What a Home Improvement Project Reminded Me About Leaders

I pray often that God will equip me to be the best leader I can be.  I take my role as a leader very seriously and want to honor God through my service. I would say that, as the oldest child in my family, leadership comes fairly natural to me. I often quote, “Well, somebody has to be in charge!”

Sometimes, however, I like to take a seat in the ‘back row’ and observe. I don’t always like to be in charge, especially in casual, non-ministry-related environments.

Case in point…last month, we painted my daughter’s bedroom. My sweet girl waited so patiently for many months’ worth of filled calendars and family obligations for her bedroom makeover. We set the date; she selected her color scheme; she purchased accessories with her own money; she and my husband prepped the walls and purchased supplies.

But we were missing something: a project manager. No one was in charge of the project! This became frightfully clear after I watched my husband make three additional trips to the home improvement store when we ran out of supplies.

That recent home improvement experience brought to mind 5 reminders about leaders:

1. Someone has to be in charge. Why? Because:

• It minimizes confusion. Knowing who is in charge helps keep everyone focused and on task.
• It saves time and money. Because no one was in charge, we wasted time going back and forth to the store and spent hundreds of dollars more than we planned. Some lessons you only learn once!
• A leader will think through a plan – what needs to be done, who needs to do what, what supplies are needed, etc.

2. A leader is responsible for having a vision and keeping that vision in front of the team. Remind people what you’re working toward and what it will take to get there.

3. A leader does not need to have all of the answers. It is not a sin to say, “I don’t know.” Not only does this keep you human and relatable but it also keeps you learning. Leaders are learners.

4. A leader does not need to have all of the ideas – or the best ideas. During our home improvement project, all of us had great ideas to make the project more enjoyable – and most of them did not come from me. Very refreshing!

5. A leader needs to be their team’s biggest advocate. As the hours went on and our bodies grew tired, I reminded everyone of how good a job they were doing. I even sang to my family to keep the mood light! (I know they appreciated that.)

As a kidmin leader:

• Do you embrace and own your leadership role? Do you accept your role as a gift from God?
• Have you asked God for wisdom and discernment for your ministry? Do you pray and spend time in His Word regularly? Are you in a position to hear what He’s telling you?
• Do you have a teachable spirit? What are you learning?
• Are you humble? Do you consider the ideas of others?
• Are you your ministry’s biggest advocate? Do those under you feel you fight for them? Do you share all of the great things happening in your ministry? Do you ask people to pray for your ministry on a regular basis?

Keep the conversation going!  Which of these points resonated with you the most? What would you add to the list?