Getting Unstuck: It Takes a Team

Note: Part 4 of 4 in a series on “Getting Unstuck.” If you’re still stuck, look around the room the next time your key leaders are gathered. Ask yourself, “Is everyone truly pulling in the same direction?” Churches and other ministries are notorious for their “silos.” A simple definition of an organization that is “silo-ed” is that the people are more interested in and focused on the success of their specific ministries than in the success of the overall organization. Whenever this happens, it is difficult to make progress toward the broader vision. Few people will admit to this mindset, but we’ve all seen the behavior that indicates its presence. Think of any ministry – worship, youth, children, discipleship, missions, etc. – and you can probably think of someone who only seemed to care about that area. He or she fought for resources and celebrated successes in this one slice of the bigger pie. If you are the first chair leader, you may have even contributed to this issue by emphasizing individual accountability and department-level results. One of my favorite resources on this topic is The Wisdom of Teams by Katzenbach and Smith. They define a team as “a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.” Common purpose and mutual accountability are some of the most powerful tools that any leader can use to move from silos toward teamwork. Another of my favorite books is Patrick Lencioni’s The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. Lencioni identifies the number one dysfunction as an “absence of trust” And while we may think that this is a disease of the corporate world, any honest ministry leader recognizes that distrust can be just as prevalent and problematic in the church. Have you ever watched a rowing competition? The difference between a great and an average crew often has more to do with coordination than athleticism. The precision of a great team is a work of art, with each oak striking the water at exactly the same time. Not so for the average crew, which never seems to be in sync, no matter how hard the rowers may try. What does your team look like? Is everyone pulling in the same direction? Or just like the boat that loses the race, are they working hard but not truly working together? If you want to get unstuck, you need a unified team, not a collection of silos.]]>