Great Leaders Inspire the Contributions of Others

“ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone, it is the same God at work.

Now to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit…” I Corinthians 12:4-8

Churches have a variety of ways to set goals. Sometimes it is the pastor’s responsibility, sometimes, the denomination or an anchor church sets the vision, and sometimes a governing board guides the direction. Whoever sets the goals, it is a leader’s responsibility to define those goals for the staff and congregation by clarifying what it is we are doing and why. Where leaders most often fail is when they try to direct how.

I was in a planning meeting many years back, and the church governing board decided they wanted to increase membership. I went back to my office and created a plan. At the next staff meeting, I informed each program staff member what they would do in their area of ministry to contribute toward the goal. Six months later, we had made no progress, so I gathered the staff to ask why we were not making progress. Their feedback was clear. You told us what to do but not why. You told us how to do it, but it did not match my gifts and personality.

After all my time creating this strategic plan, I had to resist the urge to defend myself. I thought I had done the staff a favor by planning everything so the staff wouldn’t have to. What I did instead was spend time creating insurmountable challenges for them.

Good leaders explain what and why and liberate others to create “how” strategies that match their gifts and personalities.

Here are four things I learned from this mistake

1. Let others create the means to the end because I may not know how to do it best. People charged with the work can better assess gifts and resources and develop strategies for implementation.

2. Liberate others because it stretches them and challenges others to bring new ideas. It encourages them to think for themselves and take ownership of the mission.

3. Let go of the how because it frees me up to do other work and even focus on what comes next.

Leaders don’t have to do it all; when you do, you limit the church’s potential. Freeing others to implement ministry multiplies and leverages the many gifts God has given your church to do ministry.