Leadership Blog 6

            Within our floor council, I believe that the greatest strength is our vision for our duty. As leaders, we have a great understanding of our roles and what our purpose is on our resident floor. As Discipleship leaders, we understand that our job is to encourage and allow spiritual growth to flourish with the freshman class that is on our floor. We want to be a part of the building up of the future of North Central, and more importantly of the next group of men of God. Because of our unique situation in living on a floor that is exclusive to freshmen, we take greater responsibility for how we conduct ourselves as leaders and collectively have a deeper understanding of our purpose as a team because we had been selected by a higher power to fill such a role. Our unstated core values include spending quality time on the floor with our residents, intentionally uplifting and encouraging everyone on our floor, and have honest and open communication among our teammates. Each of us, have specific skills and ways of interacting, however, we know it is imperative to work together in order to succeed at our job. Our understanding of our overall purpose as a floor council and our vision for what we want to be is what keeps us accountable to each other. We know we cannot accomplish our vision for the floor without one another and we each know that God has put us together for a great purpose.

            If our team was in a crises state it would be because there is an underlying issue with one or several of the members. Because our floor council only consists of three people, it would be relatively easy to spot a problem and deal with it accordingly. Practically speaking, our first plan of action would be to have a group discussion, a heart to heart conversation. Since we know one another fairly well, we would approach the issue with love and respect, yet still holding one another accountable. If there is a problem with one of us not performing our duties or ignoring someone else on the team, our goal would be to discuss the issue maturely, reminding everyone of what our vision and purpose is. As stated before, we know that we were place on this team for a reason and our stewardship of such a role is of utmost importance to God. Therefore, our response to crises, strategically, would be to calmly and respectfully remind one another of our purpose, keeping each other accountable, and repairing any bridges that may have been damaged within the team or helping a teammate through a rough time due to outside circumstances. It is also important that we prayerfully go about this process, with sensitivity to the spirit, showing grace and mercy, yet being truthful and correcting. If we would do this, I believe we could overcome any crises because we are confident that God wants us here for this specific time.

Leadership Blog 5

1.  I think it is fair to say that I have observed all five dysfunctions on multiple levels within the different teams I have been a part of. The most predominant one that sticks out to me is fear of conflict. I have seen leadership become virtually ineffective because of a person’s fear of confronting problems head on. When this happens, a message is sent to the team that relays a definite unawareness within leadership and a lack of urgency to see the team succeed. In my opinion, a leader must be willing to take care of conflict efficiently, proving that the welfare of the team and the purpose of their activity is more important than trying to please every individual need. When there is a fear of conflict, the tension within the team is heavily felt which ultimately affects the trust of each member. A specific example in my life was a leader in my youth group who spent more energy trying to befriend everyone instead of challenging the youth and sending a positive message by dealing appropriately with conflict from students or parents. This caused people to feel as though the leader was a push over and many people lost their trust in the individual.

2. As a leader of a team, I feel as though I am most likely to “help” create an absence of trust. Because I am very focused on challenging and motivating people, I may come across as invulnerable at times. Although people who are closest to me understand how vulnerable and honest I am, those who are on the outside may think that I am unsympathetic because I focus on the team reaching the goal. Many times I see the need to be that leader who will unapologetically push people to the next level because I believe in them so much. An issue can come up if people do not see my loyalty and desire to walk with them in accomplishing their goals. Another dysfunction that could be created could be a lack of commitment. Because I am involved in many different things with different teams, I try to prioritize my responsibilities with wisdom. Although I never want to let somebody down by not being there for my team, the potential for this to happen is likely when I am involved with other teams.

3. In order to counteract these possible tendencies to create or contribute to the dysfunctions I mention, I need to be intentional with the time I spend with my team or group in regards to time and in regards to relationship. A strategic plan could be to set aside time in which I can sit down with individuals in my team and have heart to heart with them, showing my appreciation for them and allowing an open door for honest and healthy communication. This way everyone can see a side of me that may be hidden by my strong desire to push forward and achieve new goals. When analyzing my commitment levels, I should make a schedule that I share with my teams so they are aware of what is going on. I could also be proactive in my communication with my teams so that no one is left in the dark or questioning my commitment level to the team.