How To Unlock the Potential of People In Ministry

For years, I didn’t understand what leading people is all about. Because of this, I was accidentally stifling the potential and development of everyone around me. I made my team dependent on me. Unfortunately, I think most leaders naturally fall into this.

Fundamentally, leading people is about unlocking their potential and creating an environment where they can grow and develop. When everyone is leading at their individual potential, the corporate potential for your church staff is practically limitless.  

So, how do you stop stifling the people you lead and start empowering and inspiring them toward their potential?

Stop Talking and Start Listening

I’m learning that great leadership starts with humility. For years, I’ve inadvertently thought of leadership as me telling my team what to do when we run into a problem because…well, I’m the leader. I’ve been in the game longer. I have more experience. It makes sense. Right?

So, here’s the challenge. Stop acting like you’re the smartest person in the room. In other words, stop talking and start listening.  

What I’m realizing is that there is incredible wisdom in approaching every conversation and meeting as if the best idea isn’t in my head but rather out there, in the group, waiting to be discovered. 

As the leader, if you already think you have the best idea, trust me, your people know it and will shut down. Your ideas will dominate and you’ll fail to grow and develop your team. Also, you’ll probably miss out on the actual best idea. 

Stop Answering and Start Asking

If you are a leader, you are probably quick to share your ideas in a meeting. You want to be helpful. You want to be efficient. Also, you have experience and wisdom that is valuable.  

The problem is that you accidentally create a dynamic where people are just waiting for you to talk. This becomes a spiral because after a while, you and they start to believe that you are the one who has all the answers. Again, this will stifle potential.  

The key here is to stop answering and start asking. When you, as the leader, give the answer, the conversation is over. Instead, ask questions and draw answers out of your team.  

Take this as a practical challenge: Whenever you would normally give an answer, ask a question.  And, whenever someone offers an idea or suggestion, ask a question about their idea. If you make an effort to ask twice as many questions as answers that you provide, your team culture will start to change.  

Let me address an objection you’re already thinking of…yes, this will require longer and slower conversations and meetings. But, growth and development take time and space.

The good news is that if you do this right, your team will need you less and less as you begin to unlock their potential. Over time, they will grow in confidence, wisdom and decision-making skills   

Stop Fixing and Start Coaching

Leaders fix things right? You see something that isn’t going well and you fix it, or you tell people to fix it. In church world, this often happens between worship services or right before an event.  

• The chairs are set up wrong. Fix it. 
• The worship service doesn’t flow well.  Fix it.
• The announcement wasn’t clear.  Fix it.  
• The welcome center is messy and chaotic.  Fix it. 

For years, I functioned this way, thinking that my role was to see problems and fix them. I’m realizing now that my job as a leader is not to fix everything in the moment, but to develop and grow people, which requires a different approach.  

Swooping in and fixing everything shortchanges the growth process for teammates. A better approach is to provide clear expectations before and clear feedback after.

Meddling in the middle will not only stifle growth in potential, but it will also reinforce that your people can’t win without you and your input.  

If you want to unlock the potential of your team, allow them to fail a bit.  Let them feel the consequences and learn from them. Talk them through their decisions and actions after the fact and clarify expectations.  

Just a warning…this is REALLY difficult to do. It is so hard to watch someone fail, especially in an area where you are gifted. But, if people don’t have freedom to fail a bit, then we’ll never unlock their full potential as leaders.