Over the last several weeks, I’ve shared a series of articles on building senior leadership teams — the teams at the top of your organization. In case you missed them, here are links to all the articles in the series:
- When should we start building the team?
- 7 Roles that Can’t be Delegated
- 7 Questions to Identify Who Should be on the Team
- 7 Strategies to Empower Leaders
- Are you avoiding these mistakes with your team?
The most common question I’ve received as a result of this series is this: Can you help me find these leaders?
The short answer is yes. The reality is the decision about who will be on your senior leadership team is probably the biggest determining factor of health and success for your church. This decision is much bigger than those about discipleship strategies, series plans, buildings, budgets, etc. Determining who is on your senior leadership team will shape every other decision.
I’m still a big believer in identifying people from within the church, either current staff or lay leaders, whenever possible. They’re more likely to embrace the vision, values and strategy of your church. You’ll have a better sense of how they’ll fit the chemistry of your existing team. You should have a better awareness of their skills and capacity. In theory, your leadership development strategy has been working and you’re raising up leaders from inside your organization.
The reality, though, is that many times inside hires just don’t work out. Sometimes it’s because there hasn’t been enough time or forethought to truly develop leaders. Sometimes you need a leader from outside the organization to help make a philosophical or strategic shift. Sometimes you need an outsider with a specialized skill or experience.
For those churches who need to look outside their organization, I’d be happy to talk with you about how Vanderbloemen Search Group can assist you with the process. In addition to the broad network of connections, the search firm I partner with helps pre-screen candidates and saves churches time. More important, the search group has experience matching churches with high-capacity leaders. Email me if you’d like to set up a conversation to talk about the options that are available.
In the mean time, share your experience. Where have you found the senior leaders on your teams? Join the conversation by sharing your comment.
