There are numerous reasons why we tend to think that a ministry is primarily defined and upheld by its leaders. They’re the ones who stand in front of the group and speak, we recognize their faces, they make the big announcements, and their transitions seem to affect the whole body of the organization.
But in reality, it’s the non-executive team members that most significantly affect your organization, culture, and growth. One or two leaders are not realistically capable of upholding a ministry, and are certainly not capable of defining an entire culture. They may set a standard, but they are not the ones to maintain it. Here are the three main reasons we believe that, especially in today’s climate, hires for team members, not leaders, are the most critical for your organization’s success.
- They have future leadership potential
- They do the heavy lifting
- High turnover rates put extra weight on teams
1. Future Leadership Potential
Culture doesn’t change overnight, and vision takes years to instill in a group. When you hire a new team member, you have the opportunity to make a long-term investment in your organization. Rather than hiring someone for talent alone, make sure that you hire someone who fits well into your culture and can contribute to your vision, and develop their talent from there. This allows for them to be steeped in the mission of the organization, so that when the time comes for a change in leadership, you have team members that are ready to step in and lead graciously.
2. Heavy Lifting
When you spend time developing team members’ skills and teaching them how they can best execute the organization’s vision, your organization tends away from being reliant on the leader as the sole-vision caster. Viewing all team members as equally responsible for their part in the success of the company keeps departments and individuals accountable and prevents them from falling apart or falling behind in the absence of leadership. These people are the ones doing the day-to-day maintenance of the mission, and without them, leadership wouldn’t be able to vision-cast at all.
3. High Turnover Rates
In 2020 and into 2021, we are seeing unprecedented job churn, especially in ministries and churches as leaders are experiencing major burnout. Ultimately, this is one of the primary reasons that team members are critical to the success of the organization. If all of the weight is put onto team leaders or organization leaders to uphold a ministry, things will quickly fall apart. An individual is not capable of fully bearing the burden of an entire organization, whether they are the founder and CEO or one member of one department. No one team member can be wholly critical for the organization’s success, or else when they move on, things will quickly unravel.
This is why it is critical that your organization understands its teams and where everyone fits within a support structure. Regardless of where a team member falls on the totem pole, all team members need to know they can be heard, supported, and pushed in their work. There are plenty of opportunities for teams to succeed, even as individual members lead.
Right now, with the amount of turnover in the job market, it can be tough to cut through resume overload and find the perfect culture-fit to join your team. Our sister company ChristianTeams is passionate about doing just that. As you plan for the next high-potential staff members to bring onto your team, let us do the heavy lifting, so you can stay focused on your mission. ChristianTeams will bring you up to 8 of the most qualified candidates who will seamlessly fit your culture. Send us a message to learn more or get started.
