Both large and small churches or organizations use team concepts. Some of the best teams are the ones that pull the best talent from across multiple disciplines. For instance a cross-functional team that pulls from the best volunteers in worship ministry, student ministry, and kids ministry could bring new ideas to a first impressions team.
Every team will be comprised of members with the following types of influence:
- Implied Leader – This is the person in the room that everyone will naturally look to when a decision is being made. Often this person holds the most influence.
- Positional Leader – Someone who holds a high ranking title. People primarily listen because of where they fall in the organizational chart.
- Proven Leader – A leader that has displayed successful leadership repeatedly over time. They can be seen as an expert.
- Relational Leader – A person who everyone loves and respects. This leader is well liked by the entire team.
The first question you have to answer is which type of influencer are you? If you hold the title of “Positional Leader” you will need to work closely with the ”Implied Leader” of the group. It will only help you get to your goal faster. Each influencer type will provide different strengths toward accomplishing your goal, so be sure to know your team well.
You will lead naturally from one type of leadership, but at different stages of the team’s growth you will need to display characteristics of all the influencer types.
For instance:
- As the implied leader, people will look to you when there are differing opinions.
- As the positional leader, assert authority when the team gets off course or when you have to update your leader about bad news.
- As the proven leader, refer to past success to solve a current problem.
- As the relational leader, be the one that unites the team.
Other elements of team leadership include communication and a plan that will fuel the teams purpose. I have blogged about communication here and fuel here. But by and large when leading a team it will come down to how well you can work with influencers toward a common goal.
Posted on December 4, 2020
