God has given you a fantastic team at work. Your team might be small—family members, or a few volunteers. Maybe you are blessed to serve at a church large enough to afford a full staff. Regardless, God has given you a team. Even if you have to search to find them, they are there.

People are unique. If they were all the same, we could just give each one a function and expect amazing results. Instead, personalities get in the way. This person brings the fun, that person is very concerned about details … and each thinks the other is … annoying.

Your job is to help these people become who God created them to be and to help them gel as a team. How can you make the most of this fantastic resource and help these dedicated people reach their full potential?

Consider how athletes differ in their preparation. Bodybuilders have a specific way of working out—pumping weights, building mass. Swimmers condition their bodies to become the best at their sport. What would happen if a swimmer worked out like a bodybuilder, or a bodybuilder like a swimmer? In order to be the best at their sports, they prepare their bodies in ways specific to their strengths.

In a similar way, average leaders become extraordinary when they move and work in their strengths. The DISC test is one way to help us look at strengths.

This test shows us that there are different kinds of leaders:

• Natural, dominant leaders
• Influence leaders
• Steady, patient, persistent leaders
• Cautious, detailed and precise leaders.

What happens when you expect a detail person to become a Type-A dominant leader? Even if they manage to pull it off, they will soon burn out.

What happens when you help an influence leader to lead by influencing others instead of dictating direction? They flourish!

A special kind of respect is created when a team is built to bring out the strengths of each member and not just to fulfill one person’s vision. People who develop in this type of respect not only become the people God created them to be, they develop deep and lasting relationships.

Who can you help build their strengths this week? How can you give them the respect they need to flourish and grow? How can you cultivate this respect within your team?

Want to learn more about your team strengths?

You can find the DISC test online (a simplistic version of the DISC is available as the Gary Smalley personality test) or try Gallup’s Strengthsfinder 2.0 test. Each of these will give you a new fresh look at your team and the dynamics that God brought together to serve in your unique place, at this unique time. You are there for a purpose. God is making a difference through you and your team.

Kim Martinez is an ordained Assemblies of God pastor with a Masters of Theology from Fuller Seminary. She is a ministry and life development coach, and can be found online at www.deepimprints.com. She writes a weekly column for ministrytodaymag.com.

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