Most people would describe me as someone with a gift for empowerment. I see what people are gifted in, I see their tendencies, talents, and patterns where others just see actions and hobbies. Hopefully I then encourage them to take hold of those things. I try to push people to be who they really are. And I love doing it. Nothing makes me happier (except maybe a really good back rub) than seeing someone come alive in what they were made to do, even if it’s just one aspect of a whole. I draw my leadership style from this as well, placing people where I see their abilities shining the most and encouraging them to grow as people. But that’s not all that a leader needs to do. A leader needs to direct a group or team as a whole towards the ultimate goal and keep the team focussed on it – and that ultimate goal, of course, is Christ. Even if I empower someone to take hold of their giftings in amazing ways but their focus is not on the love of Christ, on serving Him with that gift, all I do is create resounding gongs and clanging cymbols. Before someone can be empowered to use a gift, they have to be focussed on what they’re using that gift for, and that is the foremost important roll of a leader – to be a spiritual leader.
I am not that leader.
I can do an alright job at it, but it’s not what I’m gifted at. I can delegate the position out, but that means the focus is not being created by the head of the team. In the last month I’ve watched Brandon Headrick come alive as the spiritual head of our team, and also watched as my team and I put our full trust in his ability to lead in this way. So here at the beginning of a New Year, about to head to a new location, my team and I will have another new beginning:
I am stepping aside as team leader and Brandon is stepping in to take the position.
The decision was one we both held back from at first when it was recommended by our squad leader, but after praying about it we know it is the right thing, and we’ve both set our minds to working out what this means for each of us. Looking back, I’m humbled to realize that between April training and now, whether it was for 10 days as the Green Team, this last month as team Beleven, or the last 4 months as seven:eleven, I have had the position of team lead for 16 people (including myself) from this squad. That’s over half of the September team. And I loved doing it, but now is the time to move on to something else. As they say in Thailand, it will be ‘same same, but different.’ I will continue to do what I do as me, but many of the additional responsibilities I had have shifted to Brandon which he will be able to approach from a spiritual leader’s perspective. It will change the way we do things in subtle ways, and I think allow God to really shape us more and more. We’re still the same family though, and nothing changes that. I have enjoyed my time as leader of seven:eleven and would be lying if I said part of me wasn’t sad to let it go, but I am also excited for what’s coming. And not just in team dynamic changes – this month has been one of God stripping away all kinds of things that I didn’t even realize I had parts of my identity wrapped up in. And when God pulls away this many layers at once, it usually means He’s about to build up something new – I don’t anticipate it to be easy or have any idea what it is, but I’m excited for it none the less. For the first time I find myself looking at the start of a new year as a NEW year, not just another flip of the calender, and it’s kind of inspiring.
Happy New Year everyone – may it be a great one.
