Is Different Good?

Cultural fit. Every church, ministry, or non-profit has a culture. A person that doesn’t fit the culture won’t succeed, no matter how great his or her resume may be. For example, a highly structured leader won’t fit in an organization that prides itself on fluidity. While you may recognize the need for additional discipline, be discerning about whether the person will positively shape the culture or try to break it.

Vision alignment. There is a difference between someone with great ideas and passion, and someone with their own vision. In the latter case, the rest of the organization is sure to end up confused about which vision is really being pursued.

Respect. Ultimately, when leaders don’t respect each other, their differences will end up creating deep relational rifts. Disrespect often starts off barely noticeable, like a paper cut. But if you incur enough paper cuts or disrespect, real pain will occur.

So if you’re adding someone to your leadership team, look for a person with different gifts and perspectives from the others. Just make sure that they’re the right kind of different. It’s easy to receive my blogs by email. Just sign-up on Feedburner by clicking here.]]>