Is your church staff afraid to fail?

Gut reaction question: have you created a culture where your team feels like they are safe to try new things and risk failure?

What was your gut reaction? Yes? No?

The truth is that leaders who get the most out of their team have created a culture of safety. Staff members know the structure, but they also feel comfortable taking risks, asking questions, and being honest.

Is your church staff afraid to fail?

  1. Provide a clear why. When it comes to achieving goals and results, nothing is more motivational to people than understanding why it matters in the bigger picture of making a difference in the world. Growth and profitability are not, by themselves, highly motivating to most people.
  2. Clearly define roles and expectations — not just for your staff, but for your volunteers too. Nothing is more frustrating (and scary) than a lack of clarity about what you expect from someone and how you measure good performance.
  3. Create a safe place for venting. There is often dissonance between how we say things should be and how they really are. This is a normal consequence of the gap between our vision and our current reality. Let people ask you about it, and don’t be defensive. Listen, understand, and, if you have an answer for it, give it to them respectfully. If you don’t, admit it ... it’s OK!
  4. Always keep learning. Set aside at least a half day every week to learn and grow personally. This shows people that you’re constantly trying to be better at what you do. It demonstrates humility and sets a great example.

I’ve seen leaders who get results because they have a title and the authority to intimidate and scare people. I want to be the kind of leader who, like Jesus, seeks to serve and equip people as we move together on a journey towards something bigger and more meaningful than ourselves.

What did your gut check say? Are you a safe leader?


Posted by Steve Caton on Feb 23, 2015 10:00:13 PM