(part 2 of a week long series on focusing on the right people and multiplication)

“The people you spend the majority of your time with can and will determine whether you are an effective or ineffective leader.”

Dave Kraft – “Leaders who Last”

I think one of the biggest misconceptions of those going into full time ministry is that they are going to spend most of their time on the front lines.

This is what I did my first 5 years on staff. Sure I discipled guys, but my main focus was reaching my target area/dorm.   On my own.  5 years of starting over and gaining no ground.

Ephesians 4:12 is a great summary of our job as full time ministers:
“To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”

In college ministry, I think Staff’s #1 job is to empower students to have a ministry.

• We believe that students sharing with other students will be the key to reaching our campus.
• So staff are successful not if they have a thriving personal ministry but if they are pouring into students who are in turn pouring into others (Discipleship/Multiplication)
• So we focus pretty much every week with staff on “who are you meeting with?”:

Reminds me of #6 on this this mind-blowingly-good list on leadership from the blog whatsbestnext.com:

THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY INEFFECTIVE LEADERS
1. They spend too much time managing and not enough time leading.
2. They spend too much time counseling the hurting people and not enough time developing the people with potential.
3. They spend too much time putting out fires and not enough time lighting fires.
4. They spend too much time doing and not enough time planning.
5. They spend too much time teaching the crowd and not enough time training the core.
6. They spend too much time doing it themselves and not enough time doing it through others.
7. They make too many decisions based on organizational politics and too few decisions based on biblical principles.

From Dave Kraft’s Leaders Who Last

Kraft adds:
Notice in particular numbers 2, 5, and 6, which have to do with the kinds of people you spend time with. I say it again: the people you spend the majority of your time with can and will determine whether you are an effective or ineffective leader.
The fact is that many people in leadership roles gravitate toward hurting, draining, time-=consuming people because they have a need to be needed. They want to help people, to be there for people. If a leader has strong mercy gifts, leading becomes more difficult. Simply put, if you need people, you can’t lead people. There is an inability or lack of desire to make the tough calls, speak the truth, or do the hard things. Motivated by a fear of disappointing people, this inability will seriously hamper and work against your ability to lead.

Tomorrow: Thoughts on how focusing on the few is not unloving to the many.

photo courtesy of andorpro via flickr