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God created people with certain gifts.
Those gifts and talents don’t get erased when they punch your company clock
only to be reinstated when they punch out and go home
by Greg Leith
Does
God speak to your team members or just to you?
I
think we all believe he speaks to everyone, but if that’s the case, why are you
still deciding everything at your company?
In
other words, does the brochure really have to be the size and color you want?
Or
can your team member decide the size and color? After all, God made them
creative too!
He
made them in his image, he gave them natural talents, he gave them spiritual
gifts — and he wants them to use them, so why not let them?
Does
God have anything to say on this matter? Let’s find out.
God
reminds us that people are created in his image (Genesis 1).
That,
of course, includes your team members. Let’s peer into some leadership
principles that flow from this truth.
First, since God is the Creator, and people are created in
his image, people are also creative.
It
follows then, that as leaders we should:
•
Value the input from people about their work and our work.
•
Provide opportunities for people to express feedback on how they view their
work.
•
Be promoters and sponsors of the potential of the people we lead.
Secondly, since God intensely values each person, people are
his most valued creation.
Therefore,
people have value (Psalm 139:13) and as leaders we should:
• Treat people with respect and dignity.
• Lead people as we want to be led.
• Serve the people we lead, seeing them as ends, not
means to accomplishing work.
• Help people be something as well as do something.
Finally,
God created people with certain gifts. Those gifts and talents don’t get erased
when they punch your company clock only to be reinstated when they punch out
and go home!
It
seems reasonable and biblical then, that as leaders we should:
• Recognize God-given gifts in those we lead.
• Help them develop these gifts to become all that God
meant them to be.
Your
role as the leader of the organization is to create and maintain a culture that
values and honors people, encourages individual growth and allows creativity so
that people can develop their talent at work as well as when they’re not at
work.
How’s
it at your organization? How about a quick survey asking your team members how
they feel about this?
Maybe
you’ll discover you’re doing great!
Maybe
you’ll discover there’s latent creativity just waiting to be unleashed.
Maybe it’s time to ease into the “people are
created in the image of God, therefore they are creative” space.
Here’s
an idea: Next time a team member comes into your office to have you decide
something earth shattering like which coffee service to use, why not try the
phrase, “You decide.”
C’mon!
Give it a try!
If
you don’t, the only thing you have to lose is another team member to the
competition.
Greg Leith
Greg's life mission statement
focuses on his life passion, which is “to strengthen the great leaders,
ideas and organizations of our time so the kingdom causes of Christ can be
exponentially accelerated.” He is the CEO of Convene, which helps hundreds
of Christian CEO’s meet regularly in small groups to live out their faith
intentionally as they combine their love for business with the love for
biblical truth. Greg’s career spans corporate Fortune 500 enterprises,
franchise operations, non-profit and associations and academic sectors.
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