip up leaders in the effort. Quite frankly most of these forces of resistance emanate from within. We are by nature a fallen people, only redeemed by the Grace of God. Therefore when leading and building team there are several battling dynamics that must be noted if the team is going to succeed in the task set forth.
Developing People vs Training People
As a leader, are you developing the lives of people or are you simply managing a handful of skills? If you are selfishly focused on the “bottom line” then you will likely look past the lives of those you are leading. It is carnally natural to simply want to win. Winning is important but defining a win is more important. If all we do is manage the skills that we feel help our end goal then we miss the opportunity to have a larger impact and we secretly sabotage the success of our mission.
Barriers to Developing People…
- Insecurity: If you have to be the best and brightest person on your team all the time there will never be room for others to grow to the maturity necessary to assist the team in reaching their goal.
- Time Management: When a leader is caught up in the business of “doing” she fails to invest the time necessary to build the lives that are carrying the weight of the project.
- Perspective: Leaders often lose sight of what’s important and what will yield the most return. PROJECTS are never more important than PEOPLE!
- Failure to Clear a Path: Do the potential team players around you clearly understand what is required if they desire to be on your team? People not “stepping up” is usually a communication problem and not a “vile and corrupt generation” problem.
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