This post discusses “Team Huddles” and what I’ve learned from the 6 church staffs I’ve worked with. It concludes with some good books to read.
I enthusiastically recommend that church leaders make it a habit to read books and magazines from the business world… articles about business, management, marketing, and leading an organization. There’s a trememdous wealth of experience, ideas, strategies and tips you WON’T find in church magazines and theology books. Unfortunately, most pastors never receive this kind of knowledge or training, and yet are in desperate need of it.
Here’s one example…
Inc. magazine recently interviewed business people about STAFF and DEPARTMENT MEETINGS. Most people found them important, but often poorly run and unproductive. (Read my post on “Leading Better Meetings” for help on that.) A lot staff I know feel the same way, and that’s too bad for the obvious reason: Well run, happy, faithful, and productive church staffs = well run, happy, faithful, and productive churches.
The article offered an ALTERNATIVE to the dreaded “staff meeting” that many business people preferred. Their organizations preferred ”Team Huddles.” And it’s a concept that could help a lot of churches suffering from staff fatigue, poor coordination, or simply not getting along as well as they should.
The Team Huddles which successful offices describe are short daily meetings, rather than long drawn-out affairs known as “Staff Meetings.” Huddles are short 10 to 15 minute daily meetings to let EACH PERSON report on what they are working on that day. Huddles also allow the leaders to energize and remind the team of important priorities. Huddles are egalitarian, they include the office workers and the executives.
Some businesses huddle every morning, or afternoon, depending on their type of work. Some huddle every day, while others huddle two or three times a week. In the church, huddles can include devotions.
Huddles don’t replace every staff meeting, just most of them. They clear the agenda to allow fewer staff meetings to spend more time on tackling larger issues and team building, -rather than reports and housekeeping.
A Few Huddle Rules:
- No sitting down.
- No phone interuptions.
- No food.
- Everyone gets equal time.
- The Huddle has a strict time limit.
- Leaders use the opportunity to praise, not punish; coordinate, not command.
- Everybody knows the agenda.
As the article’s researcher noted, “just the act of VERBALIZING what you are working on increases productivity.” I completely agree with that insight. When you promise someone you’re going to do something, it tends to get done.
Read Inc Mag’s The Art of the Huddle” ..which has variations for different types of groups/businesses.
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20071101/the-art-of-the-huddle.html
You can read more about “Business Team Huddles” at ezinearticles.com
http://ezinearticles.com/?Huddle-Up-Team!&id=883338
Check out their other related “team” management articles linked on that page.
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Observations about some Church Staffs I’ve worked with…
I’ve served as paid staff in three churches, and have worked with three other church staffs up close. Each managed their staffs differently, and each got different results.
The worst church staff I ever experienced hardly ever met. The Senior was aloof and gruff with his people. I was serving in a part-time unordained status helping the Associate Minister. My first two months on the job the Senior couldn’t remember my name. He never met with me in a meeting until a year later when shoved the Associate out of the church and wanted to talk with me about staying on. Not coincidentally, they had a succession of staff problems which created other problems in the congregation. The problems continued in that church for many years EVEN AFTER the Senior had retired. It is a reminder that staff dysfunction often leads to congregational dysfunction, -the effects of which can go on long after the staff are gone.
The best staff I have ever worked with was the church I served fresh out of seminary. We had regular 2 hour meetings with lunch each week, met informally throughout the week, and went on an annual staff retreat. Not coincidentally, the programs and congregation we served were thriving and the congregation’s atmosphere was collegial. The Senior there was really good at creating structure, expectations, vision and collegiality. He made us all better at what we did.
In another church, where I attended as an ordained pastor in the pew, I discovered that my “staff radar” was still functional, even though I wasn’t on staff. My wife and I attended that church for about 16 months. During the first few months I sensed sensed something was wrong. And sure enough, within 6 months the Associate Pastor was gone, and just after we left that church, the church negotiated the departure of the pastor. Staff relations and management style were part of the problem. Many families left that church during and after this period, and the church’s membership has yet to recover 10 years later.
In another church, I spent 10 years interacting with the staff as a volunteer and “pastor in the pew.” I was not technically on staff, but to meet an ecclesiastical requirement, I was offered the title of “parish associate.” If the staff had a “staff life” -the church rarely heard about it, and the staff rarely talked about it. After a few years there my “staff radar” began to tell me something not quite right. Occasionally I would ask if things were ok, but to their credit, they would only wince. But from time to time I heard enough to read between the lines. Another pastor in the pew who worked a little more closely with them once to me they didn’t think this staff would still be together in 2 or 3 years.
My point: Dogs and their owners often start to look alike over time. Or if you prefer: fish stink from the head down. Pick your cliche.
Some congregations can grind staff down, but usually that’s because they had years of bad leadership which create problems even for new staff. You see this all the time when a new pastor comes on board. It’s hard enough to follow in someone’s footsteps, let alone have to jump over the holes they left behind.
My second point is this: Leading is as more about leadership development and inspiration that it is overseeing others and running an office. There is a lot of experience, expertise and good advice out there in the business world about staff development , relationships and team management. Read it, invite it in, and take advantage of it.
There are some good staff development conferences to be found. One such conference that a friend came back very high on was the Leadership Summit at Willow Creek Church, www.willowcreek.com. Think what you will about his ‘mega church,’ but Bill Hybels is a great speaker who gets it…. he says that pastors need to harness the power of INSPIRATION to lead where they are. He quotes some great statistics on the difference between “motivated people” at work versus unmotivated. Watch his online video at http://www.willowcreek.com/Events/leadership/2008/aLookBackSummit2007.html
Truth: Many of the pastors I’ve worked closely with were NOT INSPIRATIONAL. They were good preachers or managers, or organizers, but few were ”inspirational” outside of worship or the occasional project they led. And when you look at what separates growing/exciting congregations from all the rest, it is usuallythis one key difference: the thriving churches have inspirational leaders.
And… you can LEARN to be inspirational.
“Inspirational” is not the same as “smiling” or happy or charismatic. Inspirational pastors motivate you. Hybels says, “who wants to follow a leader who mopes around?” To that I would add, ”who acts more like an anchor off the stern than a wind in your sail.” Inspirational leaders help fan the flames of a vision; they provide you with tools and feedback; they remove roadblocks and encourage you through the rough patches. And when you work with them, you feel energized. You catch their spirit and vision.
Starter Questions:
- What is your pastor reading and learning that would improve their motivational and managerial skills?
- How does your church actively educate, develop and motivate its leaders?
- What are the old habits and lingering affects of previous leadership that you need to drive a stake through?
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Some resources to look at:
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick M. Lencioni. This guy gets to the heart of team leadership by telling a story. Very readable, like reading a parable.
15 Inspiring Qualities… a good web article at http://www.icbs.com/Kb/inspiration/kb_inspiration-15-inspiring-qualities-of-leadership.htm
Here a link to the book at Christianbooks.com…
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The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable By Patrick Lencioni / John Wiley & SonsJust as with his other bestselling books, Patrick Lencioni has written a compelling fable with a deceptively simple yet powerful message for all those who strive to be exceptional team leaders. Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions that go to the very heart of why teams – even the best ones – often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team. |
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Still haven’t read “7 Habits of High Effective People” ?? You should. It’s by Stephen Covey.
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Breaking Habits by Tom Bandy, new ways to organize and work with people in the church. Very challenging book, I guarantee. Recently revised.
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Kicking Habits (Upgrade Edition) By Thomas G. Bandy / Abingdon PressKicking Habits: Upgrade Edition shows congregations how to overcome the destructive attitudes and systems that prevent them from focusing on their true mission: making disciples of Jesus Christ. Drawing on the stories of exciting new congregations that have arisen within the last few years, he sharpens his portrayal of the thriving church system, demonstrating its essential concern for savvy awareness of the larger culture and fidelity to the core of the gospel. |
Leadership on the Other Side: No Rules, Just Clues By: William Easum
One of the reasons I like reading Easum is his books are insightful and WAY out there. He doesn’t pull punches.
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Leadership on the Other Side: No Rules, Just Clues By William Easum / Abingdon PressMost Christians would agree that the purpose of the church is to lead people into active, committed discipleship to Jesus Christ. Yet if this is the case, shouldn’t the goal of making disciples drive everything the church does? For example, shouldn’t the primary job of staff members be to recruit and mentor the laity in fulfilling their own call to ministry, rather than the staff members performing the task of ministry themselves? Shouldn’t the task of reaching out to those who have yet to answer Christ’s call to discipleship be more important than maintaining programs for those who already have? |
I’ve only read her ”Jesus CEO” book, but Laurie Jones’ other books about examining Jesus’ leadership style and daily interactions look like more grist for the mill. Jesus CEO is somewhat devotional in nature ..but over the years reading other management books, I found myself referring back to Jesus CEO and its scriptural reminders that Jesus too was a manager and team player who had to deal with real human beings in complex relationships and projects.