How To Develop Leaders Around You

As you know, preteen ministry can’t be done alone. It is important to first build a team. I described how to do this in How to Build a Dream Team, an older post closer to the bottom of the Lessons Learned page. If you haven’t read it, check it out before reading any further. Priority #1 is to build a team around you. Once a solid team is in place, your next quest is to develop leaders around you.

Why develop leaders around you? You’re the only one being paid, so shouldn’t you do all the work? There are tons of reasons to develop other leaders. First, your job is to empower others to do ministry, not to do it all yourself. Second, you give others a valuable gift by helping them reach their full potential. Third, your ministry is more effective when other leaders own the vision, values and practices of the organization. Forth, as the church and ministry grow more leaders will be required to get the job done. I could go on forever, but will stop here. I think you get the point.

Next, let’s first clarify the difference between team members and leaders. Team members have a specific role/responsibility that they carry out. They know what is expected and get the job done. Leaders go the extra mile and give 110%. They have influence over other team members and people naturally gravitate towards them. They have the potential and desire to make more of a contribution. Every organization needs both team members and leaders.

Here are a few tips on how to develop leaders around you.

Identify potential leaders.
Once a team is developed, it is important to be on the lookout for leaders. Every organization has them and it takes a leader to know one. Take note of the specific qualities that make you a good leader and look for those characteristics in others. I believe good leaders always have an antenna up for others like them. Look for individuals who others ask for advice, direction and support. Team members who stay late, come early and are passionate about their contribution are possible leaders. They volunteer to do more than expected and maybe even have lots of ideas on how to make improvements. They are the ones who are often by your side in most ministry endeavors. Always keep an eye out for potential leaders.

Help leaders discover their niche.
Next, find out a potential leaders’ niche. Get to know them. Take them out to lunch and ask about their dreams, passions, gifts and talents. Maybe you identify someone who loves elementary kids and music. He could be a possible worship leader for 1^st-6^th grade! Sometimes a particular niche is obvious and sometimes it isn’t. It can be tricky when it isn’t obvious. Maybe a prospective leader doesn’t know what his niche is. In this case, it is your job to help him find it and that can be discovered only through an ongoing relationship. Ask questions and give him opportunities to lead in areas you think he would enjoy. Be willing to experiment with a few things before being successful. At some point, you will work with him and talk about an eventual leadership role you are working towards together. It could be worship leader, children’s ministry recruiter, designer for promotional materials, etc. Leadership development is a process, so be patient. Be willing to invest in potential leaders and help them discover their niche.

Give leaders opportunities to be stretched.
Once a possible niche is identified, give the potential leader an opportunity to lead and be stretched. Let him teach a Sunday service, lead worship, plan an event, design a flyer or create a PowerPoint presentation. The goal is to see how he reacts to the situation, not to evaluate success. Does he rise to the occasion or not take it seriously? Does he perform half-hazardly or give it his all? Is he enthusiastically willing to take on the new leadership role? Let’s say you think a possible leader would be great at one day being an elementary event coordinator. You give him an opportunity to lead an event and he makes a lot of mistakes. Don’t sweat it. Work with him to improve things the next time around. But if he give it his all, takes it seriously and is willing to take on new leadership responsibilities, then you are on the way to developing a new leader. Success is not the goal at first, but the leader’s attitude is most important. Success will come with time and experience.

Mentor the new leader.
If someone does good with the opportunities you’ve given him, your next task is to spend time mentoring him. You can’t delegate this task, but need to invest time and energy in the new leader. There is no cookie cutter approach here. Each leader requires different amounts of time and various methods of training. So, take each leader on a case by case basis. Walk him through all the necessary steps to accomplish the task and give him help where needed. Take him on as your apprentice and teach him everything you know.

Get out of the way.
As you begin the mentoring process and the leader has some success, get out of the way. Let him take ownership in the new leadership role. Let him feel the freedom of spreading his own wings. Watch from a distance and avoid the urge to micro manage.

Cheer him on from the sidelines.
At this point, the main thing the leader needs from you is encouragement. Your role moves from mentorship to encouragement. Many leaders forget this step. Once a leader is successful, many get out of the way too much and lose the relationship altogether. Don’t make that mistake! Keep up the relationship and give him lots of encouragement. Remind him of how his contribution to the team makes an eternal difference in the lives of preteens! Cheer him on when he is successful and help pull him up when things get messy.