BUILDING TEAMS THAT LAST
Growing teams are made up of growing people who have figured out how to work together.
In case you don't know my story, I'll summarize it quickly for context.
A long time ago, I worked for a non-profit. (Sometimes it felt like I worked for "No-Profit")
Seven years later…I finally got a real raise.
4 Months after that, I quit my job.
Then, I launched a business.
Been figuring out life ever since.
I've been in business full-time now for seven years. Every day brings a new lesson. There are tons of things that I've learned that I don't even have time to share. Today's lesson is all about developing healthy teams.
Growing teams are made up of growing people who have figured out how to work together on a common vision. This concept also applies to the teams I manage. As the CEO of a growing company, learning to develop amazing teams is critical to the success of my business. But sometimes this isn't easy.
Teamwork and leadership require sacrifice. It's a sacrifice of your pride. It's impossible to move forward if you're only consumed with personal interest. Pride will keep you from working with others, no matter how much it makes sense to do so. The fear of them getting the credit you want or feel you deserve will get you every time. But one thing is for sure: If you're going to grow, then you need to grow up.
Working on teams is not a new concept. It's been around since the beginning of time and is as old as God.
Even the Creator of the Universe worked with others. In the Christian faith, God is understood to function in three roles. It's what we call the Holy Trinity. It's a very complex understanding of God that requires way more elaboration, but for the sake of not trying to sound impressive (or confusing), here's a simple breakdown:
God the Father… He's God.
God the Son (Jesus)…. He's God.
God the Holy Spirit….. He's God, too.
This is God's leadership team. There are three beings but only one God. There's so much that I find fascinating about my faith, but the role of God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit by far impresses me the most. Each one plays a significant role in the lives of Believers. They work together as a team with equal power (actually all power). Not to mention, in the spirit realm, angelic beings exist who were created to complete very specific tasks. And for those of us who have a relationship with God, we are also a part of this divine team.
I love that something as practical as building teams can be understood in the context of my faith and not just outside of it. In fact, most of the business success principles I've learned over the years from sources outside of the Bible still quote Scriptures and use biblical principles to support their ideas.
Here is what God has taught me about developing teams.
Have Specific Roles For Your Team Members—Jesus is my savior. His sacrifice made it possible for me to have a relationship with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is my everyday counselor and guide. He knows the plans that God the Father has for me and spends his time helping me walk them out daily. God is my Father. He is the one who created the vision and orchestrated the plan.
Lesson: Think about each person on your team and how their role impacts the overall vision.
Have a Strong Vision—Building a team without a strong vision doesn't make sense. When God created the Heavens and the Earth, he did so with a purpose. He desired to extend his influence and serve humanity. The vision was to create a kingdom that included a king (God), servants (angels), and sons/daughters (us/people).
Lesson: Your vision needs to be clear, strong, and well-established. What you are working towards should benefit everyone and everything around you.
Communicate Your Vision (Often) — Genesis through Revelation is one (REALLY) big vision casting. The Bible, at its core, is God's continual attempt to share his plan for humanity, the Heavens, the Earth, and all of eternity. In the midst of hearing this great narrative, we get a better understanding of God's heart, his motivation, compassion, and authority.
Lesson: Once you get a vision, share it often. Encourage other people on your team to share it and stay focused on seeing it through.
Beware of Betrayers — Even God had haters. One person in particular (Satan) didn't like his role on the team. He wanted more power than was given to him, so he rebelled against God and started his own team. To make a long story short, he led (and continues to lead) some away from God's plan for their well-being. As a result, he lost his place on God's team forever. He'll never enjoy the fruit of God's goodness ever again.
Lesson: Anticipate opposition. Every successful team has had to learn how to handle betrayal from within.
Always Have a Backup Plan — After Satan betrayed God and was excommunicated, he attempted to undermine God's authority by deceiving other members of God's team (Adam and Eve). When Adam and Eve betrayed God by giving into a temptation presented by Satan, they caused a domino effect that shifted history. Adam and Eve lost sight of the vision God cast and opened themselves and all of humankind up to a world of trouble.
Thankfully, God had a backup plan. Every great leader has a Plan B (Belief at all costs). That backup plan is God the Son (Jesus). Now, Jesus has been present this entire time, but his role became critical when God's original plan took a hard left turn for the worst.
Jesus understood his role on the team and made a huge sacrifice for the sake of the larger vision. He left a place of comfort/status (Heaven) and got in the trenches with the people he loved (us) and the one he served (God the Father). Jesus was mocked, rejected, brutally beaten, and eventually murdered in public for the sake of the vision he believed in. This is what you call taking one for the team.
His sacrifice corrected the grave mistake Adam and Eve made. Jesus' story, however, continues. When he died, he confronted Satan and defeated him for good. Then he came back to life (Wow!) and then went back to Heaven. He secured a better future for everyone in the long run. Now that's commitment!
Lesson: Always have a backup plan that utilizes other healthy team members and trust that they'll get the job done.
Teach Your Team How to Develop Other Teams—When Jesus came to Earth to help restore what Adam and Eve had messed up, He spent 33 years here. But the last three years of his life were impressive from a leadership perspective.
Essentially, Jesus developed a team of disciples. They were a group of committed followers with no formal training. Jesus shared one message called the Gospel (the good news of God's plan) and gave them clear instructions (tell everyone about it). That group of people took that message all over the world (with no internet) in just three years. Twelve disciples grew to a group of 72, and from there, hundreds, thousands, and now millions are sharing this same message.
It's been over 2,000 years, and the vision God originally set out to accomplish is still being talked about and passionately pursued by people who haven't seen God with their own eyes. No other business/business person/entity has had that kind of success, none. Jesus has always been part of a great team. Jesus taught His followers how to operate as a great team and create teams of their own, and they dominated.
Lesson: If you want your vision to create a legacy, teach your team members how to develop healthy teams of their own.
I'm learning a ton in this season of my life. Thankfully, I'm not trying to figure this out on my own. It's exhausting being a one-woman act 24/7. Teams serve a purpose and should be developed and utilized to their maximum potential. I am more committed now than ever before to suck up my pride, galvanize a group of go-getters and make it happen.
If God, who is completely capable of doing it all Himself, saw the need to work with a team, then so should we.
Stay Inspired,
Sharlene
