7 Traits I Have Observed From Great Ministry Leaders
As a pastoral coach, I have worked with hundreds of pastors across the country. I love what I do and am privileged to meet and connect with some of the greatest leaders in ministry. I have learned many things from some amazing leaders. Below are a few common leadership principles I have observed that many strong leaders have in common:
They build great teams. In my opinion, this is what separates the good leaders from the great leaders. They are constantly looking for ways to mentor, develop, and coach their teams. Strong leaders understand the power of investing into a few. As Peter Digiammarino shared on the intelliven.com blog, "No one leader, and not even any two, has the breadth of competence and depth of capacity to do anything of much significance alone. Successful organizations often have a core leadership team of three to seven top executives who are aligned to accomplish specific goals as a cohesive unit."
They recruit and develop people. Notice I didn't say they recruit great people. They make leadership development a priority. The strongest leaders recruit people that have passion and potential and then develop them into great leaders.
They huddle together. Strong pastoral leaders not only have scheduled times to meet, collaborate, and discuss their team successes and failures, they also take advantage of "impromptu" teachable moments. Strong pastoral leaders also meet one-on-one with their leaders on a regular basis.
They listen to their team. Strong leaders aren't afraid of feedback. The best leaders seek and gather input from their teams. This creates goodwill and builds trust with your team. But effective leaders don't just listen to their teams, they also seek to incorporate feedback received where possible.
They are constantly casting vision. It is clear and compelling. Ronnie Floyd's "The 4 C's of Effective Vision Casting" says it best.
They love what they do. It is their passion. It is their caffeine, their coffee. Their love fuels them, drives them, and inspires them.
They encourage their team. All of us like to hear, "Atta boy - good job!" I loved what one Children's Pastor shared - he would write and MAIL notes of encouragement and appreciation along with a gift card to several volunteers each month. Simple, yes, but a priority nonetheless. Appreciation goes a long way! Yvonne Hudson has eight great tips on appreciating and keeping volunteers.
Ministry passions can change over time and that is okay. We often ask pastors, "If God gave you a blank canvas and fresh color palette and asked you to paint a picture of what your heart desires to do next in ministry, what picture would you paint?" If your picture is different than what you are doing now, contact us and let's discuss your future.
What are your thoughts? What are other great ministry leadership traits you have learned and/or observed over the years?