The most critical decision you will make as a leader is who is on the team that you lead. When you are ready to add a new member, finding the right, and best, person can make or break the team. I have personally seen this numerous times in my 50 years of ministry.
Herre are some questions to ask of the person you are thinking of adding to your team. Take your time and don’t be in too big of a hurry.
1. Does this person have the gift of leadership?
If you are inviting people on your team who will oversee others, they need to have the gift of leadership to be able to lead a team and motivate those on their teams. Do they have clear leadership ability as well as the capacity and the passion to lead others well?
2. Does this person think strategically?
Can this person work on what’s at hand and also plan and think about what’s coming–or isn’t yet in place or happening? You need people who can think beyond daily details. They need to be comfortable with both the microscope and the telescope.
3. Is this person a team thinker rather than a solo thinker?
Is this person able to work in their own area and, at the same time, show interest and concern for the rest of the team and the bigger picture? You can’t afford to have solo or turf thinking that works to the detriment of the team.
4. Is this person in alignment with the DNA of the organization?
Is he/she in agreement with the purpose, values, vision and strategic direction of your organization? You need purity at the leadership level. Sports broadcaster Brent Musburger made the comment that some people on certain sports teams are not only not on the same page as the rest of the team, but are not even in the same library. That cannot and must not be true of anyone on your team. This will hurt you more than anything I can think of.
5. Does this person bring something unique to the team you would otherwise be missing?
If everyone on your team thought and functioned alike, some of them would be unnecessary. Every person on your team should add something that otherwise would be missing. Each person should be contributing something that otherwise would not be contributed. You don’t want people just like you, as nice as you think that would be. You need a variety of personalities and points of view.
6. Is this person a lifelong learner?
Ideally, you’ll identify people who will grow with your organization. It does no good to have someone who thinks he has all the answers, because tomorrow the questions will be different. You need people who embrace leadership development for themselves and their teams. When you stop learning, you stop leading.
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