I was challenged recently in my leadership with this thought: What do I care about most when leading my teams? The tasks at hand? Filling rostered positions? Punctuality? Preparation?

While all these things are important to the excellence we are able to bring to our services, I was challenged by what I was caring about first – do I care more about the task or do I care more about the individuals in our team?

SEE ALSO: MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK

We’re called as pastors and leaders to care about our people, not just our outcomes.  Here are a few thoughts I’ve found helpful in focusing on caring for people first:

1. Caring takes time.
Time is a valuable commodity. Taking the time get to know your team members shows that you value them, and not just their contribution to your team. We need to be looking for the long-term relationships, not just short-term fixes.

2. There’s a difference between managing people and developing people.
Developing and discipling people takes an investment of yourself and will show the greatest fruit. It means helping team members reach their goals and potential in all areas, not just in the specific tasks allocated to them; for their benefit and not just yours. See their true potential and work toward that, not just the task at hand.

3. The details matter.
Know the details and what is happening in the lives of your team. They are more than just the role they play. See beyond the tasks and outcomes to the lives that they live.

4. Concern yourself with the opportunities you can give not the opportunities that you can get.
Ultimately it’s about creating generational momentum in leadership. We must empower people to do more than they think they can do. It shows first that we believe in them then stretches and grows them as individuals, which results in growing the team as a whole.

These are just a few things I’ve found that help me re-focus on caring for our team. What are some things you’ve found helpful in caring for your team?

Matt