Healthy Teams Empower

Empower through Gifts and Passions

D - desire E - experience S - spiritual gift I - individual style G - growth phase N - natural abilities

The key to discovering how God designed you in the first place is to seek ways to fulfill that design as members of a healthy team.

When we come to a fuller understanding of ourselves, we are better able to serve others.

There is joy in the process for all who choose to take this step forward in earnest pursuit of their gifts, abilities, passions, dreams, and desires.

Empower through Defined Responsibilities

A healthy team empowers each member of the team, making sure everyone knows his or her role and purpose.

If individual team members are unsure of their gifts and abilities, it’s important for the leader and the team to recognize this and help dispel the confusion.

Empower through Teachability and Resourcing

Teachability – an openness to continual learning and growth

If a person joins the team and has an attitude that reflects any sense of haughtiness or pride, it will hurt team camaraderie and ultimately damage team effectiveness.

Three types of Team Members

Wonderful team members – are those who are easy to get along with, helpful, fully engaged, willing to serve, teachable, and servant-hearted in every way.

Wandering team members – are those who have a differing view to offer on most issues, tend toward negativity and a complaining spirit.

Wondering team members – are those who said yes to join the team but are still a bit suspicious or curious about the team. They still need to be convinced of the mission and need to be empowered to join the center of the team life fully engaging in the work of the team.

Empower through Delegation and Accountability

Team members who are delegated tasks without responsibility are limited in their ability to accomplish their jobs. When team members are asked to fulfill a role and a defined duty and are entrusted to complete their work without others looking over their shoulder or micromanaging their daily routines, they are empowered.

Once tasks are delegated, every team needs to know that he or she will be held accountable to complete the agreed upon assignment. When healthy accountability is in place, team members become exponentially more effective in the full utilization of their gifts, abilities, passions, and calling.

A team that avoids accountability

creates resentment among team members who have different standards of performance;

encourages mediocrity; misses deadlines and key deliverables; places an undue burden on the team

leader as the sole source of discipline.

A team that holds one another accountable

ensures that poor performers feel pressure to improve;

identifies potential problems quickly by questioning one another’s approaches without hesitation;

establishes respect among team members who are held to the same high standards;

Avoids excessive bureaucracy around performance management and corrective action

Being accountable to one another is a way of

expressing our desire for growth.