Tech Team Vs. Media Ministry

[Paris MkVI]

Well, SK - that is indeed a good - and challenging - inquiry. I believe this issue lives or dies in leadership.

For members of the team to have ownership, they must have authority in appropriate areas.

For them to take authority, they must also accept responsibility.

For them to handle the two sharp edges of authority and responsibility together, they must submit to accountability.

And all that begins at the top - with me or my team leaders. If I have not trained them completely and correctly, and accepted the responsibility of making the hard decision on their readiness - then I have not provided the leadership and support they deserve. I would have to own a failure on that score.

I do not want to own any of those!

Ultimately, as a leader, it is my job to give my job away, or better said, to work my way out of my job. That's the 10,000-foot view of things. The strategic view.

Now down at the treetops - the tactical level. . .

I stopped doing prep and cue sheets for all services. I required my directors to begin doing prep and cue sheets on the weeks they serve. It requires time from them on Saturday (about 2½ hours) to go through and do a final proof on all materials,finding and fixing errors before Sunday morning. It is not a common problem, but it does happen. They prepare cue sheets according to the standard form we use, so folks get the same information the same way every time.

I gave them the training, then released them with the authority and responsibility to do the task. The result was a noticeable change in their attitude and awareness towards service prep. Through practical experience, they came to understand the necessity of the prep time.

Train them up, release them with both authority and responsibility, and model the actions and attitudes.

I recently brought up and trained a new video team leader. He began first by handling scheduling for me for most of this year, and did a terrific job. Once he accepted the role and responsibility of team leader, I told him one of his first responsibilities was to find a team member that would accept scheduling responsibilities, train them, and hand off the task to them.

If you and I try to do it all ourselves, in a short time we will be working twice as hard and be half as effective.

Ownership on their part begins with knowing and understanding these same people God has entrusted you to lead.

Invest in them, support them, and release them with authority and responsibility together.

Praise publicly and correct privately.

Be ready to possibly own their failures yourself - determine whether you provided the training and support they needed.

Make your ministry a safe place to fail. People who strive will fail sometimes.

When that does happen, pick them up, brush them off, correct in a way that builds them, and send them back on the way.

When they succeed, give God glory and make the success known!