One-Minute Ministry

One of the most effective and applicable books I have ever read is “The One Minute Mangager” by Ken Blanchard. After reading that book my whole outlook on team managemnet changed. I realized that I tended to make things more compicated and drawn out than they needed to be. And not for any good reason most of the time. I stared doing stuff in shroter bites of time. I made my goals on one page and had my staff do the same. They were used to my crazy and sometimes dumb ideas. But every now and again they did spectacular things and got great results. This was one of those times. And let me encourage you that as a leader if you are doing stuff that everyone else gets right away then you are prolly not the leader they need. Peeps follow others that see further than they do. They get fed up real quick with leaders of small to no vision or intuition.

I learned how to praise and correct memebers of our team and ministry in under a minute. It was awesome. I shortened my tasks and simplified them to make sure they got done. If something was complicated, I took it down to the lowest common denominated for all the peeps on my team. That way we were all on the same page. I learned that I saw stuff differently from my team and we needed to work toghether if we were going to make progress in our ministry. No one was better or more speial than anyone else. We all followed the same principles and got on the same page.

And most important of all of this was that I first went to my main leaders. The ones in my inner circle. These peeps were the ones that shared my vision and knew what I wanted to accomplish with our staff and students. I don't know how big your inner circle needs to be. The bigger the staff, the bigger the inner circle. But what needs to remain is that you put the time into knowing them and what they are expecting, what they need and how to get it.

With this concept becoming part of our system we became very effective. Sometimes to the point of creating new and bigger problems and concerns. It was the best! The main point here, though, is to become more effictient with yoru staff and that will spill over into your group. Be intentional in yoru time with yoru staff, particulary the ones who you look to most to keep the insanity in tact. Continually read books and look for new ways to help your peeps see ministry. Stretch them and they will grow. And there WILL be growing pains, but that is natural and good. Your staff will appreciate you for it and your ministry will expand.