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Developing People
Once you start attracting good ministers, God will want to use you to help make them great ministers.
Here are ten lessons I’ve learned about developing people:
- Honest, immediate, and consistent feedback on performance is invaluable.
- Developing strengths nets a bigger return than developing weaknesses.
- Developing others takes a ton of time in the early seasons and produces huge results with smaller investments in future seasons.
- You will see a better ministry return by investing in your star team members than you will by investing in weaker players.
- You will have to allow people to fail if you want them to improve.
- Great coaches are great encouragers.
- If you don’t schedule intentional time for developing others, you aren’t likely to do it.
- God can use you to pull more out of a person than the person may believe exists.
- The person you are developing can also help develop you—if you will ask questions and listen.
- The best people builders develop others to develop others.
What speaks to you? What would you add?
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This speaks so much truth. Just this weekend I delivered 3 messages and after each one another leader came to me and fired off what went really well and what could have been improved upon. Not that long ago I would have dwelled so much on the negative that it would eat at me for weeks. This weekend I used that honest, immediate feedback to improve the message I was delivering and I felt myself growing.
Good stuff.
#9 - i come away from relationships where i have tried to train up a leader, effected more than them. it brings to light things that i need to work on. it reminds me to be patient…i’ve been there at the beginning and sometimes it feels/looks like i’m still there.
maybe add the JOY that comes when you get to see someone succeed and become a great servant leader for God. just having a part in that process is an awesome encouragement!
OMGosh, this is HUGE! Thank you Craig, I learned more from these few points than from reading a whole book!
I mean, I’m not developing leaders, but I see how I need this, even in relationships, quick feedback is very helpful. Someday when I’m servant leading some people, I’ll look back to this blog post DON’T DELETE IT!
The list is pretty comprehensive so I am not sure that I would add anything else. #4 ia one where I have made some mistakes. I have tried to build up the weak ones at times and then the stars went someplace else where they would get some real attention since mine was half-hearted. Thanks for the thoughs!
#10 - i think we’ve watered down the term “leader.” like neil cole has written, it’s not just having followers, it’s building others to lead.
this is a great series craig - really powerful stuff!
Craig - what does your strategic time for developing others look like?
I would add that along with building skill sets and leadership skills that you invest in the relationship. I have found that with relational “change in my pocket” that the influence of the leadership development goes a long way. You can’t do this with all that you are developing but you can with those key people on your staff.
Are you kidding me…seriously…are you kidding me…I’ve been praying about this issue of strategicly developing leaders for the last 2 months…I met with my staff this morning and presented a plan for me to personally begin mentoring all of my direct reports (because I haven’t been doing it well up till now)…then I get on here and read this amazing post…God definitely is using Swerve and your thoughts to shape me as a leader…thanks for helping me become a better leader!
I like to think of these in developing volunteers as well…
Great coaches are great encouragers as well–this one is so true!
Also, it is difficult, but helping people become developers as well is invaluable. You may never know how far your influence might reach when you develope developers…
I’m discovering that as we make it our mission to develop leaders, we also must be willing to release them to live their destiny both INSIDE and OUTSIDE our church. I’ve been focused on bring the best out of people to advance the Cause of the “church” and now am shifting to develop and release leaders to fulfill their destiny regardless of whether they stay or go. It also changes leadership evaluations. Instead of critique leaders to help them fulfill a job description, I’m simply asking, “What’s your passion and destiny? How can I help you live that?”
Hey Guys and Gals,
I am filling in for Craig today. Since he’s not around, could any of you answer Steven’s question as it pertains to you?
Stephen,
Every Tuesday I do a lunch with my top 4 (at least that i what I call them). They are 4 of our pastors. We have lunch talk about the week, what went well what went not so well. Right now we are working through a book called, “Know can do”. We spend about 1.5 hours talking about leadership, family and challenges.
My wife does the same with the wives of those 4 guys. She spends a bit longer because they like to talk. But she does it every other week not every week.
When it comes down the line with the leaders in our church I use the Jesus style of time spending. He spent a lot of time with the three (Peter, James and John), He spent just a bit less with the 12, a bit less with the 70 and little with the multitude. He also taught them differently. He taught plain to the 3 and 12. He taught in parables to the multitude. It’s hard but I do spend the most time with my strongest leaders. I hope this helps.
This post is wisdom filled. Did you develop the list from experiences or adapt it from someone who is pouring into you?
Thanks for sharing.
Blessings,
Jason
[...] 24, 2008 Craig Groeschel had a good post today on Developing People. This is starting to be my mantra, I feel like this is all I’m [...]
Churches, especially the established as opposed to free church is pretty poor at developing new leaders.
Now don’t get me wrong - we go through the motions, but actually folk loose takes a lot of risk, and churches are risk averse.
I was pleased to see Craig list of tips for developing people as he has identified several things we do not do in the established church. Here’s the list with my thoughts bolted in…..
- Honest, immediate, and consistent feedback on performance is invaluable.
Absolutely the case, but it must come from an authoritative, informed person who understands how to give positive feedback - you don’t allow a free for all.
- Developing strengths nets a bigger return than developing weaknesses.
And identifying weaknesses, and moving the person away from them also gives rewards. You use huge amounts of energy supporting poor performers. Maybe they should be doing something else.
- Developing others takes a ton of time in the early seasons and produces huge results with
smaller investments in future seasons.
Jesus spent three years in daily contact with 12 guys. Look what we ended up with! Put quality time into those who you need to develop - don’t slavishly follow a book and hope that it does enough.
- You will see a better ministry return by investing in your star team members than you will by investing in weaker players.
Agreed - make the best better - they will be the ones who draw others forward and in turn develop them.
- You will have to allow people to fail if you want them to improve.
But in a risk averse, we see failure as a sin! Criticism flies, confidence is knocked, letters are written etc. Christ accepted failure - why can’t we?
- Great coaches are great encourager’s.
Frankly - that’s the definition of a coach. A coach will find honest positives in all situations, and also be honest enough to point out issues and challenge poor behaviours.
- If you don’t schedule intentional time for developing others, you aren’t likely to do it.
Left to their own devices, people give time to the things that light their candles. If you are turned on by something, you give the time to it. If you have a heart to develop others, you’ll not only make finding the time easy, you’ll look forward to it, and probably be pretty gifted at it.
- God can use you to pull more out of a person than the person may believe exists.
Can’t he just! A great coach inspires a can-do attitude. Christ honours that.
- The person you are developing can also help develop you—if you will ask questions and listen.
This has happened to me. Somehow I ended up mentoring someone who I really did not expect to do so, and I have taken just as much from the relationship as they have. To do my job well, I have had to stop - think - pray - listen, then listen, then listen some more, then listen again, and finally, listen……….then I could speak. Boy did I learn a lot. Listening, that is really listening, and not thinking about what I was going to say next meant I had to rely on Christ, and that blessed us both.
- The best people builders develop others to develop others.
A great test about someones motives - do they develop others, or do they just go through the motions whilst keeping them ‘in their place’? It has to be asked.
In my working life, we who are in management have a specific duty to develop our staff. I am required to coach and mentor the guys I line manage, and give them opportunities to develop and use the skills and knowledge they have learnt. It is a specific part of my job and part of my performance appraisal looks at how successful or otherwise I have been at this. To me we should be doing the same in our churches.
many thanks for the great blog Craig - Simes in the UK
Craig!
You’re a busy guy…this is a long shot…got to take it though…do you have any pointers for me? I want to plant a church and preach. I am currently a youth minister (United Methodist)…UM will NOT ordain me because the seminary I attend is “too conservative”…I am thinking about changing denominations…but clueless…I burn to preach and to plant…any pointers..any blogs…any help I would praise Jesus for! Thanks dude
If you don’t intentionally develop your team…no one will.
Number two is worth repeating for sure! Developing strengths nets a bigger return than developing weaknesses.
Jeff,
Craig was in the UM before starting LifeChurch.tv. Craig is not ordained. LifeChurch.tv is affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church (http://www.covchurch.org/). You might check them out. You might also check out the Association of Related Churches (http://relatedchurches.com/).
Awesome post, although I’m wresting w/ #4
“You will see a better ministry return by investing in your star team members than you will by investing in weaker players.”
I completely agree. From a logical point of view it makes sense.
But didn’t Jesus call us to an upside-down kingdom? Didn’t Jesus focus on the weak, the sick and the outcast and build them up instead of going with the rich, attractive, cool, rock stars?
I’m having trouble reconciling these two thoughts. Any insight?
This a great list…can I use this on my blog…thanks for everything you do…
Hi Ps Craig - I too like Steven would find it a valuable exercise to see how a week pans out for you from a mentoring leaders viewpoint. Thanks Kevin
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