A few of us from our team at Gateway Austin had a chance to participate at The Art of Leadership Live with Carey Nieuwhof and 250 other pastors.
No more than 35-50% of your budget should be used on staffing
Not all staff (or volunteers) are created equally.
C Players
- Unmotivated
- Underperforming
- Need constant pushing
- Drag the team down
A Players
- Outperform others 3-10x
- Self-motivated and self-managing
- Capable, talented, and teachable
- Take direction, but love autonomy
- Lift everyone else up
Loyalty to the mission is more important than loyalty to the leader.
And now your real problem is actually
B Players
- Adequate (never great)
- Need direction
- Can drift
- May have outlived their usefulness
- People often love them relationally
- Earn more than you want to pay them
Easy solution is letting go of C Players
How can you sort A, B, and C players?
Ask yourself: how hard would you fight to keep them if they left?
Do not let mediocrity stand in the way of your ministry.
Great leaders don’t buy teams – they build them.
To find A players, look for people who are already leading.
They are the ones already getting things done in our church, in our community, or in their business.
I do not know how to motivate an unmotivated person.
It is easier to push the brakes than hold down the gas pedal.
Hire for character. Train for competency.
Muster the courage to do the hard thing.
Release the non-A players. If their gifts, personalities, or character are misaligned then they are in the wrong seat in the Kingdom. Non-A players are almost always overwhelmed.
“Adequate performance gets you a generous severance package.” – No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention
You can do a lot with a little if you have the right people.
Every time you compromise on talent, you compromise the mission.
Build the team your mission needs.
Frank Bealer, CEO of Generis asks the question:
Are there any B players because of me?
We have them in the wrong role.
We haven’t given them clear direction.
We don’t know how to equip them. What can we do better to set them up for success?
Passion does not always demonstrate capacity.
Ask for a second round of references.
A players know how long things actually take.
When determining a B player or C player, always ask yourself: “how is this my fault?”
Then ask the person: “What is your favorite part of your job?” If they ramble on and on or share about something that is only 5% of their job then that could be an issue.
Also ask: ” What are your least favorite parts of your job?” Some of these items could easily be passed on to others who may really enjoy those tasks.
Daily accountability text with someone answersing:
“Best from today, Worst from today, Prayer request”
Shifting from productive to fruitful implies results and fit..
How do you spot an A player?
Diamonds can be found in the rough, but they are also expensive and can be found on a shelf.
Protect your culture for sure, but sometimes bringing in someone who is already an A player is the right decision.
